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CONTROLLER'S TOWN HALL.WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE CONTROLLER FOR HIS PARTNERSHIP IN ALLOWING OUR NORTHWEST AND ACRES HOMES COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND HOW OUR DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT AND HOW OUR VOICE MATTERS IN THAT CONVERSATION, UH, WE INVITE YOU ALL TO, ONCE AGAIN, TAKE AS MUCH FOOD AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN.
I DO NOT WANNA PACK THIS BY MYSELF,
UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF, UH, DECISIONS BEING MADE, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITIES ARE INFORMED AND ACTUALLY ENGAGED IN THE PROCESS AS WELL.
SO, TAKE OPPORTUNITIES, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVERY QUESTION YOU WANNA ANSWER, PARTICIPATE, AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD IN OUR EXERCISE IN THE BACK.
AND ONCE AGAIN, REALLY ENGAGE IN THIS.
MAKE SURE THAT YOU ACTUALLY ASK AT LEAST ONE QUESTION BEFORE YOU LEAVE, SO THAT WAY WE CAN ENSURE THAT YOUR VOICE IS BEING HEARD TONIGHT.
CAN WE AGREE ON THAT? SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME YOU TO THE CONTROLLER'S TOWN HALL.
MY NAME IS RAIN EATON, AND I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BEING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ACRES HOMES COMMUNITY ADVOCACY GROUP.
WE WANT TO, AGAIN, WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO THE CONTROLLER AND HIS TEAM FOR ALLOWING US TO PARTNER FOR THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY OF ENGAGEMENT.
AND WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL TO HAVE YOU ALL AS A PARTNER HERE.
WE ALSO INVITE YOU TO BE A NEIGHBOR.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY HAVE PASSED UP OUR SIGN IN THE FRONT, WE HAVE A QR CODE THAT ASKS YOU TO, UH, SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY WHAT'S GOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSLETTER, WHERE WE TELL YOU ALL THINGS, ACRES, HOMES, ALL THE TIME.
WE PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THINGS LIKE FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS, UH, DANCING CLASSES, GARDENING CLASSES, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
AND BEFORE I WANT, BEFORE I GO FORWARD, I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I ACKNOWLEDGE SOME OF THE KEY PARTNERS IN THIS ROOM WHO HELP US MAKE THE WORK EASIER.
SO, IF I COULD PLEASE, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD PRESIDENT, MS. LETICIA GRANT, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND SEEING WHERE THIS INFORMATION IS COMING FROM, I AM.
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY INVITE YOU TO COME TO OUR MONTHLY SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING.
IT'S EVERY THIRD THURSDAY OF THE MONTH AT 6:00 PM HERE IN THE MULTI-SERVICE CENTER.
SO IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO COME BEFORE, WE GREATLY INVITE YOU TO PARTICIPATE, UM, NOT JUST IN THIS FORUM, BUT IN MANY FUTURE FORUMS TO COME.
UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANOTHER SLIDE.
SO THIS IS THE PART I'M ACTUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR
SO I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF WELCOMING YOUR CONTROLLER, MR. CHRIS HOLLINS, TO THIS CONVERSATION.
AND I WANNA MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF WHO HE IS AND HOW HARD HE'S BEEN WORKING FOR YOU HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO, A NATIVE HU UH, CHRIS HOLLINS IS A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN WHO HAS SERVED AS THE CITY CONTROLLER SINCE JANUARY OF 2024.
AS AN INDEPENDENTLY ELECTED CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER OF THE NATION'S FOURTH LARGEST CITY CONTROLLER, HOLLANDS PROVIDES OVERSIGHT OF A BUDGET, EXCEEDING $6 BILLION, AND MANAGES THE CITY'S 6 BILLION INVESTMENT AND $14 BILLION DEBT OF OF VARIOUS PORTFOLIOS.
HOLLINS IS DEEPLY COMMITTED TO TRANSPARENCY, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND RESULT DRIVEN OPERATIONS USING HIS OFFICE'S AUDITING AUTHORITY TO BRING NEW IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICES TO CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT RESULT IN COST SAVING AND A HIGHER STANDARD OF SERVICE TO HOUSTON RESIDENTS.
PRIOR TO HIS SERVICE, AS CITY CONTROLLER HOLLANDS LED THE 2020 ELECTIONS EFFORT IN HARRIS COUNTY AS A COUNTY CLERK, GAINING NATIONAL ACCLAIM FOR PROTECTING AND EXPANDING VOTER RIGHTS FOR 2.5 MILLION HOUSTON AREA VOTERS DURING THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIME, HOLLANDS IN, IN A HOLS INNOVATION, WHICH INCLUDED DRIVE-THROUGH VOTING, 24 HOUR VOTING ONLINE MAIL, BALLOT TRACKING, AND TRIPLING THE NUMBER OF EARLY VOTING CENTERS LED TO THE EYE-POPPING RECORD VOTER TURNOUT.
DESPITE THE ONGOING GLOBAL PANDEMIC, HOLLANDS HOLDS A BACHELOR OF ARTS WITH PHI BETA KAPPA HONORS FROM MOREHOUSE COLLEGE AND COMPLETED A JOINT PROGRAM WITH YALE LAW AND HARVARD, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL, EARNING BOTH HIS JURIS DOCTORATE AND MASTER'S OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DEGREES.
HE, YEAH, I MEAN, THAT DESERVES A CLAP IN ITSELF.
HOLLANDS IS ADMITTED TO THE STATE BAR OF TEXAS AND FEDERAL COURTS FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS BEFORE BEING ELECTED TO HOUSTON CITY CONTROLLER, HE WAS THE PRINCIPAL ATTORNEY AT HOLLANDS LAW GROUP.
HOLLANDS SPENT THE BULK OF HIS CAREER AS A MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT WITH MCKENSEY AND COMPANY, WHERE HE WAS DEDICATED TO HELPING LARGE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TRANSFORM THEIR OPERATIONS TO BETTER ACHIEVE THEIR MISSIONS AND MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE WHO WERE ENTRUSTED TO SERVE.
HOLLINS AND HIS WIFE MORGAN LIVE IN HOUSTON'S THIRD WARD WITH THEIR DAUGHTER VIVIAN, AND THEIR SON GEORGE.
THE HOLLINS FAMILY ATTENDS WHEELER BAPTIST CHURCH, BUT THEY ARE NO STRANGER TO THE KERS HOMES COMMUNITY.
AND WE WANT TO WELCOME THEM AS AN AVID AND TRUSTING NEIGHBOR IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO YOUR CONTROLLER, CHRIS HOLLINS.
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THANK YOU SO MUCH RAIN FOR THAT WARM INTRODUCTION.AND THANK YOU TO THE ACRES HOMES COMMUNITY ADVOCACY GROUP AGAIN FOR HOSTING US THIS EVENING.
UH, I'M GONNA TRY TO BRING YOU ALL THE INFORMATION I CAN TONIGHT, BUT THEY ARE THE REASON THAT YOU HAVE FOOD ON YOUR PLATE.
AND SO CAN WE GIVE THEM ONE MORE ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR, UH, THEIR GENEROSITY AND, UH, AND BEING THAT HOST.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE SOME DEAR FRIENDS WITH US.
AND SO I'LL ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, THE FOLKS WHO ARE TABLING HERE TODAY.
UH, FIRST UP FRONT, WE HAVE SOME FOLKS WHO ARE HERE FOR FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT.
OVER HERE WE HAVE THE HOUSTON FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT CENTER.
AND ON MY RIGHT, YOUR LEFT, WE HAVE THE BANK ON HOUSTON PROGRAM, ALONG WITH OUR PARTNERS FROM BANK OF AMERICA.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
UH, GOING A LITTLE BIT FURTHER BACK, WE HAVE OUR HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARIES, UH, WE HAVE THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS, WE HAVE THE HOUSTON TEJANO CENTER.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING AT ALL OF THE TOWN HALLS THAT WE'VE HAD SO FAR.
UH, WE REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PARTNERSHIP.
AND, UH, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE THE WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER, UH, HERE WITH US.
LOOK, THESE FOLKS ARE HERE, UH, FOR YOU.
THEY'RE GENUINELY HERE TO BE, UH, A SUPPORT TO YOU AND TO THIS COMMUNITY.
AND SO TAKE YOUR TIME AND GO AND SAY HELLO AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS, UH, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY STOPPED BY THESE TABLES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO, THE CRITICAL SERVICES, UH, THAT THEY OFFER, AND, UH, AND MAYBE YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO, TO HELP THEM CONTINUE TO HELP THIS COMMUNITY.
SO, AGAIN, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH.
ALRIGHT, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET'S GET ROLLING.
UM, JUST BEFORE WE RUN INTO BUDGET STUFF, I JUST WANT TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE.
AGAIN, I'VE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO SERVE YOU FOR ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF NOW AS A CITY'S CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.
BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? AND SO, I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR PRIORITIES AND WHAT THIS OFFICE DOES.
UH, OUR NUMBER ONE ROLE IS ACCOUNTABILITY.
IT'S CRACKING DOWN ON WASTE, FRAUD AND ABUSE TO ENSURE THAT YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE GOING TO WHAT THEY SHOULD BE GOING TO, WHICH IS SERVING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
UH, FROM THERE, WE FOCUS ON TRANSPARENCY.
AND WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW THIS EVENING IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.
IT'S MAKING SURE THAT INFORMATION ABOUT THE CITY'S FINANCES AND THE CITY'S OPERATIONS IS NOT ONLY AVAILABLE TO YOU, BUT THAT WE BRING IT STRAIGHT TO YOU, TO YOUR COMMUNITY, PUT IT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS, AND WE TRANSLATE THAT COMPLEX INFORMATION THAT CAN BE REALLY HARD TO UNDERSTAND INTO PLAYING ENGLISH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN YOU WALK OUT OF HERE, UH, YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON, AND THAT YOU ARE EMPOWERED, UH, TO, TO PLAY A ROLE, UH, IN OUR CITY'S FUTURE.
UH, AND THEN INNOVATION THAT IS BRINGING NEW IDEAS, BRINGING BEST PRACTICES, UH, TO CITY DEPARTMENTS THROUGH OUR AUDIT FUNCTION, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE STEPPING UP OUR GAME, GIVING YOU MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK, DELIVERING SERVICES TO YOU AT THE QUALITY, UH, THAT YOU DESERVE.
UH, AND THEN FINALLY, AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE TALK ABOUT TONIGHT, UH, BEING A PART OF THE SOLUTION AND CHARTING A PATH TO FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE CITY, UM, RIGHT NOW, AND FRANKLY FOR, FOR SEVERAL YEARS LEADING UP TO NOW, UH, THE CITY HAS OPERATED AT WHAT'S CALLED A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT.
WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT MORE, UH, IN A MOMENT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST TO FAST FORWARD THE CONVERSATIONS, A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT MEANS THAT WHAT'S COMING IN ON A RECURRING BASIS, THE EQUIVALENT OF, SAY, YOUR PAYCHECK THAT YOU TAKE HOME FROM YOUR JOB EVERY WEEK OR TWO WEEKS, THAT THAT MONEY COMING IN PAYS FOR WHAT YOU KNOW ARE GOING TO BE YOUR RECURRING EXPENSES, RIGHT? SO YOU GOT A PAYCHECK, YOU KNOW, IT'S COMING ON PAYDAY, BUT YOU ALSO KNOW THAT ON, ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH, YOU GOT RENT, YOU GOT YOUR LIGHT BILL, YOU GOT YOUR CAR NOTE, AND SO ON.
AND IF THAT RECURRING REVENUE DOES NOT PAY FOR THOSE RECURRING EXPENSES, THEN YOU GOT A PROBLEM, RIGHT? AND THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE SITUATION THAT THE CITY'S BEEN IN.
SO, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, ABOUT THAT.
AND WE TAKE THAT ROLE VERY SERIOUSLY OF HELPING BE A PART OF SOLUTIONS THAT DRIVE US TOWARDS FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY AS A CITY.
SO, DIVING RIGHT IN, UM, THE BUDGET PROCESS, THE BUDGET PROCESS HAS ALREADY BEGUN.
UH, BUT WE WANT TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT AND HOW YOU CAN ENGAGE.
