[Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Town Hall on May 17, 2025. ]
[00:00:09]
THANKS FOR BEING HERE AND CARING ABOUT YOUR BUDGET.
THIS IS YOUR, IT'S A $7 BILLION BUDGET.
ABOUT 3 BILLION OF THAT IS SUPPORTED BY YOUR PROPERTY AND SALES TAX REVENUE.
BUT THE REST OF IT YOU SUPPORT TOO.
YOU SUPPORT WITH YOUR WATER BILLS, YOU SUPPORT WITH THE PASSENGER FACILITY CHARGE.
YOU PAY WHEN YOU GET AN AIR AIRPLANE TICKET, UH, IT'S ALL YOUR MONEY.
I'VE BEEN A BIG BELIEVER IN HAVING MORE ROBUST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.
THIS IS THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE SURVEY.
IT'S BETTER THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE KINDER INSTITUTE HELPED ME MAKE IT BETTER.
AND IF YOU HAVEN'T TAKEN THE YEAR 2 CENTS SURVEY, PLEASE DO.
WE'VE GOTTEN IN ABOUT 1100, UH, SURVEY RESPONDENTS, WHICH HAS BEEN GREAT.
PEOPLE WANNA SEE MORE MONEY SPENT ON INFRASTRUCTURE.
THEY WANNA SEE MORE MONEY SPENT ON HOMELESSNESS, ON SOLID WASTE, ON NEIGHBORHOOD ENFORCEMENT, ON ALL THINGS PUBLIC WORKS.
THEY WANNA SEE MORE SIDEWALKS, THEY WANNA SEE MORE ATTENTION TO MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION.
THEY WANNA SEE MORE YOUTH AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, UH, 67% SUPPORT INCREASING FEES OR TAXES FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICES.
SO I, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT A REPRESENTATIVE SCIENTIFIC SAMPLE OF, OF EVERYONE IN HOUSTON.
CERTAIN GROUPS GET HOLD OF THE, OF THE, OF THE SURVEY SOMETIMES, AND IT SKEWS IT, BUT STILL SUPPORT FOR THAT AND ALSO SUPPORT FOR A GARBAGE FEE OVER 50%, UH, AND 60% OVER 60% TODAY.
IT'S GOING TO BE JUST A SIMPLE FORMAT.
I APPRECIATE Y'ALL, IF YOU HAVE THE TIME AND HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ALL OF THIS, THESE HARDWORKING CITY STAFF THAT HAVE TAKEN A SATURDAY MORNING, PLEASE ENGAGE WITH THEM.
WE HAVE LIBRARIES AND PARKS AND PUBLIC WORKS AND PLANNING.
AND PLEASE, THREE ONE ONES HERE, EVEN SOMEBODY ON THEIR ANNIVERSARY.
3 1 1 ON YOUR ANNIVERSARY AND PLEASE TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO, TO VISIT WITH THEM.
THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT'S GOING TO DO A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF KIND OF A GENERAL OVERVIEW.
DOESN'T HAVE TO BE TOO BRIEF, BUT A OVERVIEW OF OUR CITY'S FINANCES.
THE BIG STORY, OF COURSE, WAS, YOU KNOW, AS WE ENTERED BUDGET SEASON, THERE WAS A OVER $300 MILLION BUDGET DEFICIT.
SO THE BIG STORY THIS YEAR IS REALLY HOW WE ARE ADDRESSING THAT DEFICIT.
YOU'VE READ ABOUT THE VOLUNTARY RETIREMENTS.
EVERYBODY ELIGIBLE OUTSIDE OF POLICE AND FIRE THAT WAS ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE, GOT THE OPTION OF THREE MONTHS, THREE MONTHS PAY, LIKE A THREE MONTH SEVERANCE PACKAGE.
SO AT ABOUT A A THOUSAND, OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE TOOK THAT DEAL.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF DECREASES IN THE BUDGETS.
EVERY, EVERY DEPARTMENT WAS ASKED TO DECREASE THEIR BUDGETS.
WE HAD THE PARKS, UM, KENNETH ALLEN WITH PAR, THE DIRECTOR OF PARKS WAS HERE AT THE, AT CITY HALL YESTERDAY.
YOU'LL SEE LONGER MOWING CYCLES.
YOU'LL SEE HIGHER GRASS AT THE PARKS.
IT, THESE ARE JUST THE REALITIES OF BUDGET CUTS, UM, WITHIN OUR BUDGET.
WE HAVE, UH, WE FACE A LOT OF ISSUES IN MY OPINION.
IT'S DEFINITELY GONNA TAKE ADDITIONAL REVENUE TO KEEP, GET US INTO, INTO FUTURE YEARS BASED ON OUR, THE CONTRACTS WE HAVE WITH OUR THREE EMPLOYEE UNIONS AND JUST THE VAST NUMBER OF SERVICES THAT PEOPLE NEED IN THIS CITY AND PEOPLE WANT IN THIS CITY.
SO AT SOME POINT, AS THE MAYOR SAYS, WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO ASK THE RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF CITY DO YOU WANNA LIVE IN? AND WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY FOR GOOD SERVICES IN THIS CITY? ALRIGHT, WITH THAT, I WILL GO AHEAD AND ASK PAULA WITH THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT TO COME UP AND START GOING THROUGH OUR 2026 BUDGET OVERVIEW.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE, EVERYONE TO BE HERE.
SO I'M GONNA GO OVER THE FY 26 BUDGET OVERVIEW.
SO THIS SLIDE IS REPRESENT THE CITYWIDE EXPENDITURE COMPARISON, INCLUDING THE DEBT SERVICE AND PEGO.
SO THE FY 26 PROPOSED BUDGET FOR THE CITYWIDE EXPENDITURE INCLUDE DEBT SERVICE AND PE IS 7 BILLION, WHICH IS 160 MILLION OR 2.3% HIGHER THAN THE FY 25.
CURRENT BUDGET, AS YOU SEE ON THIS CHART, IS REPRESENT DIFFERENT FUND TYPE.
UH, GENERAL FUND REPRESENT, UH, THE BUDGET, UH, OF 3 BILLION, WHICH IS 74 MILLION LOWER THAN THE FY 25 CURRENT BUDGET.
AND, UH, THAT RESULTING FROM ZERO ADJUSTMENT, UH, THAT INCLUDING STEAM, LIKE THE OPERATIONS IDENTIFY EFFICIENCY THAT WE HAVE THROUGH THE BUDGET REDUCTION
[00:05:01]
CATEGORY MANAGEMENT AND LIKE THE MAJOR, LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER, ALCON WAS MENTIONED THAT THROUGH THE MUNICIPAL, UH, VOLUNTARY EMPLOYEE RE RETIREMENT PAYOUT AND LEAD ALIGNMENT, SOME OF THE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND STRATEGY AND ALSO, UH, WATER AND SEWER FUND, OTHER FUNDS AND AVIATIONS.AS YOU CAN SEE, THOSE ARE, UH, THE BUDGET IS HIGHER THAN THE CURRENT BUDGET, MAINLY, UH, FOR LIKE THOSE D-D-S-R-F METRO AND ALSO, UH, BUILDING INSPECTION FUND.
FOR GENERAL FUND, FTE, THE TOTAL FY 26 GENERAL FUND FTE IS 13 13075.4 FTE.
THIS IS, UH, BREAK IT DOWN BY CIVILIAN POLICE CLASSIFY AND FIRE CLASSIFY.
AS YOU CAN SEE THAT POLICE CLASSIFY ACCOUNTING FOR 41.9%, CIVILIAN 29.4%, AND FIRE CLASSIFY 28.7%.
SO THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET INCLUDE THE 10.8% FUND BALANCE OF EXPENDITURE LISTED SERVICE AND PAY AS YOU GO.
THIS IS ABOVE THE SEVEN AND HALF PERCENT OF THE REQUIRED, UH, FUND BALANCE THAT PER FINANCIAL POLICY.
THIS IS APPROXIMATELY 84 MILLION ABOVE THE REQUIREMENT.
THE BUDGET ALSO INCLUDE 3.5% PERIODS FOR MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES AND 3% PERIODS FOR FIRE CLASSIFIED.
10% PERIODS FOR POLICE CLASSIFIED BASED ON PROPOSED CONTRACT.
AND IT'S ALSO FUNDED, UH, FIVE CADET CLASSES FOR POLICE AND NINE FIRE CADET CLASSES AND FULLY FUNDED, UH, FOR THE PENSION FOR THOSE THREE PENSION SYSTEM.
AND ALSO, UH, THE BUDGET ALSO INCLUDES THE FUND BALANCE DRAWN DOWN FOR FY 26 OF 107 MILLION.
AND AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THE EFFICIENCY AND ALSO EXPEND EXPENDITURE REDUCTION FOR THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE FY 2027 BUDGET, THERE IS NO LAND SALE AND, UH, NO PAYMENT DEFERRAL.
AND THE BUDGET ALSO INCLUDE THE REPLENISHMENT OF 12 MILLION, UH, TO THE BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND AS WELL.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE FOR THIS SLIDE.
THE GENERAL FUND, UH, REVENUE EXCLUDING OTHER FUND.
THE FY 26 GENERAL FUND REVENUE, EXCLUDING AT THE RESOURCES IS 2.9 BILLION, WHICH IS HIGHER THAN THE FY 25 ESTIMATE OF 36.7 MILLION OR 1.3%.
AS YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, THE LARGEST SOURCE OF REVENUE IS PROPERTY TAX AND, UH, THAT ACCOUNTED FOR 50.7% OF THE TOTAL REVENUE BUDGET.
AND SALES TAX IS THE SECOND LARGEST ACCOUNT FOR 31.3%.
SO PROPERTY TAX AS COMPARED TO THE FY 25 ESTIMATE, THAT IS THE INCREASE OF, UH, 79 MILLION, WHICH IS THE CALCULATION BASED ON THE PROPOSITION ONE AND H WITH THE INFLATION RATE OF 2.46% PLUS ZERO GROWTH FOR THE POPULATIONS AND FOR THE SALES TAX.
THE SALES TAX IS 902 MILLION, WHICH IS THE INCREASE OF 9 MILLION OR 1%.
AND THE CALCULATION IS BASED ON CONSERVATIVE PROJECTED INCREASE IN THE SALES TAX RECEIPT ALSO WITH OTHER REVENUE.
UH, THE OTHER REVENUE AS COMPARED TO FY 25 IS LOWER BECAUSE OF THE, THE, OF THE APA REVENUE LOSS AND ALSO METRO FUNDING TRANSFER TO THE D-D-S-R-F METRO FUND FOR THE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT AND SALE OF THE CAPITAL ASSET.
SO THIS SLIDE REPRESENTATIVE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE COMPARISON, INCLUDING THE DEBT SERVICE AND PAY GO BY, UH, DIFFERENT TYPE OF DEPARTMENT.
AS I MENTIONED THAT THE FY 26 GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE INCLUDED SERVICE IS 3 BILLION, WHICH IS 74 MILLION OR 2.4% LOWER THAN THE FY 25 CURRENT BUDGET.
SO MAINLY THOSE DECREASE IS DUE TO THOSE REDUCTION, INCLUDING THE ELIMINATIONS OF VOLUNTARY
[00:10:01]
MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PAYOUT, UH, LOWER PENSION RATE, AND ALSO THAT PUBLIC SAFETY REPRESENT, UH, THE HIGHEST BUDGET IN GENERAL FUND ACCOUNTED FOR 1.8 MILLION.AND AS YOU CAN SEE THAT ALL OF THE, THOSE GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENT, THAT THE BUDGET IN FY 26 IS LOWER THAN FY 25 CURRENT BUDGET EXCEPT FOR THE PAY AS YOU GO.
SO THE PAY AS YOU GO BUDGET OF 183.8 MILLION, THIS IS THE INCREASE OF 48 MILLION FROM THE FY 25 CURRENT BUDGET, WHICH IS INCLUDE THE EQUIVALENT, UH, FOR THE TAX AS WELL AS THE JOINT CASE OF THE 16 MILLION.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE FOR THIS ONE IS COMPARING FY 26 GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE FOR THE PERSONNEL VERSUS NON PERSONNEL.
SO MAJORITY OF OUR BUDGET IS PERSONNEL ACCOUNTED FOR 61% AND OTHER ACCOUNT FOR 39% FOR PERSONNEL CLASSIFY IS ACCOUNTED FOR 76% AND CIVILIAN ACCOUNT FOR 24% OF TOTAL PERSONNEL BUDGET.
SO THIS SLIDE PRETTY MUCH, UH, SHOWING THE HISTORICAL OF THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE.
AS YOU CAN SEE THAT FOR FY 26, OUR BUDGET IS LOWER, UH, THAN PREVIOUS FISCAL YEARS.
SO THIS SLIDE, UH, REPRESENT THE GENERAL FUND AND I FUND BALANCE THE FY 26 AND I FUND BALANCE IS 273.4 MILLION, WHICH IS 10.8% OF THE EXPENDITURE, LESS THAT SERVICE AND PAY GOAL, WHICH IS ABOVE THE 7.5% OF THE REQUIRED FUND BALANCE.
SO THIS SLIDE ILLUSTRATE ON HOW WE ADDRESS THE GAP.
SO OUR INITIAL GAP IS, OUR INITIAL GAP WAS 230 MILLION, AND UH, RIGHT NOW OUR BUDGET GAP IS 107 MILLION, WHICH IS THE AMOUNT THAT WE DRAWN DOWN FROM OUR FUND BALANCE.
WHAT HAVE WE DONE IS THAT WE MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENT ON THE REVENUE AS WELL AS THE EXPENDITURE ADJUSTMENT.
AND AS YOU KNOW, THAT, UH, WHEN WE INCREASE OUR REVENUE ADJUSTMENT, THAT WE WILL LOWER DOWN OUR GAP.
SO WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE REVENUE ADJUSTMENT, WE INCREASE PROPERTY TAX BY 5 MILLION DUE TO THE RECEIPT OF THE CPI WE RECEIVE IN JANUARY, WE DECREASE SALES TAX 5 MILLION BASED ON THE CONSERVATIVE ASSUMPTION THAT WE HAD.
AND ALSO WE DECREASED THE FRANCHISE FEE OF 3 MILLION, WHICH IS TYPICALLY THE FRANCHISE FEE, UH, DECREASED YEAR OVER YEAR.
ALSO, WE INCREASE OTHER REVENUE BY 20 MILLION, WHICH IS, UH, THOSE 20 MILLION, UH, PRIMARY DUE TO THE INCREASED IN INTEREST OF 11.7 MILLION.
5.5 FOR THE AMBULANCE FEE, 2 MILLION FOR MOVING VIOLATIONS, 1.84 INDIRECT COST ALLOCATIONS, 550,000 FOR SHORT TERM RENTAL REVENUE.
AND THAT OFFSET BY THE DECREASE OF 2.6 MILLION FOR THE COURSE ENFORCEMENT REVENUE THAT BEING TRANSFERRED TO OR MOVE OUT TO THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORK.
AND FOR THE TRANSFER FROM OTHER FUND, THAT 36 MILLION MAINLY DUE TO THE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT.
SO, UH, WITH THOSE, UH, REVENUE ADJUSTMENT OR IMPROVEMENT, THAT'S ACCOUNT FOR THE TOTAL OF 52 MILLION.
AND IF YOU CAN SEE ON THE SLIDE, ON THE OTHER SECTION ON THE EXPENDITURE ADJUSTMENT, SO WE HAVE SOME ADJUSTMENT, UH, TO INCREASE, UH, OUR COST IN THE EXPENDITURE AS WELL AS SOME SAVING, UH, FOR THE EXPENDITURE.
SO THE INCREASE FOR THE JOINT CASE, WHICH IS 16 MILLION.
AND ALSO, UH, FOR THE ADJUSTMENT, UH, FROM THE PROPOSED HPOU CONTRACT, UH, FROM THE INITIAL ONE THAT WE HAD, UH, BEFORE IT'S 50 MILLION, AS WELL AS THE HOPE INCREASE OF 9 MILLION.
AND WE HAVE THE SAVING FROM THE RETIREE, 29 MILLION PENSION, SAVING 25 MILLION, AND THE SAVING
[00:15:01]
FROM STREET LIGHT AND TRAFFIC SIGNAL, ELECTRIC CITY 22 MILLION CATEGORY MANAGEMENT, 18 MILLION DEPARTMENT BUDGET REDUCTION OF 16 MILLION.WE ALSO HAVE THE DELAY IN IMPLEMENTATION OF OP TRUST, 13 MILLION 3 1 1 CONSOLIDATIONS, 8 MILLION COURT ENFORCEMENT CONSOLIDATION, 8 MILLION, AND AS WELL AS OTHER CONSOLIDATION ABOUT 2 MILLION AND SOME OF OTHER EXPENDITURE ADJUSTMENT, UH, LIKE 3 MILLION, 1 MILLION.
SO THE TOTAL EXPENDITURE SAVING OVERALL IS 70 MILLION.
WITH ALL THIS ADJUSTMENT IN THE REVENUE AS WELL AS THE EXPENDITURE ADJUSTMENT, THAT LOWERED OUT THE GAP TO 107 MILLION, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT WE DRAWN DOWN FROM THE HOUR FUND BALANCE.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE PRETTY MUCH, UH, DETAIL ON WHAT I HAVE MENTIONED ON THOSE, UH, REVENUE ADJUSTMENT AS WELL AS THE EXPENDITURE ADJUSTMENT THAT WE HAVE.
SO THAT'S PRETTY MUCH, UH, OVERALL PRESENTATION THAT I HAVE.
LET'S GIVE THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR A LOT OF INFORMATION, A LOT OF VALUABLE INFORMATION.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN BE A LOT TO DIGEST.
UM, SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO AT THIS POINT, UM, I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE RECOGNIZE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT HAVE MADE TIME TO BE HERE.
WE HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS REPRESENTED.
WE'VE GOT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, PARKS AND REC, A RA, WHICH HANDLES 3 1 1 AND BARKING, A NUMBER OF THINGS.
OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR LIBRARY DEPARTMENT, AND 3 1 1.
SO WE HAVE ALL OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS HERE.
WE ALSO HAVE THE DEPARTMENT AND NEIGHBORHOODS REPRESENTATIVES FROM, UH, COUNCIL DISTRICT OFFICE, A AMY PECK COUNCIL MEMBER, FRED FLICKINGER IS HERE IN THE BACK FROM DISTRICT E.
AND A REPRESENTATIVE FROM DISTRICT I IS ALSO HERE.
SO, UM, WE'VE GOT AND FINANCE OF COURSE, UH, WHO GAVE OUR, OUR PRESENTATION.
SO COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN IS GONNA COME UP AND JUST GIVE A, A SUMMARY OF A LOT OF WHAT WE HEARD AND HIGHLIGHT SOME, SOME SIGNIFICANT POINTS.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA OPEN IT UP TO YOU ALL FOR QUESTIONS.
SO, UH, WITH THAT COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO AND THANK YOU PAULA LICHEN PAN FOR BEING HERE.
THEY WORK SO HARD TO GET THIS BUDGET OUT EVERY YEAR IN FINANCE.
NOW YOU HEARD A LOT OF WORDS AND A LOT OF FINANCIAL LINGO AND A LOT OF STUFF ON THOSE SLIDES THAT PROBABLY YOU ABSORBED SOME OF IT.
I I WANNA KIND OF BREAK IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT AND IT'S ALL BASICALLY ON THIS SLIDE.
YOU'VE, YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THE ERNST AND YOUNG EFFICIENCY STUDY.
THAT'S BEEN A LOT IN THE NEWS.
WE'VE HAD ERNST AND YOUNG COME IN, THEY DID A A TWO MONTH ENGAGEMENT.
THEY DID A DEEP DIVE INTO EVERY DEPARTMENT.
THEY LOOKED AT PERFORMANCE MEASURES, THEY LOOKED AT HOW WE'RE STRUCTURED, LIKE HOW WE HAD A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE WITH JUST NOT VERY MANY DIRECT REPORTS.
LIKE 40% OF THE CITY HAD MANAGERS WITH LIKE THREE OR FOUR OR UNDER DIRECT REPORTS.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF RESTRUCTURING GOING ON.
THE, THE VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT THING, I TALKED ABOUT THAT, THE, WHEN SHE SAYS CATEGORY MANAGEMENT, WHAT THAT, WHAT ERNST AND YOUNG CAME IN AND DID, THEY LOOKED AT HOW WE PROCURE GOODS AND SERVICES EITHER BY CONTRACT OR NON-CONTRACT.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE NOT DOING IT VERY STRATEGICALLY.
YOU HAVE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE THE SAME VENDOR PROVIDING GOODS OR SERVICES OR PRODUCTS.
WE'RE GONNA GET ALL THOSE TOGETHER.
WE'RE GONNA CONSOLIDATE, WE'RE GONNA RENEGOTIATE.
THEY THINK THEY CAN SP SAVE A LOT OF MONEY IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
I THINK THEY PUT AN $18 MILLION TOTAL ON THAT.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN AT THE CITY A LONG TIME.
THAT'S SOMETHING REALLY THAT HASN'T BEEN LOOKED AT.
AND WE'RE GONNA REALLY BE PROCURING THINGS MORE STRATEGICALLY.
SO THE RESTRUCTURING, SO LOOKING AT PERFORMANCE MEASURES, SO, AND MAKE PERFORMANCE MEASURES THAT ARE, THAT ARE, THAT ARE MEANINGFUL FOR THE PUBLIC.
NOT JUST, THIS IS HOW MANY WIDGETS WE PRODUCE, BUT REALLY MEANINGFUL TO, TO GAUGE OUR PERFORMANCE.
ALSO, THE DEPARTMENTS, WHEN FINANCE COMES AND SAYS, DOES YOUR BUDGET, THEY'RE TELLING 'EM YOU'VE GOTTA TRY TO CUT 5% OR 10% OR WHATEVER.
IT WASN'T ACROSS THE BOARD THING, BUT IT WAS, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENTS REALLY HAD TO GO IN AND SCRUB.
THERE IS, UH, THERE'S VACANCIES.
WE ALWAYS CARRIED VA, EVERY DEPARTMENT CARRIED VACANCIES ON THE BOOKS.
AND BASICALLY THOSE VACANCIES ARE LIKE, IF YOU HAVEN'T FILLED THAT POSITION IN A YEAR OR SO, THERE'RE OFF THE BOOKS.
SO THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE SAVINGS THERE.
[00:20:01]
$19 MILLION IN SAVINGS ASSOCIATED WITH CONSOLIDATIONS.SO THE CODE ENFORCEMENT PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE THAT GO OUT WHERE ALL THE, THE, YOU KNOW, WEED LOTS AND JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES AND ALL THE STUFF ALL OVER TOWN THAT I KNOW BOTHERS NEIGHBORHOODS.
THAT'S ALL BEING HANDLED NOW THROUGH PUBLIC WORKS.