UH, BEFORE WE DO THAT, AND THIS IS THE PAGE I WAS JUMPING TO ALREADY, JUST A COUPLE OF KEY DEFINITIONS.
UH, NUMBER ONE, WHAT IS A BUDGET? A BUDGET IS SIMPLY A PLAN THAT SHOWS WHAT THE CITY IS GOING TO SPEND MONEY ON AND HOW THE CITY IS GOING TO PAY FOR IT.
SO IT'S A PLAN FOR SPENDING AND A AND A REVENUE PLAN THAT IS GOING TO PAY FOR THAT SPENDING.
AS I MENTIONED, A STRUCTURALLY BALANCED BUDGET MEANS THAT YOU'RE RECURRING REVENUE.
THE MONEY THAT'S COMING IN ON A CONSISTENT BASIS THAT YOU CAN EXPECT KIND OF DAY IN AND DAY OUT IS GOING TO PAY FOR THOSE EXPENSES THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE GOING TO COME DAY IN AND DAY OUT LIKE OUR CITY'S PAYROLL.
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UH, AND A DEFICIT IS WHEN THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, WHEN THAT'S WHEN THE STRUCTURAL COSTS, WHEN THOSE RECURRING COSTS ARE ABOVE THE RECURRING REVENUE.HOW DO YOU PAY FOR THAT? YOU CAN PAY FOR THAT EITHER WITH ONE TIME SOLUTIONS LIKE SELLING A PIECE OF PROPERTY OR SO ON.
UM, SOME, SOME OF Y'ALL MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH GOING TO A PAWN SHOP BECAUSE YOU NEED A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA MONEY IN A MOMENT, AND OUR FRIENDS AT BANK ON HOUSTON WILL TELL YOU WHY YOU SHOULD NOT DO THAT.
BUT, UM, AND SO THERE ARE ONE-TIME SOLUTIONS, UM, LIKE THAT, OR, UH, YOU CAN SIMPLY SPIN DOWN YOUR SAVINGS ACCOUNT, RIGHT? IF YOU HAVE MONEY ALREADY IN YOUR ACCOUNT, YOU CAN SAY, HEY, IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME.
I WANNA DO SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR, FOR, FOR MY MY BOO OR FOR MY GRANDCHILD, AND SO I'M GONNA TAKE A LITTLE MONEY OUT AND DO THIS THING FOR THEM.
BUT YOU CAN'T DO THAT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, OR THAT SAVINGS ACCOUNT IS GONNA DISAPPEAR, RIGHT? AND SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE A DEFICIT FY THAT THAT SIMPLY MEANS THE FISCAL YEAR.
UH, THE CITY OPERATES ON THE FISCAL YEAR OF JULY 1ST TO JUNE 30TH.
AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FISCAL YEAR 2026, UM, THAT'S NOT JANUARY 1ST OF NEXT YEAR, THAT'S STARTING IN JUST OVER, YOU KNOW, JUST ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE IN THE BUDGET PROCESS NOW TO PLAN FOR THIS NEW FISCAL YEAR THAT BEGINS ON JULY ONE.
UH, AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT OUR GENERAL FUND AND OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
YOUR GENERAL FUND, UM, IS JUST LESS THAN HALF OF THE OVERALL BUDGET, BUT IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOUR TAX DOLLARS GO THROUGH, GO TO DIRECTLY.
SO, UH, WHEN YOU PAY YOUR PROPERTY TAXES AS A HOMEOWNER, AND EVEN IF YOU ARE A RENTER THAT RENT, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU'RE PAYING, YOUR LANDLORD IS PAYING PROPERTY TAXES, UH, THROUGH THAT RENT THAT THEY'RE CHARGING YOU, THAT'S A BIG, THAT'S THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL PIECE OF, OF HOW OUR GENERAL FUND IS, IS FUNDED.
SO WHEN YOU STOP BY A RESTAURANT, WHEN YOU STOP BY THE STORE, UH, AND YOU SEE THAT 8.25 CENTS THAT YOU PAY IN ADDITION TO, UH, THAT PRICE OF THAT GOOD, A SMALL PIECE OF THAT GOES TO THE CITY.
AND THOSE TWO THINGS ARE WHAT FUNDS THE MAJORITY OF, OF OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
WHAT DOES THAT PAY FOR? WELL, IT'S THE THINGS THAT YOU PROBABLY RELY ON THE CITY FOR THE MOST.
UH, POLICE FIREFIGHTERS GETTING YOUR TRASH PICKED UP, UH, ACCESS TO PARKS AND GREEN SPACES, UH, THE CITY'S HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT, THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH GENERAL FUND DOLLARS, AND THAT MONEY IS COMING DIRECTLY OUT OF YOUR POCKET.
ENTERPRISE FUNDS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
UH, THESE ARE PAID FOR WITH USUALLY WHAT'S CALLED LIKE A USAGE FEE.
UH, AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE THE HOUSTON AIRPORTS.
IF YOU FLY OUT A HOBBY OR YOU FLY OUTTA INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT, UH, WHEN YOU PAY THAT TICKET PRICE TO UNITED OR SOUTHWEST, THERE'S A LITTLE FEE ATTACHED TO IT.
AND, AND EVERY CUSTOMER PAYS THAT FEE, AND THAT ADDS UP TO A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY.
AND THAT FUNDS THE ONGOING OPERATIONS OF THE AIRPORT.
BUT IF YOU DON'T GO TO THE AIRPORT, THEN YOU'RE NOT PAYING THAT FEE, RIGHT? YOU'RE MAKING A CHOICE TO USE THAT SERVICE, AND THAT SERVICE PAYS FOR THAT INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE ONGOING OPERATIONS VERY SIMILARLY, WHEN YOU PAY YOUR WATER BILL THAT PAYS FOR, UH, THE CITY'S WATER DEPARTMENT, WHICH WE CALL OUR COMBINED UTILITY SYSTEM.
DOES THAT ALL MAKE SENSE? ALL RIGHT, LET'S JUMP FORWARD.
NOW, YOU, THERE'S ONE THAT'S KIND OF GRAYED OUT ON THE LEFT BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY BEYOND US.
THAT'S, UH, MAY 6TH IS WHEN THE MAYOR FIRST RELEASED, UH, HIS PROPOSED BUDGET.
UH, SINCE THEN, YOU KNOW, OUR OFFICE HAS BEEN LOOKING AT IT, AND WE'RE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT TONIGHT.
CITY COUNCIL HAS BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT ACROSS THE CITY TO ASK THEM QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR BUDGET, LEARN MORE ABOUT THOSE DETAILS.
UM, AND WE JUST PRESENTED OUR CONTROLLER'S OFFICE BUDGET, UH, THIS MORNING.
TOMORROW IS A VERY IMPORTANT DAY.
UH, THAT'S TOMORROW, RIGHT? TOMORROW MAY 21ST.
UH, THIS IS WHEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BUDGET IS GONNA TAKE PLACE AT CITY HALL.
NOW, I KNOW THAT THAT'S SHORT NOTICE, UH, BUT THIS IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD.
NOW, OF COURSE, WE'RE GONNA LISTEN TO YOU TONIGHT.
I'M GONNA TAKE YOUR CONCERNS BACK AND RELAY THEM, UH, TO MY COLLEAGUES AT CITY HALL.
BUT YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD DIRECTLY IS TOMORROW DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AND THEN A WEEK FROM TOMORROW, THAT'S WHEN WE'LL FIRST SEE THE BUDGET PLACED ON THE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA FOR CONSIDERATION.
NOW, NORMALLY THEY DON'T PASS THE BUDGET ON THAT DAY, THEY TALK ABOUT IT.
MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL OFFER AMENDMENTS TO THE BUDGET, AND THEN NORMALLY THEY TABLE THAT TILL THE NEXT WEEK AND THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO IS WHEN THEY ULTIMATELY PASS THAT BUDGET.
BUT THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT DAY FOR YOU TO BE PAYING ATTENTION, BECAUSE IF YOU SEE SOME ISSUES IN THIS BUDGET AND YOU WANT YOUR MEMBER OF CITY COUNCIL TO OFFER AN AMENDMENT THAT
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CHANGES THE BUDGET IN SOME WAY, THEN YOU GOTTA MAKE SURE YOU GET IT TO THEM BEFORE MAY 28TH SO THAT THEY CAN PUT THAT AMENDMENT ON THE TABLE.SO THIS IS, THIS IS A NEW THING.
THIS IS OUR THIRD TOWN HALL, BUT THIS IS OUR FIRST TIME, UH, DOING THIS.
DID EVERYBODY GET SOME MARBLES WHEN YOU CHECKED IN? YEAH.
CAN I GET A SHOW OF HANDS IF, IF SOMEBODY GAVE YOU SOME MARBLES WHEN YOU CHECKED IN? OKAY.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE A QUICK MOMENT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.
ALL RIGHT, LET ME ASK THIS QUESTION.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO GOT MARBLES, DID YOU PUT THEM IN THE JARS IN THE BACK? YEAH.
SO LET ME EXPLAIN TO Y'ALL WHAT THAT IS.
THOSE JARS IN THE BACK, UH, REPRESENT CITY DEPARTMENTS.
AND SO YOU WERE, YOU KNOW, GOING THROUGH THIS EXERCISE, KIND OF CASTING YOUR VOTE OF WHAT YOU THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU AND WHERE WE SHOULD SPEND THOSE DOLLARS.
UH, THEY'RE BACK THERE COUNTING WHAT'S IN THOSE JARS RIGHT NOW.
AND SO WE'LL GET THE RESULTS HERE IN A MOMENT, AND THEN WE'LL SHOW YOU WHAT YOU VOTED ON AS BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR YOU AND FOR YOUR FAMILY AND FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, AND THEN WHERE THE CITY'S ACTUALLY BUDGETING, UH, THE BULK OF ITS RESOURCES, ALRIGHT? WHILE THEY'RE ACCOUNTING, WE'LL, WE'LL MOVE, UH, FORWARD IN THE PRESENTATION.
OKAY? SO WE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT THE GENERAL, THE GENERAL FUND AND THE ENTERPRISE FUND A MOMENT AGO.
AS A REMINDER, YOUR GENERAL FUND INCLUDES FUNDING FOR POLICE, FIREFIGHTERS, PARKS, TRASH PICKUP, AND YOU PAY FOR THAT MOSTLY WITH YOUR PROPERTY AND YOUR SALES TAXES.
YOUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS ARE THINGS LIKE YOUR DRINKING WATER, UH, ROADS THAT COME THROUGH, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC WORKS, UH, DRAINAGE AND WASTEWATER, RIGHT? SO WE ALL DEAL WITH ISSUES OF, OF FLOODING AT TIMES WHEN IT RAINS.
AND THOSE SERVICES AND THOSE MASSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS COME THROUGH ENTERPRISE FUNDS THAT ARE PAID FOR WITH FEES.
UM, THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS JUST AROUND $7 BILLION AND 3 BILLION OF THAT IS GOING TO THE GENERAL FUND.
AND THE OTHER 4 BILLION IS ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
SO THIS IS A LOOK AT ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
THAT $4 BILLION BUDGET, MORE THAN HALF OF IT IS WATER, UH, AND SEWER.
IT'S THE LARGEST ENTERPRISE FUND, UH, BY FAR.
UM, NEXT UP IS AIRPORT AFTER THAT, STREETS AND DRAINAGE.
AND THEN THE FOURTH ONE IS THE CONVENTION AND ENTERTAINMENT, UH, FUND.
THAT ONE IS EVERYBODY FAMILIAR WITH GEORGE R. BROWN.
UH, SO IT'S GOING THROUGH A MAJOR EXPANSION AS ARE CONVENTION CENTERS FROM REALLY ACROSS TEXAS AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UH, IT'S, IT'S BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR DECADES, UH, BUT TO MAKE IT A WORLD-CLASS CONVENTION CENTER THAT WILL CONTINUE TO ATTRACT, UH, TOURISTS AND, AND CONVENTIONS AND GROUPS TO TOWN.
UH, OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, IT'S GONNA GO THROUGH A MAJOR RENOVATION.
AGAIN, THIS IS AN ENTERPRISE FUND, SO YOU'RE NOT PAYING FOR THAT OUTTA YOUR POCKET.
UH, THE CONVENTION CENTER IS MOSTLY FUNDED THROUGH HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES.
SO WHEN FOLKS COME FROM OUT OF TOWN, AGAIN, WHEN THEY PAY, UH, THAT HOTEL BILL, THERE'S A LITTLE FEE ATTACHED TO THAT.
AND IT'S A PIECE OF THAT COMES TO FUND OUR CONVENTION AND ENTERTAINMENT, UH, SYSTEM, UH, GENERAL FUND.
SO WE'VE COVERED THIS, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA REITERATE THESE THINGS.
I I'VE NEVER BEEN A TEACHER, BUT MY FRIENDS AND MY SISTERS WHO ARE TEACHERS TELL ME THAT YOU GOTTA REPEAT STUFF 2, 3, 4 TIMES FOR IT TO SINK IN.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO BACK OVER GENERAL FUND, HOW IS THAT PAID FOR? OVER HALF OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS PAID FOR BY YOUR PROPERTY TAXES.
ANOTHER NEARLY A THIRD IS PAID FOR BY YOUR SALES TAXES WHEN YOU GO OUT SHOPPING.
SO WE WANT YOU TO KEEP DOING THAT.
AND THEN THE FINAL 20% IS PAID FOR WITH OTHER FEES, WHICH INCLUDE, UH, FRANCHISE FEES.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT NOT NOTICE, BUT IT MIGHT BE ATTACHED TO YOUR TELEPHONE BILL.
UH, IT MIGHT BE ATTACHED TO YOUR CABLE BILL FOR THOSE OF US WHO STILL HAVE CABLE AND, UM, AND OTHER PERMITS AND FEES.
ALRIGHT, SO I THINK WE'VE ARRIVED AT THE TIME WHERE WE HAVE TO COUNT THESE MARBLES,
SO, SO Y'ALL, SO THIS IS OUR THIRD TOWN HALL IN A SERIES OF FOUR.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE DONE THIS EXERCISE.
SO I TRULY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN,
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LIKE THAT.OKAY? YOU READ MY, UM, NEIGHBORHOODS AND PARKS AND REC.
ALRIGHT, UM, I'M GOING TO PASS THIS MICROPHONE TO SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS WHAT'S ON THIS PAPER A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN ME.
IT IS JENNIFER, JENNIFER PIERCE.
SHE'S OUR DEPUTY CONTROLLER THAT LEADS OUR AUDIT DIVISION.
UM, SO SHE'S HERE AS, AS A, AS A VOLUNTEER RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE SHE'S NOT AUDITING, BUT WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOU.
SHE JUST AUDITED THESE MARBLES AND SHE'S GONNA SHARE THE RESULTS OF THIS EXERCISE WITH YOU.
OKAY? SO WE DO HAVE A, A, A, A LITTLE BIT OF AR A PERCENTAGE OF AR, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, ON AVERAGE, YOU GUYS PUT IN $2 BILLION IN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, EMERGENCY MEDICAL RAPIST, THE GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HEALTH DEPARTMENT,
YOU REALLY DON'T LIKE HR
I THINK I HEARD ABOUT A LITTLE BIAS, SOLID WASTE.
YOUR SECOND PRIORITY IS LIKE THE LIBRARY.
AND I'M TALKING SOLID WASTES, LIKE 6 BILLION SOLID.
THE NEIGHBORHOODS, OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE INVESTING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND PARKS AND REST.
SO Y'ALL SAID, SO, SO AROUND KIND OF FIRST PLACES Y'ALL'S TOP PRIORITIES WERE SOLID WASTE, THE LIBRARY, UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, AND PARKS.
BUT WE ALSO SAW SOME BIG NUMBERS GOING TOWARDS FIRE, TOWARDS EMERGENCY SERVICES, UH, TOWARDS POLICE.
AND YEAH, APPARENTLY Y'ALL, Y'ALL NOT ROCKING WITH HR TOO MUCH.
UM,
AS WE KNOW, TECHNOLOGY IS, IS HUGELY IMPORTANT TO US.
WE CAN'T DO WHAT WE DO WITHOUT TECHNO TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT.
THAT COMES WITH A LOT OF INVESTMENT IN THAT, THAT COMES WITH INVESTMENT IN CYBERSECURITY AND SO ON.
AND SO, EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T SEE A WHOLE LOT OF IT, IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
SO I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALL RECOGNIZE THAT.
SO HOW DOES THAT COMPARE, UH, TO HOW WE ACTUALLY SPEND MONEY? WELL, WITHIN THIS 60% OF GENERAL FUND DOLLARS GO TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
UH, THEY GO TO POLICE, WHICH HAS A BUDGET NOW, UH, A PROPOSED BUDGET OF UPWARDS OF $1.1 BILLION.
UH, AND THEN NEXT UP THE SECOND BIG BIGGEST INVESTMENT IS FIRE, WHICH IS ABOUT $660 MILLION.
UH, THE NEXT THING, WHICH I DON'T KNOW IF, UH, IF ANYBODY PUT THIS ON THEIR LIST, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF IT WAS AN OPTION, BUT THE THIRD BIGGEST SPEND AMOUNT, UH, FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S GENERAL FUND IS DEBT SERVICE.
UH, THIS IS PAYING THE BILL ON BIG INVESTMENTS THAT WE'VE ALREADY MADE.
SO WHEN I HEAR Y'ALL, I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S A QUESTION ABOUT POTHOLES OVER HERE.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SOME OF THESE MAJOR PROJECTS, THE CITY BORROWS MONEY IN ORDER TO BUILD THOSE BIG PROJECTS, AND WE PAY IT OFF OVER THE COURSE OF 25 OR 30 YEARS IN THE SAME WAY THAT YOU WOULD PAY YOUR MORTGAGE.
AND, AND SO THIS COMES AS A SURPRISE TO MANY.
I THINK I, WHEN I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT IT, IT, IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A STICKER SHOCK, BUT ONE OUT OF EVERY $6, UH, THAT IS SPENT IN OUR GENERAL FUND SIMPLY PAYS OFF DEBT.
SO YOU, SO OF COURSE IT'S PAYING FOR STUFF THAT YOU ALREADY GOT, WHICH WE APPRECIATE, BUT YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANY NEW SERVICE FOR THAT.
WE'RE SIMPLY PAYING OFF THAT DEBT.
UM, FROM THERE IT GETS A LOT SMALLER.
AND I KNOW THIS, UH, BANNER'S KIND OF IN THE WAY, BUT I HEARD Y'ALL TALK ABOUT TRASH PARKS AND LIBRARIES.
SO THOSE ARE THE NEXT THREE THINGS ON THE LIST.
BUT JUST TO BE FRANK, YOU KNOW, THEY PALE IN COMPARISON, UH, IN SIZE WHERE POLICE AND FIRE TOGETHER REPRESENT ABOUT 60% OF THE BUDGET.
YOU KNOW, TRASH, PARKS, LIBRARIES, PUBLIC HEALTH REPRESENT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN TWO AND 3% OF THE BUDGET EACH.
AND THEN THAT, THAT BIG BAR THAT'S AT THE BOTTOM, THAT REPRESENTS JUST SOUTH OF, OF $500 MILLION.
THAT'S EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE GENERAL FUND COMBINED, 16 OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
AND SO, UM, WHEN, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT THE CITY'S PRIORITIES ARE REFLECTED IN HOW WE SPEND MONEY, PUBLIC SAFETY IS BY FAR NUMBER ONE, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH IS REFLECTED IN DEBT SERVICE IS NUMBER TWO.
UM, AND THEN FROM THERE IT STARTS TO TAIL OFF.
BUT, YOU KNOW, PICKING YOUR TRASH UP, I THINK IS, IS THE NEXT ONE, UM, OF SIGNIFICANCE.
I'M JUST GONNA PAUSE RIGHT HERE FOR A SECOND.
UH, I KNOW RAIN SAID Y'ALL BETTER ASK SOME QUESTIONS.
[00:25:01]
AND SO I KNOW I'M GOING THROUGH THIS VERY, VERY QUICKLY.SO I WANTED TO PAUSE RIGHT HERE TO SEE IF ANYBODY HAD A QUESTION.
RIGHT NOW, RAIN IS, IS GONNA LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
AROUND LIMITING THE BUDGET FOR POLICE.
UM, SO THIS IS NOT A CITY POLICY, BUT IT'S A STATE POLICY.
UM, BY LAW, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO REDUCE POLICE BUDGETS.
UM, THAT'S SORT OF THE STANDARD RULE TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAILED.
IF YOU DO RELEASE, REDUCE YOUR POLICE BUDGETS, THEN YOU HAVE TO REDUCE THE REST OF THE BUDGET BY THE SAME MAGNITUDE.
AND SO THE, THE GENERAL RULE THAT GETS FOLLOWED, BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS TO INVEST LESS THAN SAY, TRASH PICKUP AND OTHER SERVICES, IS THAT YOU DON'T EVER REDUCE THE POLICE BUDGET THAT WAS PUT INTO LAW, UH, ABOUT TWO, TWO YEARS AND SOME CHANGE AGO.
AND OF COURSE, HOUSTON FOLLOWS THE LAW.
NOW, WE'VE NEVER BEEN IN THAT PREDICAMENT, UM, YEAR OVER YEAR.
UH, WE TEND TO INVEST SIGNIFICANTLY MORE, UM, IN POLICE AND IN OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES LIKE FIRE, UH, NOT LESS.
AND SO THIS HASN'T REALLY BEEN RELEVANT FOR THE CITY, BUT IT'S A GREAT QUESTION THAT, YOU KNOW, BY LAW, WE CANNOT REDUCE THE POLICE BUDGET WITHOUT REDUCING OTHER PARTS OF THE BUDGET, UH, AS WELL.
WOULD YOU MIND SPEAKING UP? NEXT THING YOU HEAR, YOU JUST, WHY WOULD THE STATE DOCTOR TELL US TAX? YEAH.
UM, SO YOU'RE TOUCHING ON THE CONCEPT OF WHAT'S CALLED LOCAL CONTROL, RIGHT? UH, A LOT OF CITIES AND COUNTIES.
AND I WANNA, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE, UH, ONE OF OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES, MS. LAUREN SIMMONS, WHO IS HERE WITH US, UH, TODAY.
CAN WE GIVE HER A ROUND OF APPLAUSE? UH, SHE'S UP IN AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, FIGHTING FOR HOUSTON COMMUNITIES, UH, DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
SO WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL, UH, FOR YOU, UH, REPRESENTATIVE SIMMONS.
UM, WE WANNA KEEP THE STATE OUT OF OUR BACKYARD.
UH, BUT THAT SIMPLY HAS NOT BEEN THE WAY THINGS OPERATED, UH, FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
UH, WHEN RAIN WAS INTRODUCING ME, SHE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DRIVE THROUGH VOTING AND 24 HOUR VOTING.
WELL, THE NEXT TIME THEIR STATE REPS WENT TO AUSTIN, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE WHAT WE WERE DOING VERY MUCH TO OPEN UP VOTER ACCESS, AND THEY MADE DRIVE THROUGH VOTING ILLEGAL, AND THEY MADE 24 HOUR VOTING ILLEGAL.
AND LOOK, I THINK THAT'S TERRIBLE PERSONALLY.
UM, HOWEVER, WE CANNOT OPERATE OUTSIDE OF THE BOUNDS OF THE LAW.
IF WE'RE GONNA CHANGE THE LAW, GUESS WHAT? WE GOTTA GO TO AUSTIN AND ADVOCATE, AND THEN IF THEY'RE NOT LISTENING, WE GOTTA SEND SOME NEW PEOPLE TO AUSTIN.
RIGHT? AND SO YOUR NEXT OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT WILL BE IN THE FALL OF NOVEMBER, 2026 WITH PRIMARIES IN MARCH OF 2026.
UH, BUT IF YOU'RE NOT LIKING WHAT YOU'RE SEEING, THAT IS HOW WE CHANGE THINGS IN A DEMOCRACY.
UNTIL THEN, WE, WE ARE BOUND TO FOLLOW THE LAW.
UM, AND HOWEVER MUCH WE, WE DISAGREE WITH IT.