SO BASICALLY WE TOOK THOSE EMPLOYEES OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, THE TAX SUPPORTED BUDGET, AND PUT THEM IN THE ENTERPRISE FUND THAT'S SUPPORTED BY WATER BILLS, DRAINAGE FEES, UM, UH, APPLICATION FEES TO PERMITTING, ALL OF THAT KIND OF FEE SUPPORTED DEPARTMENT.
SO THAT LESSENED THE LOAD ON THE GENERAL FUND TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT 19 MILLION.
THERE WAS OTHER, OTHER CONSOLIDATIONS AS WELL.
HPDS HAS, ITS EVERY, BASICALLY EVERY DEPARTMENT KIND OF HAD THEIR OWN FINANCE.
NOT EVERY DEPARTMENT FINANCE HANDLED SOME OF IT.
NOW FINANCE IS GONNA HANDLE ALL OF IT.
IT DOESN'T MEAN ALL THE FINANCE GUYS FROM HPD ARE COMING OVER TO SIT IN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
THEY'LL STILL BE IN THE, IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE MORE OVERSIGHT.
SO ALL THIS RESTRUCTURING I'M TALKING ABOUT ISN'T JUST FOR THE, THE, THE DEPARTMENTS.
IT'S GONNA BE FOR ALL POLICE, FIRE, EVERY, EVERY DEPARTMENT'S GOING TO BE CENTRALIZED HR, CENTRALIZED FINANCE.
AND THAT'S GONNA HOPEFULLY YIELD SOME SAVINGS.
WE'RE LOOKING TO METRO, THE ADMINISTRATION'S ASKED METRO TO PAY FOR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT.
THE ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, PAYMENT REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, THE COPS THAT DO THE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT.
THAT'S NOW BEING ABOUT $26 MILLION BEING PAYING FOR, FOR METRO.
OUR STREETLIGHTS BEING PAID FOR WITH METRO.
WE HAD A REALLY HEALTHY FUND BALANCE, UH, THAT'S OUR SAVINGS ACCOUNT FOR, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM.
BASICALLY WE HAD ABOUT, WE'RE WE'RE ENDING IT NOW WITH 273 MILLION.
WE BUILT IT UP DURING THE COVID YEARS BECAUSE WE USED SO MUCH OF THE ARPA MONEY, THE FEDERAL MONEY TO PAY FOR OPERATIONS, WHICH LET US BUILD UP OUR RESERVES.
SO THEY DID USE $107 MILLION OF RESERVES TO HELP BRIDGE THAT GR GAP.
THE LAWSUIT THAT EVERYBODY HEARD OF, THE JONES LAWSUIT THAT PAULA REFERRED TO, THAT WAS GONNA BE AN EXTRA A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS, NOT JUST THIS YEAR, EVERY YEAR, ABOUT AN EXTRA A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS TO GO TOWARDS STREET AND DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WAS BASED ON THE PART OF THE, A VALOREM TAX THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PAID TO PAY DOWN DEBT AND THEN PAY FOR PROJECTS.
WELL, WHEN WE BUMPED UP AGAINST THE REVENUE CAP IN 2015, WE LESSENED THAT AMOUNT.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS LAWSUIT WAS ALL ABOUT.
THE PLAINTIFFS HAVE NEGOTIATED WITH THE ADMIN ADMINISTRATION KNOWING THAT WE DID NOT HAVE AN EXTRA A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS AND WE'RE PAYING ABOUT $15 MILLION THIS YEAR AND UPPING IT EVERY YEAR UNTIL 2028 WHEN WE'RE AT THAT FULL AMOUNT.
SO YOU'LL SEE WHAT I, WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAID THAT.
YOU LOOK AT ALL THESE NUMBERS, YOU LOOK AT THE POLICE CONTRACT, THE FIRE CONTRACT, THE THE OBLIGATIONS THAT WE HAVE AND, AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN A TIGHT SPOT.
THE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST DID SHOW BIG BUDGET DEFICITS GOING INTO THE FUTURE.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO NOT ONLY KEEP DOING ALL OF THIS WORK THAT EY IS, IS TELLING US TO DO, BUT ALSO IN MY, IN MY OPINION, WE'RE GONNA NEED ADDITIONAL REVENUES.
SO WITH THAT, HOPEFULLY THAT EXPLAINED A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW WE MET THAT BUDGET GAP THIS YEAR.
THERE WERE ALL THOSE, ALL THOSE THINGS GOING ON.
SO YOU SEE THAT ABOUT 70, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME WHEN THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET WAS ACTUALLY CUT BY ABOUT $75 MILLION.
AND THE VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT THING WAS A BIG LEADER IN THAT, IN THAT, THAT'S ABOUT $35 MILLION AT THAT, UH, IF I HAVE THAT RIGHT, PAULA 60 OUTTA THE GENERAL FUND.
I THINK IT WAS A HUNDRED MILLION CITYWIDE, 29 OUTTA THE GENERAL FUND THAT THE VOLUNTARY RETIREMENTS HIT.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, UM, WE JUST WANNA HEAR FROM YOU GUYS.
WE WANNA HEAR FROM QUESTIONS, WE WANNA HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS AND WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO, TO ANSWER THEM BETWEEN ALL THE PEOPLE.
WE HAVE FINANCE PEOPLE FROM PUBLIC WORKS HERE.
WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.
WE HAVE PEOPLE FROM EVERY DEPARTMENT.
IF, IF I CAN'T ANSWER IT OR MARIO CAN'T ANSWER IT, OR PAULA, WE'LL WE'LL GET, WE'LL GET, WE'LL GET YOU AN ANSWER.
COME TO THE MIC 'CAUSE THIS IS ALL ON TV.
I THINK YOU GOTTA COME TO THE MIC.
SO COME ON UP STEP, JUST PLEASE TELL US YOUR NAME AND THEN, YOU KNOW, LAUNCH RIGHT INTO YOUR KEVIN COMMENT OR QUESTION.
UM, THANK YOU FOR DESCRIBING, UM, PARTS OF THE EFFICIENCY STUDY.
I'VE SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE ASKING WHAT THE EFFICIENCY STUDY HAS REVEALED.
UM, I'VE YET TO SEE A NUMBER ATTACHED TO THE EFFICIENCY STUDY, WHAT IT'S GOING TO YIELD.
SO THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE'LL REACH IT, RIGHT? SO IF THAT'S BAKED INTO THE BUDGET, WHAT'S THAT NUMBER AND WHERE CAN WE LOOK AT THAT? THE, UH, THE, I SEE.
AND THEN THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT PORTION, WHICH IS KIND OF A CATCHALL PORTION OF
[00:25:01]
THE BUDGET.IT'S NOT REALLY A DEPARTMENT, BUT THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF LIKE THINGS LIKE THIS GO.
THERE'S A MANAGEMENT SAVINGS ATTRIBUTED TO, IT'S ABOUT 17 POINT, $17.5 MILLION SAVINGS INTO THIS BUDGET.
NOW AS THE, AS THIS, UM, CONTRACT STUFF KEEPS GOING ON, THAT'S, AND I THINK THAT'S ALL FROM PRETTY MUCH RENEGOTIATIONS OF CONTRACTS.
THE OTHER SAVINGS THAT WILL COME THROUGH RESTRUCTURING AND ALL OF THAT, THAT, THAT BASICALLY DOESN'T HAVE A NUMBER TO IT THAT WILL BE PLAY OUT OVER TIME.
BUT THE NUMBERS THAT ARE BAKED INTO THIS BUDGET ARE JUST THE, THE HIRING, THE, THE ELIMINATING VACANCIES, THE CONSOLIDATIONS AND WHICH WERE GOING ON BEFORE THE EY THING AND THE, UM, THE VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT THING.
UM, I'M A LIVE IN THE NEAR NORTH SIDE CONSTITUENT OF COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO.
AND, UH, I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FACT THAT HPD IS NOW DOING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IS ASKING, IS USING AN ICE DATABASE AS HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THE CHRONICLE.
AND I'M WONDERING SORT OF, UH, THAT WE'RE GIVING THEM A HUGE RAISE AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE'RE ASKING THEM TO DO SORT OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATIVE EFFORTS.
IS THERE ANY CHANCE, DO Y'ALL SUPPORT THAT? AND THEN IS THERE A WAY TO, IN THE BUDGET RESTRICT HBD FROM, ARE ANY OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS DOING THIS? OR IS THIS A UNIQUE HOUSTON THING? AND CAN Y'ALL IN RESTRICT HBD FROM DOING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT? I HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN THE DATABASE.
I DON'T HAVE A LOT MORE INFORMATION OTHER THAN THAT.
THE MAYOR HAS SAID THAT WE'RE NOT CHANGING, YOU KNOW, ANY POLICIES, WE'RE NOT REALLY MAKING, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GOING AFTER PEOPLE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
UH, I DON'T, I I'M NOT THE AUTHORITY ON THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE ANYBODY FROM HPD HERE OR ANYBODY THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THAT.
I KNOW THAT'S AN INSUFFICIENT ANSWER, BUT I, AND I CAN GET YOU A LONGER ANSWER.
UM, IS THAT SOMETHING YOU'RE WILLING TO WORK ON IN THIS PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S NOT HAPPENING? IT'S REALLY NOT BEEN PART? THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS RAISED AT ONE OF THE, UH, AT THE LEGAL, UM, UH, THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT IT AT THE LEGAL BUDGET WORKSHOP, BUT NOTHING REALLY CONCLUSIVE, YOU KNOW, CAME OUTTA THAT.
I THINK THAT THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO TALK ABOUT THIS AT THE HPD BUDGET WORKSHOP, WHICH IS COMING UP ON TUESDAY.
AND THERE'S, SO NO OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS ARE DOING THIS? THIS IS A UNIQUE TO HOUSTON THING.
OH, MARIO'S SAYING, I DON'T KNOW, BUT SHOULD, I WOULD APPRECIATE Y'ALL BEING CURIOUS ENOUGH TO, BUT WE SHOULD FIGURE THAT OUT.
WE'LL, WE'LL GET YOU AN ANSWER.
UH, JOSEPH, ELLA HERE, DISTRICT C THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING THIS ON AND FOR BEING SO TRANSPARENT.
UM, I THINK ONE OF THE LAST THINGS YOU MENTIONED WAS ABOUT $26 MILLION OF METRO FUNDS WERE GOING TOWARDS REPAVING STREETLIGHTS.
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT FROM Y'ALL'S UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE BEST USE OF METRO'S FUNDS WHEN THE 35 RUNS HOURLY.
THE 40 AND THE 41 ARE REGULARLY LATE.
AS A CITIZEN THAT USES PUBLIC TRANSIT, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT 26 MILLION GOING TOWARDS TRANSIT AND NOT, YOU KNOW, PROJECTS THAT MAYBE OTHER DEPARTMENTS COULD BE FUNDING THEMSELVES.
AND THIS IS MONEY THAT IS, IT'S NOT LIKE NEW MONEY COMING FROM METRO.
THIS IS PART OF THE MONEY THAT ALREADY COME.
THAT QUARTER CENT, UH, OF THE TAX REVENUE GOES TO, OF SALES TAX REVENUE GOES TOWARDS, TOWARD BACK TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
WE GET A QUARTER CENT OF THAT BACK FOR MOBILITY.
NOW YOU CAN MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT AND STREET LIGHTS ARE ALL PART OF MOBILITY.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE.