CONTINUE THIS ISSUE, THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AMOUNT OF POLICE, POLICE, BUT HERE IS ALMOST TWICE TO FIVE.
EVERYTHING ELSE UNDERSTAND YOU SAYING BY LAW YOU CAN'T FREEZE IT, YOU HOLD IT.
EVERYTHING ELSE, WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE OF, I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY, ANY, ANYTHING TO SUGGEST TO US THAT INCREASE POLICING DECREASE THE CRIME.
YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION.
SO, UM, SO BY LAW, YES, WE WOULD ALLOW, WE WOULD BE ALLOWED BY LAW TO, UH, TO HOLD THAT BUDGET STEADY AND NOT CONTINUE, UH, TO INCREASE IT.
UM, LOOK, I I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US HAS DEALT, HAVE DEALT WITH THE, THE IMPACTS OF INFLATION OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOUR SALARY STAYS THE SAME AND COSTS KEEP GOING UP, UP AND UP, YOU'RE GOING TO FEEL AND BE POORER.
RIGHT? NOW, AS A CITY, WE WANT TO HAVE POLICE OFFICERS, WE WANT TO HAVE FIREFIGHTERS, AND WE WANT TO HAVE PEOPLE DO OTHER, UH, IMPORTANT MUNICIPAL JOBS, RIGHT? LIKE RUNNING THIS CENTER TO KEEP THOSE PEOPLE, TO ATTRACT PEOPLE TO THOSE JOBS AND KEEP PEOPLE IN THOSE JOBS.
THEN WE HAVE TO BE COMPETITIVE FOR POLICE AND FOR FIREFIGHTERS, THAT MEANS PAYING THIS, YOU
[00:30:01]
KNOW, A SIMILAR WAGE TO WHAT COMPETING POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS PAY, WHETHER THAT BE DALLAS AND AUSTIN, OR WHETHER IT BE, YOU KNOW, SUGAR LAND OR MONTGOMERY COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, RIGHT? THEY'RE IN COMPETITION WITH US FOR OUR TALENT.UH, SIMILARLY WITH MUNICIPAL WORKERS, WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY FIGHTING OTHER CITIES AND COUNTIES, ALTHOUGH WE MAY BE, BUT WE'RE FIGHTING THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
IF SO, IF WE WANT SOMEONE TO DO A GREAT JOB TO COME IN AND DO AUDIT WORK FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT THEY GET PAID IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AND WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO MATCH THAT.
BUT WE HAVE TO TRY AND COMPETE WITH THAT.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ALWAYS GONNA BE COMMON.
UM, AND LOOK, REASONABLE MINDS CAN DISAGREE ABOUT HOW MUCH OF A RAISE FOLKS SHOULD GET YEAR TO YEAR.
THAT'S CERTAINLY A POLICY QUESTION THAT YOUR MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL VOTE ON WHEN THEY APPROVE THESE CONTRACTS.
UM, BUT NORMALLY YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME KIND OF RAISE, AND WE'RE GONNA TALK IN A MOMENT ABOUT WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST, I'LL, I'LL CUT TO THE CHASE.
MOST OF OUR BUDGET IS PEOPLE, WE SPEND THE MONEY ON SALARIES.
AND SO WHEN FOLKS GET RAISES, IF YOU'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO PAY THEM, THEN THE BUDGET FOR THE DEPARTMENT THAT THEY WORK IN HAS TO GO UP TO PAY FOR THAT RAISE.
THAT'S SORT OF, THAT'S SORT OF THE, THE PLAIN FACTS ABOUT WHY YOU SEE AN INCREASE.
UH, AGAIN, YOU CAN DISAGREE ON IF THE INCREASE IS TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE, UM, BUT IT IS NATURAL OVER TIME TO EXPECT TO GET SOME KIND OF COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.
CAN YOU AGREE WITH THAT? YEAH, I DON'T AGREE.
YEAH,
BUT IN TERMS OF THE CITY, THEY HAVE BEEN PROOFING 'CAUSE OF LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
THE STATE AND FEDERAL OVERSIGHT KICKED IN.
AND, YOU KNOW, BEING CONSISTENT WITH RACE FRAUD AND ABUSE, TRIPPING THE JAIL CRIME.
SO YOU HAVE THINGS LIKE THE BACKLOG, CRIME, LAW, FRAUD MM-HMM
AND SO IT COMES TO THE BUDGET.
SINCE THEY HAVE FEDERAL STAY OVERSIGHT, CAN THEY ASK TO STAY OR FED MORE MONEY? AND IF THEY DO GET A RAISE, HOW WOULD THIS, YEAH.
UM, SO THE QUESTION WAS, GIVEN THAT THERE IS STATE AND FEDERAL OVERSIGHT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, UM, CAN WE GO TO STATE AND FEDERAL SOURCES FOR FUNDING? UM, AND THEN THE NEXT QUESTION WAS, WHEN THE POLICE DO GET A RAISE, UM, OR WHEN REALLY ANY DEPARTMENT FOR THAT MATTER GETS A RAISE, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THE BUDGET, UM, ON THE STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING PIECE? UM, YES, THERE ARE OPTIONS TO GET, YOU KNOW, GRANT MONEY FROM STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS.
UM, BUT WHAT WE'VE SEEN, ESPECIALLY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS IS THAT THOSE FUNDS ARE NOT RELIABLE IN THE LONG TERM.
THEY CAN TURN OFF THAT SPIGOT, YOU KNOW, AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE.
AND SO FOR OUR CORE OPERATIONS, RIGHT, WHEN YOU CALL 9 1 1, YOU WANT SOMEBODY TO SHOW UP AT YOUR DOOR AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.
WE CAN'T RELY ON WASHINGTON DC TO DO THAT FOR US.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KIND OF PROTECTING HOME BASE.
THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS, AND THIS WAS JUST ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PAPER TWO OR THREE DAYS AGO, UH, THERE'S A PROGRAM CALLED TAPS, WHICH IS, UH, I FORGET WHAT THE ACRONYM STANDS FOR, BUT IT'S CONNECTING TEENS, UH, WHO OFTENTIMES COME FROM COMMUNITIES LIKE OURS.
UH, IT'S CONNECTING THEM WITH POLICE.
SO THEY GET TO UNDERSTAND, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW POLICE APPROACH THESE SITUATIONS AND POLICE GET TO UNDERSTAND HOW TEENAGERS OPERATE.
SO WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER A GROUP OF TEENAGERS, THEY'RE NOT JUMPING TO SOME KIND OF ACTION THAT'S GONNA HAVE SOME NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES.
IT'S BEEN A FANTASTIC PROGRAM.
UH, THEY JUST FOUND OUT LAST WEEK THAT THEIR FEDERAL FUNDING IS GONE.
RIGHT NOW THAT'S A BIG PROBLEM.
AND NOW THE CITY WILL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, ARE WE GONNA FUND A PROGRAM LIKE THAT OR ARE WE GONNA KIND OF LET IT GO BY THE WAYSIDE? BUT THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE THAT WE CAN'T DEPEND ON THAT FUNDING OVER THE LONG TERM.
YOUR NEXT QUESTION WAS, WELL, WHEN THEY GET A RAISE, HOW DID THAT AFFECT THE BUDGET? IT GOES UP.
I MEAN, THERE'S, IT IS JUST MATH, RIGHT? IF YOUR PEOPLE GET PAID MORE AND YOUR PEOPLE MAKE UP A HUGE CHUNK OF YOUR BUDGET, THEN THEN THAT BUDGET'S GOING TO GO UP WHEN THEY GET A RAISE.
THERE'S NO REAL WAY AROUND THAT.
YOU CAN START TO CUT OTHER THINGS, BUT IT GETS REAL DICEY, REAL, REAL QUICKLY, RIGHT? AND YOU DON'T LOOK IF YOU'RE GONNA FUND OUR POLICE, YOU DON'T WANT YOUR POLICE TO NOT HAVE CARS.
YOU DON'T WANT YOUR POLICE TO NOT HAVE UNIFORMS THAT IDENTIFY THEM OR, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU MIGHT HAVE AN OPINION ABOUT IF YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE WEAPONS OR A CERTAIN KIND OF WEAPON.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED TO DO THEIR JOB.
AND SO GOING, I'M, AND I'M, LET ME BE CLEAR,
[00:35:01]
I'M NOT SAYING THAT THERE'S NOT A WAY TO BE MORE EFFICIENT, UH, AND THAT THAT GOES ACROSS EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT.THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE MORE EFFICIENT, TO DELIVER SERVICES TO YOU, UM, AT POTENTIALLY A LOWER PRICE POINT OR TO DELIVER BETTER SERVICES TO YOU AT THE CURRENT PRICE POINT.
BUT IT STARTS TO, THE SACRIFICES GET REAL VERY QUICKLY WHEN YOU GO IN AND START TO MAKE CUTS.
AND WE'RE SEEING THAT AGAIN IN DC WHEN THEY WENT IN AND STARTED CHOPPING STUFF OFF, WE STARTED FEELING THE IMPACTS OF THAT VERY QUICKLY.
AND IF THE CITY WERE TO TAKE THE SAME APPROACH, THEN YOU WOULD START TO FEEL THAT, UH, PRETTY QUICKLY.
AND SOME OF THOSE IMPACTS WILL BE FELT IN THIS NEXT YEAR WITH THE, WITH THE PROPOSED BUDGET.
UM, IT'S A, IF YOU'RE GOING TO LOWER COST, THAT COMES WITH SOME CHOICES.
FROM MY POINT OF VIEW LAW ENFORCE MM-HMM
WE WANT MORE MONEY COME WITH THIS CONTRACT AS WE HAVE THE TEAM.
UM, LOOK, I'M, I'M A SUPPORTER OF LABOR UNIONS.
UH, I THINK WE OWE A LOT TO LABOR UNIONS FOR WHERE WE ARE IN THIS COUNTRY, OUR 40 HOUR WORK WEEK, UH, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
IT'S THE JOB OF UNION LEADERSHIP TO PUSH TO, TO REPRESENT THEIR UNION, AND OFTENTIMES TO PUSH FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS FAIR PAY.
NOW YOU HAVE MANAGEMENT ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND ULTIMATELY THOSE SIDES COME TO A DEAL, AND THAT POLICE AGREEMENT IS GOING TO CITY COUNCIL TOMORROW.
UM, WHAT'S IN THAT IS WHAT THE MAYOR HAS AGREED TO AND IS PROPOSING TO CITY COUNCIL.
UM, IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THERE'S SOMETHING IN THERE THAT YOU DISAGREE WITH, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD ON THAT.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF SMALL FONTS ON HERE.
I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH EVERY PIECE OF IT.
UM, BUT THE TOP LINE IS THAT THERE ARE CUTS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET, UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026.
UH, THE BUDGET IS 2.4% LOWER THAN THE BUDGET THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS $74 MILLION.
AND ON YOUR LEFT HAND SIDE, WHAT YOU SEE IS SOME OF THOSE DECREASES IN WHERE THEY'RE REPRESENTED ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.
THERE'S SOME, THERE'S SOME, SOME COST INCREASES THAT SORT OF OFFSET, UH, THAT, AND I'LL JUST TALK ABOUT A COUPLE OF THESE AND THEN MOVE US FORWARD.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, UM, LATER ON.
SO ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES IS A $73 MILLION REDUCTION IN OVERTIME.
UH, IF YOU'VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE CITY, ABOUT A MONTH AGO, OUR OFFICE REVEALED ANALYSIS THAT SHOWED THAT LAST YEAR OR THE, ACTUALLY THE YEAR THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN, WHAT THE CITY BUDGETED FOR OVERTIME AND WHAT IT EVENTUALLY SPENT IN OVERTIME WERE WAY OFF.
WE SPENT MORE THAN DOUBLE WHAT WAS BUDGETED IN THE GENERAL FUND.
UH, THE EXACT NUMBER WAS THAT WE BUDGETED 65 MILLION AND WE ARE SLATED TO SPEND NORTH OF 130 MILLION ON OVERTIME.
UH, MOST OF THAT BEING POLICE AND FIRE.
NOW, WHAT'S IN THIS CURRENT BUDGET GOING INTO NEXT YEAR IS NOT BUDGETING MORE FOR OVERTIME, BUT ACTUALLY BUDGETING LESS.