UM, PERSONALLY, YOU KNOW, I WOULD, IIII LIKE THE GENERAL MOBILITY MONEY TO BE MORE FOR, UM, STREETS AND, AND, AND ACTUAL MOBILITY FUNDS.
I KNOW WE WERE LOOKING FOR MONEY UNDER EVERY ROCK, SO SURE.
UM, WE SEEM TO, THIS PROCESS SEEMS TO BE DIVORCED FROM THE LARGER POLITICAL CLIMATE.
I WATCHED THE, UM, HEALTH DEPARTMENT HEARING 98 PER, EXCUSE ME, THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT HEARING 98% OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT MONEY IS FEDERAL.
UH, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT GENTLEMAN SAID THAT THEY LOOK TO LOSE $62 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING.
UM, THE SIX COUNCIL REPUBLICANS, CARTER RAMIREZ, DAVIS, FLICKINGER, HUFFMAN AND PAC, ARE THEY ADVOCATING WITH THEIR REPUBLICAN BRETHREN? AND IT'S A SPECIFIC SLAP IN THE FACE THAT MS. CARTER IS THE CHAIR OF THE RESILIENCE COMMITTEE WHEN SHE DIRECTLY CAMPAIGNED FOR THE PEOPLE CUTTING FEMA AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
MR. FLICKINGER IS HERE, WHICH I APPRECIATES FROM KINGWOOD, KINGWOOD FLOODS ALL THE TIME.
WOULDN'T ACCURATE WEATHER FORECASTING AND AND FEMA BE OF VALUE WITH THE, UM, EXPENSIVE NEW POLICE CONTRACT? THE APRIL 25TH EXECUTIVE ORDER FROM TRUMP OUTLINES US MILITARY COOPERATION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.
[00:30:01]
OUR CASH STRAP CITY BE PAYING TIME AND A HALF? AND THE UNION WOULD BE PERFECTLY FINE WITH IT TO ENFORCE LOCALLY THE SUSPENSION OF HABEAS CORPUS OR TAKING HOUSTONIANS OFF THE STREET AND SENDING THEM TO THE TORTURE PRISON IN EL SALVADOR WITHOUT DUE PROCESS.IT SEEMS AN ENTIRELY RIS REALISTIC, UM, PROSPECT.
UH, MAYOR WHITMEYER REALLY ISN'T PART OF ANY FORWARD ASPECT OF THE DISCUSSION.
HE SEEMS, UM, HE HAS POWER, BUT HE SEEMS UNABLE TO ADJUST OR EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE FAILURES OF THESE SYSTEMS THAT HAVE SUSTAINED HIS, UM, LONG, LONG POLITICAL CAREER.
SO I KNOW WE'LL GO FORWARD WITH THIS PROCESS AND, AND THAT'S THE WAY IT ROLLS.
BUT TO DIVORCE IT FROM WHAT IS TAKING PLACE, IT'LL TAKE ONE DIAGNOSIS OF BIRD FLU.
UM, ONE, ONE SIGNIFICANT CIVIL DISTURBANCE WITH PUBLIC SAFETY UNIONS THAT WILL, AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, WILL BE GLEEFUL TO TAKE THE TIME AND A HALF TO TAKE OUR RIGHTS.
AND, UM, I JUST SEEMS VERY DISCONNECTED FROM WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND I HOPE THAT YOU'LL WORK TO PROTECT US BOTH FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AND NEIL, ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS AND ADVOCACY.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE TRY AT CITY HALL TO BE AS NONPARTISAN AS WE POSSIBLY CAN, PROBABLY MUCH TO YOUR DISMAY.
UM, BUT WE, I JUST SAY, I WOULD JUST SAY, MA'AM, I THINK THAT MOMENT HAS, I, I GET THAT THE, THE OLD SAW IS, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T NEED, THERE'S NO REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRATIC WAY TO FILL A POTHOLE, BUT I DON'T NEED AUTHORITARIANS FILLING THE POTHOLE.
THERE ARE PLENTY NON AUTHORITARIANS TO DO IT.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UNFORTUNATELY, I THINK THE SITUATION HAS CREEPED UP ON YOU ALL AND HERE WE ARE.
AND, AND THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL QUESTIONS IN MANY OF THE WORKSHOPS ABOUT FEDERAL FUNDING AND ABOUT, UH, HOW THAT WILL IMPACT, UH, OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS.
AND YOU WILL HEAR PEOPLE SPEAK, SPEAK UP AS THESE, AS THESE, UH, THREATS, YOU KNOW, BECOME TO COME TO THE FOREFRONT.
JACK, JACK VALINSKI, I'M PRESIDENT OF NEAR TOWN MONTROSE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, I THINK I WAS DRAFTED FOR THIS POSITION.
UM, AND YOU'RE PROBABLY ALL TIRED OF SEEING ME, BUT NOT AT ALL.
THIS IS A REALLY HORRIBLE BUDGET.
AND I'M NOT ARGUING THAT POLICE AND FIRE DIDN'T DESERVE RAISES.
BUT WE ONLY HAVE A POT OF MONEY AND THAT MONEY'S COMING OUT OF SERVICES THAT WE NEED TO DO.
THIS BUILDING LOOKS REALLY PRETTY NICE.
IT'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE BETTER PARKS BUILDINGS IN THE CITY.
'CAUSE THERE'S PARKS, BUILDINGS ARE JUST FALLING APART.
JUST AS IT WAS SAID, WE HAVE $750 MILLION DEFERRED MAINTENANCE.
AND IF WE WAIT FIVE YEARS AS WE KEEP KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD, AND I HATE USING THAT TERM, BUT IT'S SO APPROPRIATE, IT'S GONNA BE A BILLION AND A HALF, UM, METRO PAVED TEXAS AVENUE.
THERE'S NOT A SINGLE METRO BUS THAT GOES DOWN TEXAS AVENUE.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S, THAT SHOULD BE DONE.
BUT JUST AS WHAT WAS SAID, WE'RE LOSING HEALTH DEPARTMENT PEOPLE, NOT ONLY FROM THE CITY, BUT WE'RE LOSING IT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
WE NEED TO HAVE A POT OF MONEY.
AND JUST AS YOU SAID, I BELIEVE YOU SAID THIS, THAT WE DON'T KNOW IF FEMA'S GONNA BE AROUND.
I ACTUALLY THINK IT WAS ABBY THAT SAID THAT WE DON'T KNOW IF FEMA'S GONNA BE AROUND IN, IN THREE MONTHS TO HELP US.
WE SHOULDN'T BE PULLING THAT A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF THERE.
AND WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, BEFORE NEGOTIATIONS WENT FOR THE PAY RAISES, WE SHOULD HAVE HAD EXTRA MONEY TO DO THAT.
WE CAN'T SAY WE'RE GONNA KEEP DOING IT 'CAUSE NOBODY'S DOING IT.
WE SHOULD HAVE PUT UP TO THE PUBLIC TO ALLOW US TO GO OVER THE BUDGET CAP FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE SHOULD START DOING A TRASH FEE.
I, THIS IS GONNA BE HORRIBLE FOR EVERYBODY.
EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON NOW, MY INSURANCE AND MY CONDO HOUSE DOUBLED IN THE PAST TWO YEARS.
BUT I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER IT.
BUT WE'VE GOT TO INVEST IN THE CITY.
I, I'M WAITING TO HEAR WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO BARK.
I MEAN, WE ALL KNOW BARK HAS BEEN UNDERFUNDED CONTINUOUSLY.
THAT I GUESS IS MONDAY WE'LL FIND OUT ON, ON THAT.
I'M NOT SMART ENOUGH TO READ THAT, THAT BUDGET.
BUT WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB AND NOT JUST SAYING, HEY, WE NEED MONEY DOWN THE ROAD.
'CAUSE AS YOU SAID, THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A $300 MILLION GAP EACH YEAR.
SO WHERE DO WE GO? UM, WE WANT PEOPLE TO MOVE TO THIS CITY BECAUSE THIS IS A GREAT CITY.
I AGREE WITH MUCH OF WHAT YOU SAID.
UH, HI, I'M SAM WAGNER, PRESIDENT OF MY APARTMENT IN MIDTOWN.
UH, I AM KIND OF JUST WONDERING IF, CAN I JUST REMOVE THIS? YEAH.
CAN I, I'M JUST WONDERING, UH, IF, SO WE'RE INCREASING THE POLICE BUDGET TO POLICE AND FIRE TO 60% OF THE GENERAL FUND.
ARE WE GONNA HAVE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS OR KPIS OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT, ATTACHED TO THAT INCREASE IN SPENDING? BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS COMING MOSTLY AT CUTS TO LIKE HEALTH SERVICES AND OTHER SERVICES.
AND IT'S LIKE, IF WE'RE SPENDING AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF MONEY ON ENFORCEMENT AND NOT ON, ON LIKE, OTHER SERVICES TO LIKE LIFT PEOPLE UP AND WE SEE AN INCREASE IN CRIME, ARE WE GONNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT?
[00:35:01]
LIKE, THIS ISN'T, THIS, SPENDING ISN'T GETTING US RESULTS.YOU KNOW, LIKE IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE, WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY AND WE DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GETTING ANYTHING FOR THAT MONEY THAT WE'RE SPENDING.
YOU KNOW? SO PERFORMANCE MEASURES ARE HUGE.
AND WE TOOK ON, IN MY OFFICE A, A PROJECT EVEN BEFORE EY, AND WE MADE AN 11 PAGE MEMO.
IT'S ON MY WEBSITE OF HOW TO IMPROVE IN PERFORMANCE MEASURES.
WE HAVE TO HAVE BETTER PERFORMANCE MEASURES.
I, FOR ONE FOR SURE, WANNA MAKE SURE THAT POLICE BY OUR MUNICIPAL COURTS, ALL THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS HAVE MEASURABLE THINGS THAT WE CAN JUDGE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, GIVEN THIS MONEY IS IS IT HELPING? MM-HMM
SO YES, PERFORMANCE MEASURES ARE A BIG PART OF THE ERNST AND YOUNG STUDY.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, EACH DEPARTMENT IS HAVING WORKSHOPS WITH THE ERNST AND YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE THEIR KPIS.
SO YOU BRING UP A REALLY GOOD POINT AND POINT IMPORTANT TO ME.
I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THESE BUDGETS FOR A LONG TIME AND, AND, AND A LOT OF THESE PERFORMANCE MEASURES ARE NOT MEANINGFUL.
AND YOU, YOU, WE AS, AS, AS POLICY MAKERS, AS PEOPLE APPROVING THIS BUDGET NEED TO KNOW THAT MONEY WE'RE SPENDING IS WORKING.
AND THEN, UH, MY SECOND COMMENT, OH, AND WE'RE, THERE'S A QUARTERLY, ALSO A QUARTERLY DASHBOARD THAT THEY'RE DOING ON PROGRESS ON KPIS.
PEOPLE CAN LOOK ON AND SEE HOW EACH DEPARTMENT IS DOING WITH THEIR FUNDS.
AND MY SECOND COMMENT IS KIND OF MORE RELATED TO MOBILITY.
I DUNNO IF IT'S MORE OF A RANT, BUT THE CITY SEEMS TO BE REMOVING MOBILITY OPTIONS, LIKE, LIKE INCREASED TRANSIT, INCREASED BIKE LANES, AND LIKE, I LIVE IN MIDTOWN.
AND TO ME IT SEEMS LIKE THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE TO LIVING IN MIDTOWN IS YOU'RE RELATIVELY CLOSE TO JOB CENTERS DOWNTOWN, UH, UH, TMC, TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER.
AND SO, LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M FIVE MINUTE BIKE RIDE FROM DOWNTOWN.
SO LIKE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OPTIONS TO GETTING INTO DOWNTOWN.
AND I FEEL LIKE LONG TERM, YOU KNOW, THIS BUDGET CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH.
BUT AS YOU SAID, LONG TERM, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO INCREASE REVENUES.
I DON'T SEE HOW WE'RE GONNA MEET THAT IF WE DON'T GET MORE PEOPLE MOVING INTO THE CITY.
AND I DON'T SEE HOW WE'RE GONNA GET MORE PEOPLE MOVING INTO THE CITY IF WE DON'T GIVE 'EM OPTIONS TO GET AROUND EASIER.
RIGHT? LIKE, NOT EVERYONE CAN LIVE IN MIDTOWN AND DRIVE INTO DOWNTOWN EVERY DAY.
IT'S JUST NOT PRACTICAL, YOU KNOW? SO I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY WAY TO PUSH BACK AGAINST CITY HALL, LIKE REMOVING THESE OPTIONS.
'CAUSE I JUST SAW AN ARTICLE IN THE CHRONICLE THE OTHER DAY THAT THEY'RE GONNA RIP OUT GRAY STREET, AND IT'S LIKE, HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO SPEND MONEY AND GET TO THE FIFA THING IN IDO IF I CAN'T GET THERE? YOU KNOW, I'M SORRY.
YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN YOUR COURT.
I KNOW THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS, CASTILLO AND CAYMAN JUST HAD A BIG TOWN HALL ON THE 11TH STREET, UM, BIKE LANE AND ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS.
I'M A BIG BELIEVER IN ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, TRANSIT, BIKE, WALKING CAR.
WE NEED TO OFFER THAT ALL, ESPECIALLY INSIDE THE LOOP WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF DENSITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE SEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A, OF A COURSE CHANGE WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION.
SO, UH, THAT'S GONNA BE JUST SOMETHING THAT PLAYS OUT OVER TIME.
BUT YES, THERE HAS BEEN PUSHBACK AND, AND THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE PUSHBACK AND THERE WILL BE CONTINUE TO BE BOTH SIDES OF, OF THAT COIN BEING PLAYED OUT AT CITY HALL.
UH, JESSICA HALSEY, DISTRICT EIGHT, SECOND WARD.
UH, THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO, BUT BEFORE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UM, THE ISSUE THAT, UH, I LIKE TO, UH, BRING UP, IT'S ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY.
UH, BUT OUR MAIN CONCERN IS THAT IT'S HAPPENING AT TWO AREAS THAT WE, THE COMMUNITY, UH, ALL THAT'S ALL WE HAVE FOR AMENITIES EVERY DAY.
MORNINGS AND AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS.
UH, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PARK AND THE HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL, THAT'S IT.
AND, AND ALSO RIGHT NOW WE ARE RECEIVING IMPROVEMENTS, UH, ON BRADY STREET, UH, CITY AND, UH, INTAKES.
THEY'RE DOING SOME MARVELOUS WORK, UH, FOR THE FUTURE.
AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE, UH, THEIR VEHICLES HAVE BEEN, UH, VICTIMIZED, BROKEN INTO IT.
THEY'RE WORKING, BUT WHILE THEY'RE WORKING AT WHERE THEY PARK, THEY'RE BREAKING INTO THEIR VEHICLES.
SO MOST DEFINITELY, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, COUNCILWOMAN
UM, MAINLY AS I SAID, THE UM, UH, HIKE
[00:40:01]
AND BIKE TRAILS AND EASTWOOD PARK.AND ESPECIALLY, UM, AND AS THE, AT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT PRESENTATION YESTERDAY, THERE'S A, THERE'S A, A LESSENING, A DECREASE IN THE BUDGET OF PARK RANGERS.
SO EVEN, UM, LESS SECURITY IN OUR PARKS.
SO THEY ARE WORKING WITH HPD AND OTHER AREAS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
I MEAN, THIS IS WHAT WHITMEYER RAN ON.
HE UNDERSTANDS THAT, THAT PEOPLE REALLY VIEWED HOUSTON AS AN UNSAFE PLACE.
AND SO HE, HE'S REALLY PUT MONEY INTO POLICE RAISES INTO BEING ABLE TO ATTRACT MORE POLICE OFFICERS TO KEEP UP WITH ATTRITION.
SO THIS BUDGET DEFINITELY REFLECTS, UM, THAT SPENDING FOR ADDITIONAL VISIBILITY.
AND, AND, AND AS AN AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBER, I GO ALL OVER THE CITY AND, AND I DO HEAR, UH, A LOT OF PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS FROM RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT.
SO IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE, UH, THE TOP PRIORITY OF, OF CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR.
AND JUST, I'D LIKE TO ADD THAT A LOT OF THIS CRIME IS BRING IN BY THESE TYPE OF BUSINESS, LIKE GAS STATIONS, COMMUNITY AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE STORES, UH RIGHT.
THE CONVENIENCE STORES AND THE GAS STATIONS AND ALL, ALL OF THE THINGS.
BUT THE GAS STATION THAT, THAT, THAT IT'S ACROSS FROM EASTWOOD PARK.
IT'S A MAGNET FOR THESE RIGHT.
ALL THEY DO IS DRINK AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND, AND I, AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET SOME LEGAL, YOU KNOW, COUNTY AND CITY ATTORNEY INJUNCTIONS AGAINST SOME OF THESE PLACES WHERE IT'S CONTINUOUS CRIME.
AND I KNOW THAT MARTHA CASTEX TATUM AND HER DISTRICT K HAS HAD SOME THINGS SHUT DOWN AND, AND WE'RE JUST GONNA, IN MY OPINION, HAVE TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE ABOUT THOSE CRIME MAGNETS.
I THINK SO, UH, IT'S BEEN HAPPENING BEFORE WE FIGHT BACK IN THE OR MID NINETIES, UH, UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF MAYOR BROWN, AND WE SUCCEED MM-HMM
BUT, UH, AND IT'S VERY SIMPLE.
UH, WE JUST NEED TO HAVE OUR, UM, LAW ENFORCEMENT TO VISIT THESE STORES, THESE PLACES AND REQUEST A LETTER OF, I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT, BUT YEAH.
TPA AFFIDAVIT AND ALL THAT WE USED TO MM-HMM.
WE CLEAN UP, WE CLEAR ALL THAT NEGATIVE.
THANK FOR YOUR CONTINUED ADVOCACY.
ALSO LIKE MS. EY, A SECOND WARD, DISTRICT EIGHT RESIDENCE.
THANKS FOR HAVING THIS TOWN HALL.
AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE, UH, THE PRIMARY REASON WHY WE'RE IN THIS BUDGET SITUATION IS THE REVENUE CAP COUNCIL.
COULD YOU JUST SHARE MORE INSIGHT ON THAT AND WHAT ANY KIND OF ASSESSMENT YOU ALL HAVE? SURE, SURE.
SO IN 2004, VOTERS, UH, VOTED TO PUT US UNDER A REVENUE CAP, WHICH IS CALCULATED BY FOUR.
AND YOU CAN HAVE FOUR AND A HALF PERCENT GROWTH.
THE LESSER OF FOUR AND A HALF PERCENT GROWTH, OR INFLATION PLUS PLUS POPULATION.
AND OUR INFLATION PLUS POPULATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN PRETTY LOW.
YOU KNOW, KIND OF LOW GROWTH IN THOSE AREAS.
SO WE WERE FINE GOING ALONG FINE FROM 2005 TO 2015 WHEN BOOM, ANISE PARKER WAS MAYOR, AND WE, WE BUMPED UP AGAINST THAT REVENUE CAP, BASICALLY, WE CAN'T ACCEPT.
AND, AND I THINK THERE WAS A SLIDE IN THE MAIN PRESENTATION, I'LL GET IT.
IT'S SOMETHING LIKE $2 BILLION IN, IN FUNDING THAT, YOU KNOW, HAD WITHOUT THE REVENUE CAP THE CITY COULD HAVE COLLECTED.
NOW PEOPLE WILL SAY THAT'S MONEY IN TAXPAYERS POCKETS.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, MONEY, WE LOST IT.
BUT, AND, AND I SEE THAT POINT TOO, BUT BECAUSE OF THE REVENUE CAP, BECAUSE WE BUMPED UP AGAINST THAT REVENUE CAP IN 2015, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS HAD TO LOWER ITS TAX RATE OVER THE LAST 10 PLUS YEARS.
LOWER IT BACK 10 YEARS AGO, OUR TAX RATE WAS 63 CENTS PER HUNDRED DOLLARS VALUATION OF YOUR HOME.
DALLAS HAS SIMILAR VALUATIONS AS WE DO, AND THEIR TAX RATE IS 71 CENTS.
SO NOBODY LIKES HIGHER PROPERTY TAXES.
UM, LAST YEAR WE DIDN'T EVEN DO THE CALCULATION TO GET WHAT WE COULD HAVE COLLECTED.
WE KEPT THE TAX RATE COMPLETELY FLAT.
SO A LOT, LIKE YOU SAY THOUGH, A LOT OF THIS PREDICAMENT IS BECAUSE OF THAT CAP.
THE STATE NOW ALSO HAS A CAP, UH, THAT THEY DID, I THINK IN 2017.
AND WE HAVE TO OPERATE UNDER THAT CAP.
WE'RE REALLY THE ONLY CITY IN TEXAS HAS, HAS TO OPERATE UNDER BOTH OF THOSE CAPS.
SO IT'S AN ISSUE THAT WILL HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED EITHER WITH A CHARTER AMENDMENT TO, UH, LIFT THE REV CAP, OR I THINK THERE'S A WAY TO GO TO THE VOTERS THROUGH THE STATE LAW FOR A SPECIFIC REASON.
LIKE PUBLIC SAFETY BARK IS ANOTHER THING.
THE, THE, THE MAYOR, UM, OFTEN POINTS TO ON, YOU
[00:45:01]
KNOW, WHAT KIND OF CITY DO RESIDENTS WANT TO LIVE IN.WE PAY ABOUT HALF PER CAPITA OF WHAT OTHER CITIES PAY AN ANIMAL WELFARE.
AND IT SHOWS, OH, HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS HERE TO ADDRESS THEIR CONVICT OH YEAH.
AND YOU HEARD THE COMMENTS OF, MIKE WANTS YOU TO ADDRESS SOME OF, SOME OF HOW THAT'S BEING HANDLED ON THE, UH, HOW MUCH MONEY, FEDERAL MONEY AND EMPLOYEES WERE LOSING IN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
HI, MY NAME IS JONATHAN TRUJILLO.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING HERE.
UM, BORN AND RAISED HERE IN HOUSTON WITH THE HIZ SCHOOLS.
UH, LIVE IN NEAR NORTH SIDE, OWN A HOME CLOSE TO THE BURNETT STATION, UH, THE RED LINE.
UM, AND I WAS JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THE TRANSITION OF CITATION ENFORCEMENT FROM, UH, I THINK DON TO HPW.
UM, I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH DON TO GET THIS 1980S INDUSTRIAL WAREHOUSE THAT'S RELATIVELY ABANDONED AND FALLING APART A COUPLE BLOCKS AWAY.
UM, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO GET A TAG ISSUED ON MM-HMM
UM, BUT NOW I'M CURIOUS LIKE HOW THE TRANSITION IS GONNA BE.
ALL OF THAT IS TRANSFERRING OVER TO PUBLIC WORKS.