SO NOW WE'RE, UH, WHAT'S IN THIS BUDGET, I BELIEVE IS $58 MILLION FOR OVERTIME.
AND YOU MIGHT ASK, IF WE WERE SPENDING $135 MILLION LAST YEAR, HOW DO WE GET TO $58 MILLION THIS COMING YEAR? THAT'S A VERY VALID QUESTION.
UM, NEXT, UH, WE HAVE DECREASES IN DEBT SERVICE.
THAT IS FRANKLY, UH, NORMAL GIVEN HOW SOME OF THE FUNDS HAVE MOVED AROUND.
THAT FLUCTUATES, YOU KNOW, YEAR BY YEAR.
BUT THAT'S WHAT'S BUDGETED FOR THE COMING YEAR.
UM, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT A VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT PROGRAM AT THE CITY.
UM, ABOUT A THOUSAND OF OUR 24,000 EMPLOYEES TOOK THAT RETIREMENT OPTION.
UH, MANY OF THOSE POSITIONS GOING FORWARD WILL NOT BE REFILLED.
THEY'LL BE ELIMINATED FROM THE BUDGET.
AND SO WHAT'S PROJECTED RIGHT NOW IS $29 MILLION, UM, IN SAVINGS.
UH, JUMPING A LITTLE BIT FURTHER DOWN, YOU ALSO SEE $16 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENT, UH, REDUCTIONS, WHICH AGAIN, ARE ATTEMPTS TO BE, UH, MORE EFFICIENT.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT 3 MILLION MM-HMM
LIKE YOU SAID, MOST THERE HAS BEEN.
SO IF YOU WERE TO ASK OUR POLICE, IF YOU WERE TO ASK OUR FIREFIGHTERS, AND IF YOU WERE TO, UH, ASK OUR SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT, UH, WHO PICKS UP OUR TRASH? DO Y'ALL HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE? THEY WOULD SAY
[00:40:01]
ABSOLUTELY NOT.UM, BUT TRASH STILL NEEDS TO GET PICKED UP.
AND, UH, AND THESE PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES STILL NEED TO BE PROVIDED.
WHEN YOU CALL 9 1 1, YOU WANT SOMEBODY TO SHOW UP.
AND SO THAT GAP IS FILLED BY OVERTIME.
AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE MORE VACANCIES, THOSE, UH, THEN YOU'RE GONNA SEE MORE OVERTIME HOURS.
UH, WHEN YOU START TO FILL IN THOSE VACANCIES, THEN YOU SHOULD START TO SEE LESS OVERTIME HOURS.
I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW IS THAT WE'RE FILLING THOSE VACANCIES.
WE STILL HAVE QUITE A FEW, BUT WE'RE FILLING THOSE VACANCIES LITTLE BY LITTLE.
AND INSTEAD OF HAVING LESS OVERTIME, WE STILL HAVE MORE OVERTIME.
AND, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE FLAGGED FOR CITY COUNCIL IS, LOOK, YOU GOT AN ISSUE HERE.
YOU'RE EITHER UNDER BUDGETING FOR OVERTIME, RIGHT? THIS IS, THIS IS EITHER NECESSARY OVERTIME THAT WE JUST NEED TO COVER AND PAY FOR OR OVERTIME'S OUTTA CONTROL, AND WE NEED TO FIX SOMETHING FROM A MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE.
THERE'S REALLY NO OTHER ANSWER BESIDES ONE OF THOSE TWO THINGS.
EITHER THE OVERTIME IS APPROPRIATE AND WE NEED TO PAY FOR IT, OR IT'S SOMEHOW NOT OPTIMAL AND WE NEED TO BRING IT DOWN.
UH, WHAT'S IN THIS BUDGET GOING FORWARD? SIGNALS THAT WE'RE GONNA BRING IT DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY, BUT IT'S SO SIGNIFICANT THAT IT CREATES A, A QUESTION MARK FOR ME PERSONALLY.
IS ANY OF THIS IMPACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT? YES.
SO ON THE LEFT SIDE, ARE ALL OF THE DECREASES IN THE BUDGET.
ON THE RIGHT SIDE ARE SEVERAL OF THE INCREASES.
AND SO THE VERY FIRST ONE, UH, IS $51 MILLION THAT REPRESENT PAY RAISES ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, LAST YEAR, THE FIREFIGHTERS GOT A 10% RAISE GOING INTO THE YEAR THEY WERE IN NEXT YEAR, THEY WILL GET, UH, WELL, WHAT'S IN THIS BUDGET IS A 3% RAISE.
UH, OUR POLICE IN THE CO ASSUMING THAT THE, THE, UH, BUDGET, AND PARDON ME, ASSUMING THAT THE POLICE CONTRACT IS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL, THEY WILL GET A 10% RAISE IN THE COMING YEAR, STARTING ON JULY ONE.
AND THEN OUR MUNICIPAL, UH, WORKERS, UM, WHO ARE REPRESENTED BY THE, THE HOPE UNION, THEIR CONTRACT WAS SIGNED SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, AND THEY WILL GET A THREE AND A HALF PERCENT RAISE STARTING ON JULY ONE.
SO ALL IN ALL, FOR THE ENTIRE CITY THAT REPRESENTS A $51 MILLION, UH, INCREASE.
HOW HAS, WHO IMPACTED WHERE'S THE IMPACT GONNA HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THESE? SO, SO THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE SEEING ON, ON THIS PAGE, AND I KNOW THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF WORDS HERE, SO FORGIVE US, BUT THERE'S A 50, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE A LOT OF BIG NUMBERS ON THE RIGHT SIDE THAT REPRESENT INCREASES IN THE BUDGET, BUT THE, EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON THE LEFT SIDE ARE DECREASES IN THE BUDGET.
AND SO IF YOU ADD UP, NOT ALL THESE NUMBERS, BUT IN GENERAL, ALL THESE DECREASES COVER THOSE INCREASES AND GO EVEN FURTHER TO REDUCE THE OVERALL SPENDING IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET BY $74 MILLION.
SO THE, THE SPENDING IS GOING DOWN, NOT UP.
ALRIGHT, ONE MORE AND THEN I'LL MOVE FORWARD SO WE CAN LOOK AT EVERYTHING IF POSSIBLE.
YEAH, SO IT'S, IT IS NOT JUST ONE PAPER.
IT IS, UH, ABOUT 300 PAGES OF STUFF.
UM, YOU CAN, YOU CAN GO ONLINE IT, THIS IS PUBLICLY POSTED ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
SO IF YOU TYPE IN CITY OF HOUSTON, YOU KNOW, FY 26 PROPOSED BUDGET, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DIG THROUGH THAT.
UH, WE'RE TRYING TO SHOW YOU SOME OF THE HIGH POINTS OF THAT HERE TODAY, TRYING TO CONDENSE IT DOWN INTO, YOU KNOW, FIVE OR SIX PAGES.
UH, WE WILL MAKE THIS AVAILABLE AND, YOU KNOW, ITS SORT OF SIMPLIFIED FORMAT, BUT YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE OPTION OF GOING TO THE CITI WEBSITE TO, TO DIG INTO THE, THE WEEDS.
I'M GONNA MOVE US FORWARD JUST A LITTLE BIT AND WE WILL CERTAINLY HAVE MORE QUESTIONS.
ALRIGHT, SO, SO WE'VE COVERED THIS ALREADY, BUT I'LL SAY IT AGAIN.
SO ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU SEE THE GENERAL FUND SPENDING BROKEN OUT INTO TWO CATEGORIES.
PEOPLE IN THE GREEN AND EVERYTHING THAT AIN'T PEOPLE IN THE YELLOW, 60 PLUS PERCENT OF THE BUDGET IN THE GENERAL FUND IS SPENT ON PEOPLE.
AND NOW YOU SAY, WELL, WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE, WHAT DO THOSE PEOPLE DO? WELL, LET'S LOOK AT THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF ALL, ALL THE PEOPLE, 80% OF THAT SPEND IS ON CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES, WHICH MEANS, AGAIN, POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS.
UH, THE REMAINING 20% ARE CIVILIAN STAFF.
AND SO THAT'S EVERYTHING ELSE, YOU KNOW, INCLUDING THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, INCLUDING PARKS, INCLUDING SOLID WASTE, UH, AND SO ON.
AND SO AGAIN, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT HOW IS THE CITY THINKING ABOUT THIS, AND THIS IS NOT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CITIES, A MAJORITY OF OUR BUDGET IS SPENT ON PEOPLE.
[00:45:01]
MAJORITY OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE THERE TO KEEP YOU PHYSICALLY SAFE.SO HERE, UH, WE WILL TALK ABOUT, UM, THE DEFICIT.
THIS IS NOT A NEW CHALLENGE IN TERMS OF STRUCTURAL COSTS AND STRUCTURAL REVENUES.
THE COST HAVE BEEN HIGHER FOR A WHILE NOW, AND THE CITY HAS DEALT WITH THAT IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS.
UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS REVENUE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, UM, IT ADDS UP TO ABOUT $2.9 BILLION.
ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU HAVE COSTS THAT GO JUST NORTH OF $3 BILLION.
AND SO, UM, WITHIN THE MAYOR'S PROJECTIONS, WE HAVE A DEFICIT OF ABOUT $107 MILLION.
THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE HAS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT INDEPENDENT PROJECTIONS, AND WE'RE PROJECTING A DEFICIT OF $134 MILLION.
UH, IN ADDITION, THE CITY, UH, HAS JUST APPROVED A LEGAL SETTLEMENT THAT WILL HELP US TO AVOID SOME ROADS AND DRAINAGE COSTS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.
UM, THAT COST IS BEING AVOIDED IS $91 MILLION FOR, UH, FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
WE'RE WAITING ON A JUDGE TO APPROVE THAT SETTLEMENT.
UH, AND SO FOR NOW, THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, OUR JOB IS TO BE CONSERVATIVE IN OUR PROJECTION, SO WE STILL SHOW THAT, BUT WE'RE WAITING ON THE JUDGE TO MAKE A DECISION, UM, ABOUT THAT LEGAL SETTLEMENT.
UH, YOUR FUND BALANCE, I TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLIER, BUT THIS IS THE CITY'S SAVINGS ACCOUNT.
THIS IS HOW MUCH MONEY WE HAVE IN OUR POCKET TO SPEND ON THINGS IN THE FUTURE.
UM, THE CITY HAS A POLICY THAT SAYS WE NEED TO KEEP ABOUT 7.5% OF OUR TOTAL BUDGET, MINUS A COUPLE OF EXCEPTIONS, UH, IN CASH, YOU KNOW, AVAILABLE TO SPEND IF WE NEED IT.
UM, OTHER CITIES HAVE LARGER RESERVE AMOUNTS, SOME 15%, SOME 20%.
THIS IS LOOKING BACK OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, UM, OVER TIME, OUR FUND BALANCE INCREASED AND INCREASED AND INCREASED.
THE WAY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT, DESPITE HAVING A, A STRUCTURAL IMBALANCE, WAS THAT WE GOT FEDERAL MONEY AFTER THE PANDEMIC CITIES, COUNTIES, AND STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY GOT THESE DOLLARS.
AND SO YOU SEE A GROWING FUND BALANCE OF WHAT BECAME A RECORD $567 MILLION AT THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 2024.
UM, AT THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 2025, WHICH IS IN ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF.
UH, WE'RE PROJECTING THAT, THAT 5 67, WE'LL GO DOWN TO 354.
UM, WE'RE PROJECTING THAT A YEAR FROM NOW, IF THIS BUDGET IS PASSED AS WRITTEN, THAT 3 54 WILL GO DOWN TO 220, WHICH IS JUST AROUND 10% OF, OF THE TOTAL, UH, GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES.
SO WE'RE STILL ABOVE THAT 7.5%, BUT WE'RE GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO IT.
AND SO WE'RE STARTING TO SOUND THAT ALARM A LITTLE BIT TO SAY, HEY, WE HAVE TO GET OUR SPENDING, UH, IN LINE.
WE HAVE TO ACHIEVE THAT BALANCE.
UH, WHAT YOU CAN KIND OF SEE GO BACK IS THESE LIGHT BLUE NUMBERS THAT REPRESENTS DOLLARS THAT ARE RELATED TO THAT LEGAL SETTLEMENT.