I ASKED IN THE, IN THE PUBLIC WORKS HEARING, LIKE WHO DO WE CALL NOW WITH THESE KIND OF THINGS? AND IT'S ALL IN PUBLIC WORKS, BUT, BUT YOUR ISSUE WILL BE DEALT WITH MM-HMM
I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE THE PEOPLE WENT AWAY.
THE PEOPLE ARE THERE, THEY'RE JUST BEING PAID FOR OUT OF A DIFFERENT FUND.
AND CROSS-TRAINED ACROSS ALL THE, SO WILL THERE STILL BE SOMEONE, LIKE AN INDIVIDUAL THAT I COULD REACH OUT TO? 'CAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS WITH DON IS THAT YOU COULD JUST REACH OUT TO SURE, SURE.
HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS IS HERE AND DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR SIMS IS HERE ALSO.
MAYBE DIRECTOR SIMS, YOU CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION BETTER THAN I CAN.
YOU THINK
THERE WILL STILL BE HUMAN BEING.
AND THE POINT OF CONTACT AT PUBLIC WORKS IS, IS CHRISTOPHER SHANAHAN.
SO WE WILL MAKE SURE, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY TROUBLE GETTING A HOLD OF HIM, YOU CALL ME AND WE'RE GONNA GET YOU TALKING TO HIM.
AND LAW CENTERS WERE MERGED, SO, OH, RIGHT.
ANOTHER, ANOTHER CONSOLIDATION THAT I DIDN'T ADDRESS EARLIER WAS 3 1 1.
THAT WAS, UH, THE EMPLOYEES IN 3 1 1 HAVE TRANSFERRED OUT OF A GENERAL FUND FUNDED DEPARTMENT TO PUBLIC WORKS AS WELL.
SO THEY'RE BEING PAID FOR OUT OF THE ENTERPRISE FUND.
AND THEY'RE STILL UNDER A RA, THEY'RE STILL UNDER GOOD QUESTION.
THEY'RE STILL UNDER A-R-A-A-R-A.
THEY'RE STILL UNDER A RA BUT BEING PAID FOR UNDER, SO BASICALLY ALL THE PEOPLE, THE WATER BILL PEOPLE AND THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND 3 1 1 ARE KIND OF TOGETHER AND THEY'RE GONNA BE CROSS-TRAINED.
SO 3 1 1 PEOPLE CAN HELP PEOPLE WITH A WATER BILL AND WATER BILL.
PEOPLE CAN HELP PEOPLE WITH POTHOLES AND A MORE EFFICIENT WAY OF DOING IT.
HEY, CUSTOMER, DON'T FORGET, THEY CAN ALWAYS CALL THEIR ASSISTANCE OFFICE IF THEY HAVE THIS MAYOR'S ASSISTANCE OFFICE IS HERE TOO.
AND YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL THE MAYOR'S ASSISTANCE OFFICE.
PLENTY OF REAL HUMAN BEINGS TO TALK TO AT THE CITY.
THANKS FOR PUTTING THE MEETING ON.
UM, MY NAME IS RICKY CARDENAS, UH, DISTRICT H, SECOND WARD PRESIDENT WITH, UH, SECOND WARD SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 63.
I WANTED TO KIND OF EXPAND ON MS. HOLLEY'S COMMENTS ABOUT, UH, THE HARRISBURG HIKING BIKE TRAIL AND THE COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE EARLIER ABOUT TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS.
I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A CONGESTION ISSUE IN THE CITY.
UM, AND ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO RELIEVE OURSELVES, UH, FROM THAT CONGESTION IS NOT TO WIDEN FREEWAYS AND ADD ANOTHER LANE.
IT'S TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS.
UM, SO LOOKING AT OUR TRAILS AND OUR, OUR, OUR BIKEWAYS, THE HARRISBURG HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL, UM, WHICH IS EXPERIENCES, YOU KNOW, HIGHER LEVELS OF CRIME THAN ANY OTHER TRAILS, UH, POSSIBLY BECAUSE IT'S ORPHANED ON EITHER SIDE, IT DOESN'T CONNECT TO A PROTECTED, YOU KNOW, NETWORK ON ONE SIDE OR PROTECTED NETWORK ON THE OTHER SIDE.
SIMILAR TO TRAILS IN THE HEIGHTS LIKE THE MKT OR SIMILAR TO, SIMILAR TO THE BUFFALO BAYOU TRAILS.
UM, WHICH IS IT, IT BRINGS ME TO, YOU KNOW, THE, THE THOUGHT THAT IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT WE DON'T SPEND MORE MONEY ON THESE TYPE OF THINGS TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE.
IF THE TRAIL WERE MORE CONNECTED, IT WOULD SEEM MORE ACTIVITY.
UM, SOME OF THE CRIME THAT TAKES PLACE AND SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES THAT TAKE PLACE ON THE TRAILS BECAUSE, UM, THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING THESE THINGS ARE ABLE TO KIND OF HIDE IN THE SHADOWS.
THERE'S NOT AS MUCH ACTIVITY ON THE TRAIL COMPARED TO OTHER TRAILS BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S ORPHAN ON EITHER SIDE.
CONNECTING THE TRAILS IS IMPORTANT AND THAT, THAT ACTUALLY IS BORNE OUT IN THE SURVEY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE, ARE, ARE WANTING INCREASED FUNDING FOR TRAILS.
UM, AND SO ONE OF A COUPLE OTHER THINGS, UM, UH, IN, IN REGARDS TO, YOU KNOW, USING METRO'S FUNDING TO KIND OF FUND OTHER PROJECTS, HOUSTON AVENUE WHERE THERE ISN'T EVEN A BUS ON HOUSTON AVENUE, I WANTED TO SHARE A STORY.
UM, AND IN MY OFFICE, WE HAD AN INTERN FROM ST.
THOMAS, UM, WHO WAS EXCITED TO, YOU KNOW, BEGIN WORKING
[00:50:01]
WITH US.UH, UM, SHE WAS REACHING OUT TO ME, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GET THERE? BY, BY TRANSIT.
UM, I TOLD HER, YOU TAKE THE 40 AND THEN YOU DO THIS, YOU DO THIS.
SHE WENT OUT AND TOOK THE 40 TO TRIED TO TAKE THE 40.
SHE SAID THE BUS NEVER SHOWED.
UM, HOUSTON THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY WITH A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM THAT'S, YOU KNOW, EMBARRASSING COMPARED TO PROBABLY WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
YOU KNOW, FOR THIS GREAT CITY, WE NEED TO BE SPENDING METRO MONEY ON IMPROVING, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR TRANSIT EFFICIENCY, OUR TRANSIT ACCESS AND, AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
AND ANOTHER EXAMPLE, MY SON, UM, WHO STARTED SCHOOL AT DOWNTOWN U OF H ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I TRIED TO SHOW HIM, GET ON, GET ON THE METRO RAIL, GET OFF HERE, DO THIS.
HE'S, YOU KNOW, ASSAULTED BY SOMEONE EXPEND EXPERIENCING A MENTAL CHALLENGE, YOU KNOW, ON THE METRO.
AND SO THESE ARE TWO FU POTENTIAL FUTURE BUS RIDERS, TRANSIT RIDERS WHO NOW WILL PROBABLY NEVER, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT RIDING TRANSIT AGAIN BECAUSE WE'RE NOT SPENDING THE MONEY WHERE IT SHOULD BE SPENT.
UM, AND THAT'S, SO ONE OTHER THING.
HERE'S, HERE'S A A QUESTION FOR YOU.
SO I KNOW THAT, UM, WE HAD THE VOLUNTARY RE RETIREMENT PROGRAM COME UP, SO, UM, SOMETHING LIKE A THOUSAND EMPLOYEES OR MORE, UH, RETIRED.
AND I DO UNDERSTAND ALSO THAT WE'RE IN A HIRING FREEZE.
IS THERE A PLAN, YOU KNOW, TO FILL THESE POSITIONS OR ARE THESE NOW JUST EMPTY POSITIONS FROM NOW ON AND DOES THAT, YOU KNOW, DETERIORATE, YOU KNOW, OUR SYSTEMS IN OUR CITY, YOU KNOW? RIGHT.
UM, HR DID COMPILE A LIST OF CRITICAL POSITIONS THAT ARE ALLOWED TO BE BACKFILLED.
AND I'M ASKING EACH AND EVERY DEPARTMENT THAT QUESTION, UH, YOU'VE HAD THIS MANY RETIREMENTS, HOW MANY ARE YOU BACKFILLING? AND THEY, THEY WILL BE BACKFILLING CRITICAL POSITIONS AND THEY'LL HAVE TO PETITION.
IF IT'S NOT A CRITICAL LISTED AS A CRITICAL PETITION, THEY'LL HAVE TO KIND OF PETITION THE ADMINISTRATION TO GET THAT DONE.
SO YOU'LL KIND OF SEE THAT PLAY OUT.
I I, I DO THINK SOME PERCENT, AND I, WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET, PAULA IS ABOUT 10.
UM, HOW DO YOU KNOW THE PERCENT THAT THEY BUDGETED IN FOR BACK FILLING BACKFILLED POSITION? 10% OR? WELL, IT'S, IT'S STAY TUNED.
IT IT'S BAKED IT, IT'S BAKED IN HERE.
IT'S SOME PERCENTAGE THAT THEY KNEW THEY WERE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE TO REHIRE.
AND I CAN GET, I CAN GET THAT FOR YOU.
AND, AND YOUR METRO COMMENTS ARE, ARE, ARE WELL TAKEN.
UH, I KNOW I WENT TO THE METRO NOW.
IT USED TO BE METRO NEXT, NOW IT'S METRO NOW, UH, PRESENTATION.
THEY ARE REALLY SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON SECURITY AND TRYING TO DEAL WITH SOMETHING THAT, THAT YOUR, YOUR SON FACED, CLEANLINESS, SECURITY, IMPROVED BUS SHELTERS.
THEY'RE KIND OF GOING BACK TO THE REAL BASICS OF MAKING IT A, A, HOPEFULLY MAKING IT A BETTER EXPERIENCE ON, ON BUS ROUTES.
MY NAME IS AUGUSTINE CASTILLO.
I'M ALSO FROM SECOND WARD AND OUT ON, UH, LIBERTY ROAD LA VIA THIS RAIL, UH, METRO RAIL FROM DOWNTOWN TO NORTH LINE HAS BEEN, UH, A, UH, A PROJECT THAT, UH, WE DID NOT CARE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND NOW IT'S STILL DESTROYING US.
WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE, UH, IRVINGTON FULTON ONTO TO MOODY PARK BECAUSE OF THE RAIL AND OUR, UH, TO CROSS THE RAIL, UH, METRO RAIL.
MY CONCERN IS, IS THERE ANY MONEY IN THE BUDGET FOR RAIL CROSSES FOR BIKE AND PEDESTRIANS ALSO? UH, IS THERE ANY, UH, FUTURE, UH, UNDERPASSES OR OVERPASSES FOR THIS RAIL THAT COMES FROM THE WEST SIDE DOWN, UH, PARALLEL TO WASHINGTON AVENUE? WE ONLY HAVE TWO EXITS AND THAT'S, UH, WHAT IS IT? UH, YALE STREET AND WE HAVE WASHINGTON AVENUE.
WASHINGTON AVENUE NEEDS AN EXIT OFF OF, UH, 45 INTO TOWN SEPARATE, NOT COMING DOWN HOUSTON AVENUE.
THE PEOPLE COMING IN FROM 45 NORTH DESTROYS, UH, THEY NEED MORE HELP.
BUT THE RAIL ON BOTH ENDS, THE METRO RAIL ON NORTH SIDE HAS HURT US AND IT, AND WILL HURT US FOR THE, AS LONG AS IT'S THERE, WE DON'T USE IT AND WE NEVER HAVE USED IT.
AND IT'S SOMETHING FOR, THEY TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE, LOOK WHAT IT DID TO OUR PAST AND LOOK WHAT IT'S DOING TO US NOW.
WE NEED RELIEF TO GET RID OF THIS RAIL THAT WE DO NOT WANT THE PEOPLE THAT USE IT, I HATE TO USE IT, SAY LIKE THAT.
THE PEOPLE THAT USE IT, YOU'RE SCARED, YOU'RE CONCERNED.
AND THE OTHER ONE IS YOU GO TO SCHOOL, UH, AT HERRERA ELEMENTARY, YOU COME DOWN HELMERS, YOU HAVE THE RAIL IN YOUR WAY, AND SO YOU'RE DRIVING BY, YOU CAN DO RAIL.
YOU SEE THE KIDS JUMPING THE RAIL, TAKING THEIR TIME, GOING THROUGH THE RAIL.
BUT THERE'S, IT'S JUST LIKE THE STREET FINISH THE STREET WITH THE SIDEWALKS FOR THE PEDESTRIANS.
IS THERE ANY MONEY FOR RAILS OR ANYTHING? THANK YOU SIR.
YEAH, MOST OF WHAT YOU ADDRESSED IS, IS METRO BUDGET MONEY AND, AND THEIR, UH, THOSE RAILS THAT WAS, WERE BUILT WITH BOND PACKAGES.
UM, THE CITY OPERATING BUDGET DOES NOT FUND ANY OF THAT.
[00:55:01]
IS, THIS IS, WE DO TRANSFER SOME MONEY FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS.THAT'S ALL WE DO IN THIS BUDGET.
THERE'S A WHOLE OTHER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGET THAT WILL ALSO COME OUT THIS SUMMER FOR ALL THOSE KIND OF INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS, SIDEWALKS, STREETS, ROAD CONSTRUCTION, COME ON UP.
SO, YOU KNOW, I ALSO LIVE OFF OF IRVINGTON AND CAVALCADE, SO I DEAL WITH THAT RAIL ALL THE TIME, GETTING, GETTING AROUND.
WHAT I HAVE DONE TO HELP ON THE SAFETY SIDE IS WORK WITH HPD AND METRO PD AND EVEN H-C-C-P-D, WHICH WHERE THE RAIL ENDS UP THERE AT NORTHLINE, THERE'S AN HCC CAMPUS.
SO THEY ALL COORDINATE, IT'S PART OF THE DISTRICT H PATROL EFFORT ON THE SAFETY SIDE.
SO YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED MORE METRO PD OUT THERE, SPECIFICALLY AT CAVALCADE FULTON, WHERE YOU'VE HAD PEOPLE LOITER, YOU'VE HAD TRASH HPDS OUT THERE TOO.
THEY ARE WORKING IN TANDEM TO MAKE SURE THERE'S CONSTANT PRESENCE OUT THERE.
YOU JUST HEARD, UH, METRO HAVING MORE OF A FOCUS ON SAFETY.
SO THEY'RE PUTTING OFFICERS IN RAIL CARS ON PLATFORMS, MORE FAIR INSPECTORS, THEY'RE CLEANING MORE FREQUENTLY.
UM, THE RED LINE CORRIDOR RIGHT THERE HAS JUST BEEN IMPACTED SIGNIFICANTLY BY, UH, THE RAIL IN TERMS OF HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS, LOITERING, DRUG USE CRIME.
UH, THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT HAS ALSO BECOME A PART OF THIS EFFORT.
UM, SO THAT WHOLE CORRIDOR FROM ESSENTIALLY BURNETT ALL THE WAY UP TO NORTHLINE HAS BEEN A FOCUS.
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME IMPROVEMENTS, BUT THERE'S STILL, THERE'S STILL WORK TO BE DONE.
UM, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE IN THE DISTRICT H OFFICE IS REALLY FOCUS ON PATHWAY IMPROVEMENTS, SIDEWALK RAMP CURBS.
AND SO WE'VE LOOKED AT SUBMISSIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY ON WHERE WE CAN DO SOME ASSESSMENTS AND GET SOME ESTIMATES AND, AND WORK WITH PUBLIC WORKS ON GETTING THOSE FIXED.
UH, WE'VE TALKED TO METRO ABOUT CONNECTING THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE BETTER AS WELL AS, UH, THE TURS IN THAT AREA BECAUSE THEY CAN ALSO HELP OUT IN THAT REGARD.
SO FROM THE PEDESTRIAN BIKE, UH, EXPERIENCE THERE TO THE SAFETY SIDE, IT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON.
UH, WE JUST GOT A CONSTITUENT EMAIL IN ABOUT THE LIGHT OVER AT LINK AND FULTON AND HAVING TO, TO WORK WITH METRO TO BETTER TIME THAT TO HELP THE CARS CROSS.
IT IS ONE OF THE, THE FEW CROSSINGS THAT YOU HAVE THERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO WE'RE TALKING TO THEM ABOUT IT.
UM, YOU KNOW, BUT THE RAIL IS THERE.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL SAFE USING IT.
WE WANT IT TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S, UH, WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT.
BUT BECAUSE OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED FOR YEARS NOW, PEOPLE DON'T FEEL SAFE USING IT.
UH, PEOPLE DON'T FEEL LIKE STANDING ON THE PLATFORM, WAITING FOR THE TRAIN.
THEREBY DAIRYLAND BECAUSE OF, OF WHAT YOU'RE ENCOUNTERING.
UM, AND SO THE GOAL IS TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE SUSTAINED SO THAT YOU FEEL SAFE USING IT, YOUR FAMILY FEEL SAFE USING IT, YOUR, YOUR KIDS FEEL SAFE USING IT.
AND WE CAN CHANGE THE CULTURE BECAUSE, UH, LIKE RICKY WAS SAYING, YOU KNOW, THE MORE PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE USING TRAINS OR AT PARKS OR HIKING BIKE TRAILS THAT ARE COMMUTERS THAT ARE JUST TRYING TO GET AROUND AND ENJOY THE CITY, UH, THE SAFER IT'S GONNA BE AND THE LESS YOU'RE GONNA HAVE OF THE FOLKS THERE THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, MAY BE DEALING WITH ISSUES, SUBSTANCE USE, MENTAL HEALTH, YOU NAME IT, UM, THAT ARE THERE BECAUSE THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE THERE AT THE MOMENT.
UH, BUT THIS REAL IS NOT SOMETHING WE WANTED AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE WANT.
WE'VE GOT IT BECAUSE, UH, POL UH, POLITICS AND IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, WHENEVER IT COMES AROUND THAT HOW MUCH MONEY YOU'RE SPENDING TO PA FOR PASSENGERS.
UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN, I DRAINED, UH, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S NOT GONNA END.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE.
THE FUTURE'S HERE AND 50, 40 YEARS, 20 YEARS, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO COUNT.
WHEN METRO STARTED DOING THIS, IT CAME INTO THE BACK DOOR WITHOUT, UH, PEOPLE, EVEN THE CITY KNOWING ABOUT IT.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DID NOT CALL FOR.
AND REMOVING THE RAIL WOULD BE THE BUS AND PUT THE BUSES BACK.
WE'VE GOT QUICK, WE HAD USED TO HAVE QUICK, UH, BUS SERVICE, SAFETY SERVICE, AND THIS IS, UH, WAY BEFORE THE RAIL.
BUT THE OTHER ONE THAT'S BEEN VERY IMPORTANT, THE CROSSING THE RAILROAD TRACKS AND THE UNDERPASSES AND THE OVERPASSES TO STAY FOR THE FUTURE.
I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE STILL FIGHTING.
WE DO NOT BUILD BRIDGES IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, IN HARRIS COUNTY.
AND WE'VE BEEN TOLD THIS IN THE PAST.
WE DO NOT BUILD BRIDGES AND OUR BUDGETS WILL SAY THAT.
NO, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UH, BRIAN BALLER, UH, MEMBER, OUR
[01:00:01]
DISTRICT C IN, UH, CLEVELAND PARK.I'M ALWAYS AMAZED AT THE JOB THE PARKS DEPARTMENT DOES, UM, WITH WHAT THEY HAVE.
UH, WE HAVE A PLAYGROUND OVER IN MY PARK WITH, UH, BUSY, BUSY WITH AFGHAN RESETTLEMENT KIDS.
THEY'RE ON THAT PLAYGROUND 24 7.
UH, THEY'RE OUTTA CAMP BALTIMORE IN THEIR SUMMER.
SO ANYTHING PARKS IS, IS GREAT.
I'M PROBABLY ONE OF 87 OR NINE.
I I JOKINGLY SAY 87, UH, BIKE ONLY PEOPLE IN THE CITY.
UM, AND ONE PLACE WHERE THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A BIKEWAY, THERE'S NOT.
AND I HAD THE MAYOR WITH ME A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AND I DIDN'T PRESS HIM ON IT.
AND I, BECAUSE I HEARD THAT HE WOULD, YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T A GOOD TIME TO DO THAT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS THE JACKSON HILL, UM, BIKEWAY, WHICH WOULD BE GREAT.
ONE THING I JUST WANTED TO ASK, ASK YOU GUYS ON THE, ON THE TRASH FEES, UM, FOR THE CITY, DO OTHER CITIES CHARGE? MOST OTHER CITIES CHARGE? YES.
I'D JUST LET YOU LET YOU GIVE YOU A, I, WHEN I MOVED TO BACK TO TEXAS, UH, 12 YEARS AGO, I DID BUY A HOUSE, AND THAT'S A BIG MISTAKE I, I MADE.
BUT I'VE BEEN RENTING AND A, A RENTER IN MY BUILDING AND LIVES IN A 400 SQUARE FOOT APARTMENT, PAYS A 20, A $30 VALET TRASH SCAM.
IT'S A SCAM, UH, THAT GOES BACK TO THESE OWNERS, UH, PLUS A $10 AND 28 CENT, 28 A MONTH FOR TRASH DUMPSTER FEE, AND THEN A FEE TO FIGURE THE FEE.
SO THERE, SO A 400 PERSON, A 400 SQUARE FOOT APARTMENT, AND THIS IS PRETTY CONSISTENT ALL OVER.
THE CITY IS PAYING $44 ABOUT FOR TRASH, WHETHER IT'S A 400 SQUARE FOOT APARTMENT OR A 2,500 SQUARE FOOT APARTMENT.
UH, THAT'S BECAUSE THESE SLUMLORDS OF THESE NEW, THERE'S A NEW GROUP OF, UH, OF APARTMENT OWNERS AND IT'S A NEW BREED, AND THEY'RE SHEER SLUMLORDS, AND THEY'RE FEEING PEOPLE TO DEATH AND THEY'RE CAUSING 'EM MORE SERVICES FOR THE, FOR THE FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THEY, THEY CUT OFF SECURITY.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE IGNORING EVERYTHING.
AND I'M LIVING IN ONE OF THOSE RIGHT NOW.
I'M TAKING 'EM ON BECAUSE THEY CAN'T, THEY CAN EVICT ME IF THEY WANT, BUT I'M FORCE 'EM TO IF THEY HAVE TO.
UM, BUT THESE GUYS ARE, UM, CAUSING A LOT MORE SERVICES TO THE CITY WHEN, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING.
THEY'RE JUST IGNORING EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY FIRE THE FIRE AND POLICE COMING IN.