UM, ASSUMING THE JUDGE APPROVES IT, IT'LL BE WHAT I JUST DESCRIBED TO YOU.
IF THE JUDGE DOES NOT APPROVE IT, THE SIT THE SITUATION WILL GET A LOT BLEECKER A LOT QUICKER, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, THINK VERY, UH, SERIOUSLY ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT.
UH, THIS IS ANOTHER LOOK AT WHAT YOU JUST SAW, THE CHANGE IN FUND BALANCE YEAR OVER YEAR.
UM, AGAIN, IF YOU GO BACK TO 10 YEARS AGO, WHAT YOU SEE IS SOME YEARS IT GOES UP, SOME YEARS IT GOES DOWN, IT STARTED GOING UP 22, 23, 24, LARGELY BECAUSE OF ARPA DOLLARS.
UM, BUT WHAT'S WE'RE SEEING IN 2025 AND PROJECTING FOR 2026, UH, ARE SOME VERY SERIOUS, UH, DECREASES.
IN FACT, 2025 IS THE LARGEST DEFICIT THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE CITY'S HISTORY, AND 26 IS PROJECTED TO BE THE SECOND LARGEST DEFICIT THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE CITY'S HISTORY.
AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE VERY, VERY FIRST SLIDE, WHICH YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO, UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY, WHAT WE CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT IS HOW DO WE GET OUR REVENUES AND OUR COSTS IN LINE SO THAT WE'RE NOT EXPERIENCING THESE DEFICITS AND THAT WE CAN EXPECT TO PAY FOR THESE CRITICAL SERVICES LIKE PUBLIC SAFETY, TRASH PARKS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, UH, FOR YEARS AND YEARS TO COME.
ALL RIGHT, SO AGAIN, THIS GETS US BACK TO HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED.
WE TALKED ABOUT TOMORROW, THE PUBLIC HEARING.
WE TALKED ABOUT MAY 28TH AS A KEY DATE WHEN CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE GOING TO OFFER, UM, POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS.
AND SO WHAT CAN YOU DO? UH, NUMBER ONE, CONTACT
[00:50:01]
YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER.UH, EVERY ONE OF YOU HAS A DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE SITTING IN DISTRICT B REPRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER TARSHA JACKSON.
UH, BUT EVERY ONE OF YOU ALSO HAS FIVE AT LARGE MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL WHO REPRESENT THE ENTIRE CITY.
AND SO IF YOU CALL ANY OF THE SIX OF THEM, BUT FRANKLY, EVEN IF YOU CALL A DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER WHO ISN'T YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER, I'M SURE THEY WILL LISTEN ANYWAY.
AND SO YOU CAN REACH OUT TO THEM AND SHARE YOUR PRIORITIES WITH THEM OR THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU HAVE WITH THIS BUDGET TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE THINKING ABOUT THAT BEFORE THEY GO IN TO MAKE AMENDMENTS.
SO BUDGET WORKSHOPS CONCLUDED TODAY.
UH, SO YOU CANNOT ATTEND THEM ANYMORE.
SO HTV IS THE CITY'S CABLE NEWS NETWORK.
YOU CAN EITHER GO, UH, TO THE CITY WEBSITE AND LOOK UP HTV OR YOU CAN GO ON FACEBOOK, WHICH I FOUND TO BE A LOT EASIER.
AND JUST LOOK UP HTV AND YOU CAN WATCH, UH, RECORDINGS OF THESE BUDGET WORKSHOPS AND HEAR THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENT HEADS, INCLUDING MYSELF, THE POLICE CHIEF, THE FIRE CHIEF TALK IN MORE DETAIL, UM, ABOUT THEIR BUDGET.
AND IT MAY NOT BE THE CHIEF, IT MIGHT BE THE HPD FINANCIAL OFFICER, BUT YOU HEAR SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT SPEAKING IN DETAIL ABOUT THIS BUDGET, AND YOU CAN LEARN MORE THERE.
AND THEN AGAIN, YOU CAN SPEAK AT THE PUBLIC HEARING TOMORROW.
THESE ARE, THESE ARE FRIENDLY PERSONAL TIPS AND ADVICE FOR YOU.
UM, BECAUSE IF YOU SHOW UP AND YOU WANNA MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD, YOU WANT TO BE EFFECTIVE IN DOING THAT, RIGHT? SO NUMBER ONE IS BE SPECIFIC ABOUT YOUR CONCERNS.
UH, IF YOU SHOW UP TOMORROW AT THE PUBLIC HEARING AND YOU SAY, THIS BUDGET SUCKS, THIS IS THE WORST BUDGET I'VE EVER SEEN.
AND THEN YOU STORM OFF, NOBODY CAN DO ANYTHING WITH THAT, RIGHT? THEY'LL SAY, OH, I GUESS THAT PERSON DOESN'T LIKE THE BUDGET VERY MUCH, AND THEN THEY'LL MOVE ON, RIGHT? IF YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC CONCERN, YOU KNOW, WITH A LINE ITEM, WITH A DOLLAR AMOUNT, WITH WHAT YOU BELIEVE TO BE THE CITY'S PRIORITIES, BE SPECIFIC ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN OUR MAYOR AND OUR CITY COUNCIL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, MAKE CHANGES IN AMENDMENTS BASED ON WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
UM, SUGGEST SOLUTIONS, NOT JUST PROBLEMS. SO IF YOU COME IN AGAIN AND YOU SAY, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, YOU CAN BE VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT THAT PROBLEM AND THEY'LL HEAR YOU OUT, I PROMISE YOU.
BUT YOU'LL BE MORE EFFECTIVE IF YOU, IF YOU OFFER A SOLUTION, IF YOU OFFER A RECOMMENDATION FOR SOMETHING PRACTICAL THAT THEY CAN DO THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY MEET, YOU KNOW, YOUR NEEDS OR THE NEEDS OF YOUR COMMUNITY, UH, CONNECT YOUR COMMENTS TO BROADER COMMUNITY NEEDS, RIGHT? IF YOU'RE COMMENTING, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL ISSUE, AGAIN, THEY WILL HEAR YOU OUT.
UM, I KNOW THESE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, I KNOW THIS MAYOR.
BUT IF YOU SAY, LOOK, THIS ISN'T JUST AFFECTING ME.
WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE PUDDLE IN FRONT OF MY DRIVEWAY.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FLOODING ON THE ENTIRE NORTH SIDE OF HOUSTON, RIGHT? THAT GETS PEOPLE TO, TO PAY A LITTLE BIT MORE ATTENTION AND UNDERSTAND THE SEVERITY OR THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
SO TRY TO CONNECT IT TO A BROADER COMMUNITY NEED.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY STAY FOCUSED ON BUDGET RELATED ISSUES.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU COME IN TOMORROW AND YOU JUST SAY, MAN, THE CONTROLLER HAD A NICE BLUE SUIT ON YESTERDAY, THAT BROTHER'S HANDSOME, AND THEN YOU LEAVE, I WILL APPRECIATE THAT PERSONALLY, BUT YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY IMPACT ON THE BUDGET CONVERSATION.
SO IF YOU KEEP IT RELEVANT, UH, IF YOU KEEP IT FOCUSED ON BUDGET RELATED ISSUES, THAT'LL GIVE YOU THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY TO, TO IMPACT THE CONVERSATION.
I, UH, I SAID, CONTACT YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND SIDE HERE, THERE'S A BARCODE.
YOU CAN SCAN THAT WITH YOUR PHONE RIGHT NOW THAT WILL HELP YOU TO, NUMBER ONE, IDENTIFY WHO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER IS AND IT'LL ALL, IT SHOULD ALSO PROVIDE YOU WITH THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS SO YOU CAN REACH OUT.
UM, AGAIN, I KNOW THESE INDIVIDUALS, UM, THEY, THEY ARE HARD WORKERS.
THEY CARE ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY, THEY CARE ABOUT ALL OF HOUSTON.
AND IF YOU REACH OUT, UM, I, THEY WILL, THEY WILL LEND YOU AN EAR AND YOU CAN ALSO, YOU KNOW, REACH OUT TO US.
UM, WE USED TO HAVE A SLIDE IN HERE.
WE TOOK IT OUT BECAUSE IT MADE THE PRESENTATION TOO LONG.
BUT, UM, THE, THE CONTROLLER'S ROLE IN THE BUDGET, AND YOU ACTUALLY, YOU SHOULD HAVE THIS IN THE HANDOUT.
I HAPPEN TO NOT HAVE A VOTE AT ALL ON THE BUDGET.
UH, YOU HAVE 17 MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL.
THE MAYOR IS ONE, AND THEN YOU HAVE 16 OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS.
THEY VOTE ON THE BUDGET, THE MAYOR PROPOSES IT, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AMEND IT AND THEN THEY VOTE TO APPROVE IT.
MY ROLE IN THE BUDGET PROCESS IS TWO THINGS.
NUMBER ONE, IT'S CALLED CERTIFYING THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.
THAT IS JUST SAYING, DO WE HAVE THE MONEY IN THE ACCOUNT TO PAY THIS BILL OR NOT? THAT IS WHAT WE DO WHEN WE CERTIFY THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.
IT'S NOT ME SAYING IT'S A GREAT BUDGET.
IT'S NOT ME SAYING IT'S A BAD BUDGET.
IT'S JUST SAYING, WE HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS.
MY SECOND THING IS, IS DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, UM, ANALYZING IT, LOOKING INTO IT, ASKING QUESTIONS, MAKING SURE THAT OUR DECISION MAKERS HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND IT IN THE WAY THAT WE UNDERSTAND IT, AND BEING AN INDEPENDENT VOICE, UM, ABOUT WHAT'S IN THERE.
UH, WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE THAT WITH CONVERSATIONS LIKE THIS.
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WE TRY TO ACHIEVE THAT WITH MEETINGS WITH CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WE HAD, UH, TODAY FOR EXAMPLE.UH, BUT AFTER THAT, THAT'S, IT'S YOUR CITY COUNCIL THAT TAKES THAT VOTE AND ULTIMATELY APPROVES THAT BUDGET.
AND SO PLEASE CONTINUE TO REACH OUT TO ME AND SHARE YOUR CONCERNS.
I WILL RELAY THEM, BUT YOU NEED TO REACH OUT TO YOUR MAYOR.
YOU NEED TO REACH OUT TO YOUR MEMBER OF CITY COUNCIL BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES WHO HOLD THAT POWER.
UM, RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, AN IMPORTANT PART OF, OF FUNCTIONING IN OUR DEMOCRACY IS UNDERSTANDING THE RULES AND UNDERSTANDING HOW YOU CAN HAVE THE MOST IMPACT.
AND RIGHT NOW IT'S TALKING TO MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE A VOTE ON THIS GOING FORWARD.
DO I HAVE A VOTE ON, ON, ON THE BUDGET, YES OR NO? ALRIGHT.
UM, I BELIEVE IT'S TIME FOR QUESTIONS AND IF YOU CAN GO FORWARD ONE MORE FLY.
IT'S HARD TO READ HERE Y'ALL, BUT I'LL SHARE THIS WITH YOU.
UM, YOU HAVE MY EMAIL ADDRESS, IT'S CONTROLLER@HOUSTONTX.GOV.
UM, YOU HAVE MY, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS AS WELL AS THE CONTROLLER'S, OFFICES, SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS.
UM, I KNOW THESE ARE HARD TO READ.
THEY SHOULD BE ON YOUR FLYERS AS WELL.
REACH OUT TO OF US, REACH OUT TO US THROUGH ANY OF THOSE AND WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO BE VERY RESPONSIVE TO YOU AND POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UH, SO I'LL LEAVE THAT UP HERE, BUT I WILL ANSWER QUESTIONS.
UM, I WAS LIVING IN CHAPTER THREE EIGHT, TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, WHICH ALLOWS MUNICIPALITY TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS, MUNICIPAL BUDGET FOR ECONOMIC STIMULUS TO BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.
SO I WENT TO THE WEBSITE, SAW THE MAYOR HAS THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ON THE WEBSITE.