BUT, UM, THAT, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THE TRASH FEES, I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT BECAUSE WE'RE, I MEAN, AND PEOPLE ARE PAYING A LOT OF MONEY AS RENTERS IN THE CITY FOR, FOR TRASH PICKUP WHERE THE HOMEOWNERS ARE PAYING NOTHING.
AND I'VE GOT HOMEOWNERS, YOU KNOW, DUMPING THEIR HOUSE HOUSEHOLD TRASH IN, IN THE PARK, WHICH IS CRAZY TO ME.
BUT YEAH, JUST AN OBSERVATION.
UM, THERE'S NO TRASH FEE IN THIS BUDGET, SO, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR SOME TIME.
WE DON'T CHARGE OUR RESIDENTS FOR, FOR, FOR HEAVY TRASH PICKUP OR, OR REGULAR TRASH PICKUP.
UM, WE'RE THE LARGEST CITY THAT DOESN'T CHARGE.
AND IT'S, UH, A SIGNIFICANT EXPENDITURE OUT OF OUR GENERAL FUND.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT EQUATION IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FUNDING SOLID WASTE, BUT WE'RE NOT FUNDING IT TO, TO THE LEVEL WE NEED TO.
UH, WE'RE NOT PAYING OUR DRIVERS ENOUGH MONEY.
THEY'RE GETTING TRAINED AND THEY'RE GOING TO DRIVE FOR OTHER COMPANIES WHERE THEY'RE MAKING A LOT OF MONEY.
WE HAVE TO USE OVERTIME HOURS FOR OUR SOLID WASTE EMPLOYEES TO SERVICE THE ROUTES, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO CATCH UP.
AND THEN WE HAVE NATURAL DISASTERS THAT HIT, AND OUR SOLID WASTE FOLKS ARE OUT THERE HELPING WITH DEBRIS REMOVAL, GETTING OUR, OUR STREETS CLEARED AND, AND THEN MAINTAINING THE TRASH PICKUP.
SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY ON THIS CYCLE, UM, THAT WE'RE NOT CATCHING UP ON.
AND THEN THAT MEANS OUR EQUIPMENT IS BEING RUN ALL THE TIME.
THE MAINTENANCE IS BACKING UP.
WE'RE HAVING TO, TO, TO REPAIR OUR TRUCKS AT A FREE, A MORE FREQUENT RATE.
SO, UM, SOME THINGS GOTTA GIVE, RIGHT? WE'VE, WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THAT.
AND YOU'RE HEARING MORE AROUND THE, THE CITY AND, AND AROUND THE HORSESHOE ABOUT TALK ABOUT A TRASH FEE.
AND SO WE, WE LAST YEAR COMMISSIONED A STUDY FOR OUR SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT TO LOOK AT IT.
AND, UM, WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THAT, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S PART OF IT.
THE EFFICIENCIES ARE PART OF IT, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE GETTING TO THAT POINT WHERE WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT THIS BECAUSE IT'S NOT GOING TO GET BETTER ON ITS OWN.
WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, DEDICATED POT OF MONEY AND, AND WITH ALL THE OTHER EXPENDITURES WE HAVE, WE'VE GOTTA BE ABLE TO GIVE SOLID WASTE WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO THE JOB CONSISTENTLY.
UH, BECAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE ONE DEALING WITH THE MISSED PICKUPS OR THE DELAYS OR THE CURBSIDE, UH, YARD CLIPPINGS THAT JUST SIT THERE.
UM, AND UNTIL THEY HAVE ALL THE RESOURCES THEY NEED, THEY'RE CONSTANTLY BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL.
I'M, I'VE MOVED 11 TIMES IN MY CAREER AND ALL 11 CITIES WHEN I WAS A HOMEOWNER, UH, HAD SOME, SOME P EVERY CITY.
UM, SO I'M CONCERNED ABOUT ALL OF THE MONEY THAT GOES TO THE TAX REINVESTMENT ZONES, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S A WAY TO GET AROUND THE REVENUE CAP.
SO Y'ALL ARE REALLY IN FAVOR OF HAVING THAT MONEY.
SO WE'RE SPENDING OUR TAX DOLLARS AND Y'ALL ARE USING
[01:05:01]
'EM TO FUND PROJECTS AND NEIGHBORHOODS THAT REALLY ARE ALREADY LIFTED.OKAY? AND THAT WAS WHAT THEY WERE THERE FOR, SUPPOSEDLY WAS TO LIFT UP NEIGHBORHOODS, RIGHT? BUT NOW WE'RE STILL PAYING THOSE TAX DOLLARS, RIGHT? AND IT'S STILL GOING THERE.
I MEAN, IF ALL THE MONEY WAS JUST IN ONE FUND AND IT WAS DISTRIBUTED EQUALLY WOULD JUST MAKE MORE SENSE.
AND ALSO, AS FAR AS THE TRANSPORTATION THAT EVERYBODY KEEPS TALKING ABOUT, WE NEED A COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR THE ENTIRE CITY, HAVING THIS GROUP PUSH FOR THIS, AND THAT GROUP PUSHED FOR THAT, AND NONE OF IT WORKING TOGETHER.
WE NEED EVERYTHING WORKING TOGETHER.
AND IF THERE'S A STUDY OR WHATEVER THAT HAS TO BE INITIATED TO DO THAT, WELL THEN IT WOULD BE MONEY WELL SPENT.
AND THANK GOODNESS Y'ALL DID THE ERNST AND YOUNG AUDIT AND THAT Y'ALL ARE REALLY KIND OF FINDING WHERE THE INEFFICIENCIES ARE IN TRYING TO, SO I THINK EVERYONE APPRECIATES THAT.
WE, WE ACTUALLY EXPANDED THE ERNST AND YOUNG STUDY TO LOOK AT ATT SO WE'RE AWAITING THE RESULTS OF THAT, BUT THAT COULD PROVE, UH, SOME MORE EFFICIENCIES AND AND WHATNOT WITH OUR TOUR SYSTEM.
UM, WE HAVEN'T DONE A GOOD JOB OF, OF SUNSET OUR TOURS.
SOME OF 'EM HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND THEY STARTED IN BLIGHTED AREAS.
UH, THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL IN, IN THEIR, THEIR MISSION.
AND NOW THOSE AREAS ARE, ARE GREAT.
THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY HAS IMPROVED SERVICES, INFRASTRUCTURE HAS IMPROVED.
UM, BUT THEY'RE STILL THERE, YOU KNOW, AND SO WE GOTTA, WE GOTTA LOOK AT THAT AS WELL.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I'VE SERVED ON A TOURS BOARD.
I'VE SEEN WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR COMMUNITIES AND, AND THE ROLE THEY CAN PLAY.
SO I DO, YOU KNOW, BELIEVE INTS, BUT I DO THINK THERE IS A POINT WHERE WE CAN LOOK AT THE LIFE OF A TURS AND WHEN IT MEETS ITS GOAL, WHAT HAPPENS TO IT AFTER THAT.
AM JEFF KLOTZ, I LIVE IN DISTRICT H.
UM, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE CITY BUDGET IS USED TO MAINTAIN RETIREMENT BENEFITS, HEALTH BENEFITS AND, AND, UH, PENSION PAYOUT BENEFITS FOR CITY EMPLOYEES? VERY GOOD QUESTION.
I'M GONNA ASK COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN TO TAKE THAT ONE BECAUSE THEY'RE BIG NUMBERS.
$400 MILLION FOR HEALTH BENEFITS AND ABOUT THE SAME FOR PENSION PAYMENTS.
PAULA, I MIGHT BE OFF ON THE PENSIONS, BUT I KNOW IT'S 400 AND CHA PLUS FOR, FOR ANNUAL HEALTHCARE EXPENSES.
CITYWIDE, I MEAN, THAT'S ACROSS ALL FUNDS.
JUST SHY OF A BILLION, ABOUT 800 MILLION.
YEAH, I'D HAVE TO LOOK AT THE BIG PENSION NUMBER TO MAKE SURE I'M NOT WAY OFF ON THAT.
APPROXIMATELY WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE CITY BUDGET IS THAT? SO IT'S A $7 BILLION BUDGET ALTOGETHER.
SO ALMOST A SEVENTH OF THE BUDGET IS GOING TO FOR RETIREES.
WELL, NOT, THAT'S NOT JUST FOR, THAT'S FOR ACTIVE AND RETIREE HEALTHCARE.
MY APOLOGIES, THAT'S JUST THE HEALTHCARE.
BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT THE ENTIRE SET OF BENEFITS FOR, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW RETIRED FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THAT'S POLICE, FIRE, CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES.
AND I'LL, AND I'LL GET YOU, I'LL, I'LL, WE'LL LOOK UP, WE'RE LOOKING UP THE PENSION NUMBER TO CITYWIDE TOO, BUT IT'S A LOT.
AND AGAIN, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE ENTIRE BUDGET IS DEVOTED TO POLICE AND FIRE? 60%.
60% THAT IF IT'S POLICE, FIRE AND MUNICIPAL COURTS AND OFFICE OF EMERGENCY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, ALL THAT KIND OF FALLS UNDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY UMBRELLA.
THAT, THAT 60% OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, OBVIOUSLY.
ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY, I'LL LET COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, IF WE'RE IN HIS DISTRICT, I'LL LET HIM CLOSE US OUT TODAY.
AND, UM, BUT I JUST WANNA SAY ON MY BEHALF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INTEREST IN, IN YOUR CITY, IN YOUR MONEY AND HOW WE'RE SPENDING IT.
AND, UH, I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR COMMENTS AND, AND TAKE THEM TO HEART AND THEY INFORM WHAT WE DO AROUND THE HORSESHOE.
UH, I DO WANT TO, SINCE WE ARE IN DISTRICT HI DO WANNA MAKE A PLUG FOR LIFEGUARDS BECAUSE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, IT'S GETTING WARM.
WE WANT ALL THE POOLS TO OPEN IN THE DISTRICT, UH, BUT THEY WILL NOT OPEN UNLESS WE HAVE LIFEGUARDS.
AND, UH, THAT GOES FOR ALL CITY OF HOUSTON POOLS.
SO IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED, THERE ARE MULTIPLE POSITIONS AVAILABLE.
THEY PAY A DECENT WAGE, YOU GET A BONUS IF YOU FINISH ALL YOUR SHIFTS AT THE END.
UH, GO VISIT THE PARKS FOLKS BACK THERE IN THE ORANGE POLOS.
[01:10:01]
THERE'S A TABLE AS WELL WITH A FLYER AND A QR CODE.UH, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR POOLS ARE OPEN.
AND THE LAST THING WE WANT IS POOLS CLOSED BECAUSE OF LACK OF LIFEGUARDS.
UM, BECAUSE THAT'S OPPORTUNITIES OUR KIDS, UH, ARE MISSING OUT ON TO ENJOY THE SUMMER.
YOUR COMMENTS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
UH, WE HAVE BUDGET WORKSHOPS NEXT WEEK, MONDAY AND TUESDAY.
YOU CAN WATCH ALONG ON HTV, YOU CAN EMAIL YOUR QUESTIONS, EMAIL YOUR COMMENTS IN.
UM, BUT THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO DEEP DIVE INTO ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING AND COMMENTS SPECIFICALLY.
THAT WORKSHOP IS COMING UP ON TUESDAY.
UM, OTHER, OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL.
UH, BUT THEY DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE USE THESE WORKSHOPS AND WE USE YOUR FEEDBACK TO BETTER UNDERSTAND OUR BUDGET ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, PUT TOGETHER POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS TO THE BUDGET.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND THANKS FOR COMING OUT.