HOWEVER, WHEN I LOOKED IN THE BACK, I DIDN'T SEE ANY SINGLE DEPARTMENT FOR THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND IT WAS SLIDE.
I DIDN'T SEE ANY OF THE DEPARTMENTS, THIS, THIS, UH, DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
I'VE HEARD TALK ABOUT QUESTION AS DOES IT ACTUALLY EXISTS, WHERE IS IT? WHAT CAN WE FIND? WHERE IS IT ANYWHERE? THE BUDGET, UM, THE COMMUNITY NEED THIS CITY, STIMULUS LIVING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
IF THERE'S A WAY TO DO IT, WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT TO ACCESS.
UH, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DOES EXIST.
UH, IT'S WITHIN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, AND SO THAT'S WHERE YOU WOULD FIND IT IN THE BUDGET.
SO YOU MENTIONED THESE THREE 80 AGREEMENTS.
UH, NORMALLY THOSE ARE BASICALLY TAX BREAKS, JUST TO TRY TO KEEP IT AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE.
YOU GIVE A BUSINESS OR A DEVELOPER A TAX BREAK IN ORDER TO INCENTIVIZE THEM TO GO AND INVEST, UH, IN A, IN A PARTICULAR AREA.
UM, BUT THOSE THREE EIGHTIES, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, MELISSA, UH, DON'T NECESSARILY SHOW UP IN THE BUDGET.
IT'S JUST REVENUE THAT IS NOT THERE, UH, BECAUSE THEY DON'T PAY THE, THE, THE TAX.
THEY MAY PAY, PAY SOME TAXES, BUT THEY MAY NOT PAY THE FULL, YOU KNOW, TAX BILL BECAUSE OF THE INCENTIVE THAT THEY HAVE.
UM, BUT THE, THE BUDGET FOR THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS VERY SMALL.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A, A COUPLE OR A FEW PEOPLE TOTAL.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THEIR JOB IS TO EVALUATE THESE POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SORT OF MAKE DEALS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY.
IF THAT, IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE TO YOU, UH, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION, UH, ONLINE, UH, BY AGAIN, GOOGLING THAT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE DONE SOME VERSION OF THAT ALREADY.
IF YOU WILL EMAIL ME, UH, AT CONTROLLER HOUSTON TX.GOV, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE, THE PROPER CONTACT INFORMATION, UH, FOR THAT, UH, DEPARTMENT.
LAST QUESTION, IS THAT BY POLICY, OR IS THAT REGULATED BY SOME STATE LAW MAKES THAT BUDGET SO SMALL? UH, WELL, THE BUDGET FOR THE OFFICE IS, IS THE DECISION OF THE, THE CITY.
SO IT'S IN, IT'S IN THIS BUDGET AND THERE'S NO RULE ABOUT HOW BIG OR HOW SMALL IT HAS TO BE.
UM, WHAT WE CAN DO IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC INCENTIVES THROUGH, THROUGH THESE THREE 80 AGREEMENTS, THAT IS PART OF STATE LAW.
STATE LAW IS WHAT ALLOWS US TO OFFER THOSE KINDS OF DEALS OR BREAKS OR INCENTIVES TO, TO BUSINESSES.
UH, I'M GONNA, WE HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS SUBMITTED.
I'M GONNA READ THESE REAL QUICK AND ANSWER 'EM, THEN OF COURSE WE'LL COME BACK.
UM, WE MIGHT HAVE COVERED THIS ALREADY.
WITH SO MUCH OF THE BUDGET GOING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, HOW ARE OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS GOING TO BE FUNDED? WILL THE CITY HAVE TO RAISE TAXES? UM, WE, WE COVERED, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON ALREADY? SO THE, THE, THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS ABOUT $3 BILLION.
UM, THE BIGGEST ONES ARE POLICE AND FIRE.
THE NEXT BIGGEST CHUNK OF THAT IS DEBT SERVICE.
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UH, TRASH PICKUP, PARKS, UM, AND PUBLIC HEALTH.UH, THAT IS ALL IN THE BUDGET.
HOW ARE WE PAYING FOR IT? WE'RE PAYING FOR IT MOSTLY WITH PROPERTY TAX AND WITH SALES TAX.
UH, WE'RE PAYING FOR OUR ESTIMATE, ABOUT 130 MILLION OF THAT.
UH, WE DEFICIT SPENDING, WHICH IS SPENDING DOWN, UH, OUR GENERAL FUND WILL WE HAVE TO RAISE TAXES? UH, THE TAX RATE WILL BE SET LATER IN THE FALL.
UM, THE MAYOR HAS SAID THAT TAXES AND FEES WILL NOT BE, UH, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL TAXES AND FEES WILL NOT BE PART OF THIS.
OUR MATH IMPLIES THAT THERE PROBABLY WILL NEED TO BE, UM, A TAX INCREASE FOR US TO HIT WHAT'S CALLED THE, THE CITY REVENUE CAP.
UM, BUT THAT WILL BE DONE IN AUGUST.
AND SO WE'LL SORT OF WAIT, UH, TO SEE.
NEXT QUESTION, WHERE ARE OUR TAX DOLLARS GOING FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOODS? OUR STREETS NEED TO BE, OH, SORRY.
OUR STREETS NEED TO BE REPAIRED AND OUR STREET LIGHTS NEED TO BE RESTORED OR REPLACED.
THE CITY PUT SPEED BUMPS DOWN TO SLOW TRAFFIC, BUT DIDN'T FIX, UH, THE STREETS.
SO, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE WORK IS DONE THROUGH OUR PUBLIC WORKS, UH, DEPARTMENT.
UH, A LOT OF THAT, UM, SOME OF THAT IS ROADS AND DRAINAGE CAN BE DONE THROUGH, UH, THE DEDICATED DRAINAGE AND STREET RENEWAL FUNDS, UH, WHICH YOUR GENERAL FUND TAX DOLLARS, UH, DO GO TO.
UM, THERE ARE ALSO OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO, AGAIN, TO ISSUE DEBT, TO PAY FOR LARGER PROJECTS.
UM, BUT THERE ARE, THERE ARE DEDICATED FUNDS FOR PUBLIC WORKS, UH, AND THAT, AND SOME OF THAT SHOWS UP IN YOUR GENERAL FUND AND SOME OF THAT SHOWS UP IN, UH, ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT, HEY, WHY IS NOT ENOUGH BEING DONE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD? THAT'S A CONVERSATION TO HAVE WITH YOUR MEMBER OF CITY COUNCIL, RIGHT? THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD EXPRESS, UM, AT THE PUBLIC HEARING, UM, TO SAY, LOOK, WE, WE, WE HAVE THESE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS BUDGET THAT PROPOSES IT.
WE ARE NOT SEEING THE IMPACT THAT WE WANNA SEE.
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THAT? AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE OTHER SLIDE, TRY TO BE SOLUTION ORIENTED.
TRY TO DRAW THE PICTURE OF HOW THIS REALLY IMPACTS YOUR COMMUNITY AND, UM, AND, UH, TO CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH.
BUT AGAIN, THIS IS HOW DEMOCRACY WORKS.
YOU HAVE ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO ARE THERE TO DO THIS FOR YOU.
UH, YOUR JOB AFTER YOU ELECT THEM IS TO PUT POSITIVE PRESSURE ON THEM TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND DO WHAT YOU BELIEVE REPRESENTS YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY.
AND THEN IF THEY DO IT, YOU CAN PUT 'EM BACK IN OFFICE.
IF THEY DON'T DO IT, YOU CAN TRY TO PUT SOMEBODY ELSE IN OFFICE.
UM, THAT'S KIND OF HOW THIS WORKS.
AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE, THE PRESSURE PART OF THAT, THE ADVOCACY PART OF THAT.
AND TOMORROW YOU HAVE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, UM, TO GO AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD, UM, DOWNTOWN AT THE PUBLIC HEARING.
IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO MAKE THAT, AGAIN, EMAIL AND CALL YOUR MEMBERS TO THE COUNCIL.
UH, EMAIL OR CALL THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO EXPRESS YOUR VIEWPOINTS AND MAKE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
ALRIGHT, NOW WE'LL COME BACK TO Y'ALL'S QUESTIONS.
I'LL START HERE AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T? UM, THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION.
SO, UH, SO THE BUDGET FROM THE WAY IT'S BEEN DESCRIBED TO ME BY THE CITY'S LAWYERS, THE BUDGET IS A POLICY DOCUMENT THAT REFLECTS THE INTENTIONS OF THE CITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, NO MONEY EXCHANGES HANDS WHEN THEY PASS THE BUDGET.
UM, BUT LATER ON THERE WILL BE AN APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS THAT'S ACTUALLY PUTTING MONEY, UH, INTO VARIOUS FUNDS AND, AND ALLOWING FOR SPENDING OF THAT MONEY.
UM, WE HAVE TO CERTIFY EVERY PIECE OF THAT.
UH, IF WE DON'T DO IT, THEN THE MONEY DOESN'T GET APPROPRIATED AND DOESN'T GET SPENT.
UM, AGAIN, WHEN WE ARE CERTIFYING THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS, WE'RE NOT SAYING, DO WE AGREE WITH THE SPENDING? DO WE NOT AGREE WITH THE SPENDING? WE'RE SAYING WE HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS BILL EVENTUALLY, OR WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY.
AND SO THAT'S THE LINE THAT WE DRAW.
I COULD DISAGREE WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF IN HERE, BUT IF WE HAD THE MONEY TO PAY FOR IT, WE WOULD CERTIFY.
UH, IF WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR IT, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO IT ANYWAY.
RIGHT? AND SO MY JOB IS SIMPLY TO TELL CITY COUNCIL THAT, HEY, THERE'S NO MONEY TO DO WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO HERE, SO WE NEED TO HAVE ANOTHER CONVERSATION.
SO I WANT TO PIGGY BACK OFF THIS QUESTION, I GUESS TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE CLARITY, UH, COUNTY LEVEL QUARTER TWO AND
SO THEY ASKED ABOUT ON THE STATE OR FEDERAL LEVEL, CAN THEY GET A GRANT LIKE THAT? LIKE I, I WOULD INTRODUCED OFF JAIL CITY COUNCIL.
SO WE EITHER HAVE TO GO TO CONGRESS OR GO TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
THE STATE LEGISLATURE MEETS EVERY TWO YEARS.
[01:05:01]
WRAPPING UP THAT SESSION RIGHT NOW.SO WE'VE ALREADY MISSED THAT OPPORTUNITY UNTIL, UH, JANUARY OF 2027, RIGHT? SO WE GOTTA, YOU GOTTA KIND OF BE ON THE BALL.
UM, BUT THERE ARE TIMES THAT ARE MORE HELPFUL TO GET IN FRONT OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S CALLING THEIR OFFICE WRITING TO THEIR OFFICES.
UH, SOME PEOPLE GO TO DC TO PHYSICALLY TRY TO TALK TO THEM OR, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES TALKING TO THEM WHEN THEY'RE BACK HOME.
UH, BUT THE CITY HAS, HAS BASICALLY LOBBYISTS, THE CITY HAS REPRESENTATION IN AUSTIN AND IN DC TO TRY AND PUSH OUR, OUR BEST INTEREST.
AND WE, THAT'S PART OF THE BUDGET.
AGAIN, THERE'S A QUESTION, SHOULD WE SPEND MORE MONEY ON THAT? SHOULD WE SPEND LESS MONEY ON THAT? THAT'S A POLICY DECISION THAT YOU COULD HAVE AN OPINION ON.
AND THAT, OF COURSE, THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL PROBABLY HAVE AN OPINION ON.
BUT IF WE WANTED TO DO MORE TO TRY TO BRING MORE DOLLARS HOME, NORMALLY YOU WOULD INVEST MORE, UM, IN THOSE TYPES OF OPERATIONS.
AND YOU HEAR ABOUT IT ON THE NEWS WHEN YOU SAY, OH, BIG PHARMA HAS ALL THESE LOBBYISTS OR BIG WHATEVER, BIG OIL HAS ALL THESE LOBBYISTS.
THEY KNOW THAT IF THEY SPEND MONEY ON INVESTING IN THOSE RELATIONSHIPS, UH, AND MAKING THEIR CASE TO LAWMAKERS THAT THEY HAVE A HIGHER CHANCE OF GETTING WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.
AND, AND CITIES FOR NOW, CITIES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE SAME THING.
UH, I'M GONNA ASK, GET YOUR QUESTION AND THEN Y'ALL HAVE BEEN QUIET.
I'M GONNA TAKE ONE LAST QUESTION FROM ON THIS SIDE AND THEN WE'LL WRAP UP.
BUT WE KNOW THE WALL STREET HAS CONTRACTORS AND BUILDING COMING INTO THE BUILDING.
NOW I KNOW THEY CAN TAX, BUT ARE THEY REQUIRED TO DO SOME OF THIS STRUCTURAL? THEY BUILD A BUILDING AND NOW YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE ADDITIONAL PIPES AND ELECTRICITY AND ALL THAT.
DOES THE CITY ITSELF OR THE STATE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ENTICE THEM TO, TO PAY YOU AREAS THAT HAVE REPLACE STRUCTURAL DAMAGES BEING DONE OR TO UPGRADE IT TO SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE, THE VAST AND BUILDING THAT BEING PUT INTO THE MAIN? UH, YEAH.
SO THE CITY HAS A PERMITTING OFFICE, AND THAT'S WHERE ALL THIS FLOWS THROUGH.
UH, IF YOU'RE TRYING TO BUILD A BIG APARTMENT BUILDING, OR IF YOU'RE TRYING TO BUILD YOUR OWN HOME OR BUILD, YOU KNOW, A SMALL BUILDING FOR YOUR BUSINESS, UM, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PERMITTING OFFICE TO GET THOSE PLANS APPROVED.
UH, THOSE, THOSE POLICIES, THOSE CODES GET UPDATED EVERY FEW YEARS.
MORE RECENTLY, RULES HAVE BEEN PUT IN THAT SAY, LOOK, HOUSTON FLOODS A LOT, AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN BUILDING HAVEN'T BEEN DOING ENOUGH TO RETAIN WATER, AND SO THEY'RE CAUSING FLOODING FOR OTHER PEOPLE.
AND SO NOW THERE ARE NEW RETENTION AND DETENTION POLICIES THAT SAY, IF YOU'RE GONNA BUILD ON A BIG PLOT OF LAND, YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY BUILD A, A RESERVOIR FOR WATER TO GO INTO, UH, WHEN IT RAINS.
SO THAT'S ONE EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
NO, THE BUILDER THEMSELVES HAVE TO DO THAT AND, AND INCUR THAT COST.
UH, NOW, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE TEARING UP A ROAD AS THEY DRIVE DOWN IT WITH THEIR 18 WHEELERS OR SOMETHING, PROBABLY THAT PROBABLY DOESN'T EXIST.
AND AGAIN, YOU COULD ARGUE THAT, THAT MAYBE IT SHOULD, AND THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD SUGGEST TO, TO A POLICYMAKER, WHICH IS YOUR, YOUR MAYOR, UH, AND YOUR CITY COUNCIL.
BUT THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CITY SEEKS TO OVER TIME CONTINUE TO UPGRADE ITS CODES.
WE DON'T WANT THE BUILDING TO FALL DOWN.
WE DON'T WANT THE BUILDING TO CATCH ON FIRE.
UH, BUT ALSO TO THINK ABOUT THE IMPACTS THAT IT, THAT IT HAS ON ITS NEIGHBORS.
BUT THERE ARE ALSO, UH, THERE ARE ALWAYS ROOM, UH, FOR IMPROVEMENT.
DO WE HAVE ANYBODY OVER HERE? UH, UM, YES SIR.
WHAT ARE THE PENSION FUND OBLIGATIONS FIT INTO THOSE PROJECTED BUDGET ITEMS THAT YOU'VE SHOWN? WHETHER IT'S INCREASE OR DECREASE, HOW IS IT BEING PAID IN THIS UPCOMING BUDGET? YEAH, SO PENSION FUND CONTRIBUTIONS ARE IN THIS GENERAL FUND BUDGET, AND WE DID HAVE A LINE OF THAT IN, UM, IN, UH, ONE OF THE PAGES.
SO, UM, THAT MONEY IS, IS IN THE BUDGET AND THAT CHECK IS CUT OVER TO THE INDIVIDUAL PENSIONS, WHETHER IT'S POLICE, FIRE, OR MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES.
UM, AND THEN THEY, THOSE PENSION BOARDS INVEST THAT MONEY OVER TIME, TRY TO GET A RETURN THAT ULTIMATELY FUNDS PENSION PAYMENTS TO OUR RETIREES.
UM, NOW WHAT WE DEALT WITH SEVERAL YEARS AGO WAS THAT THOSE PENSION FUNDS WERE MASSIVELY UNDERFUNDED.
UH, THE CITY WORKED, AND THIS WAS MAYOR TURNER AND CONTROLLER BROWN.
MY PREDECESSOR WORKED ALONGSIDE THOSE UNIONS AND THOSE PENSION FUNDS TO MAKE SOME TOUGH CHOICES.
THAT BROUGHT OUR UNFUNDED LIABILITY FROM OVER $8 BILLION DOWN TO LESS THAN $2 BILLION.
UH, IT'S STILL HOVERING AROUND $2 BILLION
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AND WE CONTINUE TO MAKE PAYMENTS INTO THOSE PENSION FUNDS.UH, WE ARE HAVING SOME CHALLENGES, I WOULD SAY, IN MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE FUNDING, UH, WHAT'S CALLED OPEP.
UH, THESE ARE OTHER BENEFITS FOR RETIREES LIKE THEIR HEALTHCARE.
UH, WE HAVE TO DO MORE TO, TO FUND THAT LIABILITY BECAUSE AT SOME POINT IT'S GONNA REAR ITS HEAD AND BE A CHALLENGE FOR US.
UH, BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, MOST SIMPLY, THOSE MONIES FLOW FROM THE GENERAL FUND AS WELL.
AND THE CITY AND IN THE BUDGET MAKES CHOICES ABOUT HOW MUCH TO PUT INTO THOSE PENSION FUNDS, AS WELL AS HOW MUCH TO INVEST, UM, IN OUR, OUR OPEP OUR OTHER, UH, BENEFITS AND, AND, UH, AND COST FOR RETIREES.
UM, AS WE WRAP UP, I JUST WANT TO, UM, MAKE TWO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
UH, WE HAVE MS. MELISSA DEBOWSKI WITH US.
SHE'S THE FINANCE DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UH, HER TEAM WORKS INCREDIBLY HARD, UH, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
UH, THEY ARE PARTNERS WITH THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE IN DOING THIS.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENCE TONIGHT.
UH, UH, AND THEN WE HAVE A FRIEND OF MINE WHO'S A RETIREE, BUT THE FORMER CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER OF METRO, UH, R SMILEY IS HERE.
AND I WANNA RECOGNIZE HIM AND THANK HIM FOR HIS VIEW OF SERVICE, UM, AS WELL.
AGAIN, OH, THE SCREEN'S GONE, BUT WE HAVE OUR CONTACT INFORMATION AVAILABLE.
UM, I AM NOT RUNNING OUTTA HERE.
IF YOU HAVE FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS, I'M HERE FOR A MOMENT, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE MY CONTACT INFORMATION AND I WANNA REMAIN IN TOUCH WITH YOU AND, AND KEEP THIS CONVERSATION GOING.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR CARING ENOUGH ABOUT THIS FUTURE OF THIS CITY, UH, TO BE HERE TONIGHT, TO ASK THESE QUESTIONS, TO LISTEN AND TO LEARN.
UH, AND SO I'M VERY, VERY GRATEFUL TO YOU.
WE'RE ALSO VERY, VERY GRATEFUL TO THE AGRI HOMES COMMUNITY ADVOCACY GROUP AND SO RAIN IS GONNA CLOSE US OUT WITH A COUPLE WORDS.
LET'S GIVE IT UP ON WHAT TIME FOR IT INITIATIVES LIKE THESE THAT WE REALLY, UH, APPRECIATE AS THE COMMUNITY, AS THE ADVOCACY GROUP.
'CAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE HEALTHY AND HURT.
AND SO WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR EVERYBODY TAKING THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN THIS PROCESS.
BUT I WANNA ACTUALLY STRETCH YOU ALL A LITTLE BIT FURTHER BEYOND THE FACT.
SO AS OUR CONTROLLER MENTIONED, THERE ARE, THERE ARE WAYS FOR YOU TO ENGAGE IN THIS PROCESS.
IT'S NOT TOO LATE AND IT'S NOT TOO STRENUOUS.
WAY NUMBER ONE IS THAT IF YOU DO HAVE THE POSSIBILITY AND THE AVAILABILITY, YOU CAN ACTUALLY ATTEND THE PUBLIC HEARING TOMORROW AT CITY HALL.
AND IF YOU HAVE THE SPACE IN TIME TO DO SO, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TAKE THESE NOTES FROM TONIGHT'S MEETING AND MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.
IT IS AN IMPACTFUL TRIP BECAUSE EVERY VOICE COUNTS.
IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND THAT PUBLIC HEARING, I ENCOURAGE YOU, I'M ASSUMING
SO AS A, UH, PREVIOUS MEMBER OF THE DISTRICT B OFFICE, I WANT YOU TO CALL THEIR OFFICE AT EIGHT THREE TWO NINE THREE ZERO NINE.
SO THAT WAY YOU CAN MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD TO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER AND LET THEM KNOW HOW YOU WANT YOUR BUDGET TO BE SPENT.
AND I WANT YOU TO BE CREATIVE IN HOW YOU BRING, UH, SUGGESTIONS TO THEIR OFFICE.
NO SUGGESTION IS TOO SMALL, NO SUGGESTION IS TOO.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY TAKING PART IN HOW WE SHOULD OUR CITY TO BETTER SERVE US.
LASTLY, I WANT YOU ALL TO BE STRETCHED TO ENGAGE BEYOND THIS MOMENT BECAUSE THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR CITY, IN OUR STATE, AND IN OUR COUNTRY THAT WE ALL CAN BE ACTIVE IN.
AND I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THERE WAS A NEW ACT THAT WAS JUST RELEASED, NOT SPONSORED AT ALL, UNFORTUNATELY, BUT THERE WAS A NEW ACT THAT WAS JUST RELEASED RECENTLY.
THAT'LL ACTUALLY HELP YOU FIND YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, FIND INFORMATION ABOUT SOME OF THE BILLS THAT ARE
SO IF EVERYBODY COULD DO ME THE BIGGEST FAVOR AND, UH, DOWNLOAD AN APP CALLED FUND HALS THE NUMBER FIVE LLS, THIS APP IS COMPLETELY FREE AND IT ALLOWS YOU TO FIGHT ALL THE BILLS THAT ARE DIRECTLY AFFECTING YOUR COMMUNITY ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
AND IT'LL ALSO PUT YOU IN CONTACT WITH YOUR STATE, WITH YOUR STATE, WITH YOUR, UH, FEDERAL SENATORS.
SO FOR US IN TEXAS, IT'S THE WONDERFUL JOHN CO WONDERFUL T CRUZ YES,
SO MAKE SURE YOU TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE AND MAKE YOUR VOICE BE HEARD.
THESE WILL NOT BE THE ONLY INITIATIVES THAT HAPPEN THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR.
AS YOU ALL KNOW, CD 18 IS OPEN AND IN IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS.
SO STAY ENGAGED, FIND WAYS TO GET INVOLVED.
MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO, YOU STILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REGISTER BEFORE THIS UPCOMING ELECTION.
AND IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IN THE
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ACRES HOMES COMMUNITY, I ONE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT EVERYBODY COMES TO OUR SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING EVERY THIRD THURSDAY OF THE MONTH AT 6:00 PM RIGHT AT 6:00 PM AND IF YOU WANT TO GET EVEN DEEPER, JOIN US AS A NEIGHBOR THROUGH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT WHAT'S GOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.WE HAVE A QR CODE ON THE BIG POSTER BY THE FRONT DOOR.
PLEASE YOUR SCAN THAT QR CODE.
SO YOU PLUG INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND RESOURCES.
UH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
I'VE HEARD A LOT OF GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE
PLEASE TABLE AND I HOPE YOU ALL COME SAFE EVEN.