* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:07] COUNCIL, [PRESENTATIONS] PLEASE COME TO ORDER. I'M GONNA ASK THE MAYOR PROTE TO RESIDE. WHILE WE RECOGNIZE OUR FRIENDS AND GUESTS, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ FOR A PROCLAMATION TO RECOGNIZE LETICIA GARY SIMMONS, THE OWNER AND DESIGNER OF BILLY BOSE, ET CETERA. THIS DAMN THING AS, AS LETICIA COMES UP, I JUST WANNA, UH, MAKE SURE FOLKS KNOW. SO MONTH, THE MONTH OF MAY IS NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS MONTH, AND IT HIGHLIGHTS, UH, CONTRIBUTIONS ON SMALL BUSINESSES. AND TODAY, UM, I'M PROUD TO RECOGNIZE ONE OF OUR OWN LETICIA GURAY SIMMONS, BORN AND RAISED IN EAST END IN DISTRICT. I THANK YOU. AND LET SO LETICIA'S CREATIVITY, UH, STARTED IN THE EAST END. SHE BEGAN MAKING CORONAS, WHICH IS, WHICH SHE'S WEARING RIGHT NOW ON HER, ON HER HEAD FOR HER DAUGHTER, AND SEEING THE CONFIDENCE AND JOY THAT IT BROUGHT HER DAUGHTER. SHE KNEW THIS WAS BIGGER THAN JUST ART, SO SHE FOUND IT. BILLY BOW, ET CETERA. MOST PEOPLE KNOW HER AS THE CORONA LADY. LETICIA SHOWS UP FOR HER COMMUNITY FROM, AS A MEMBER OF LULAC COUNCIL 60, SHE VOLUNTEERS WITH THE HOUSTON EASTERN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND SUPPORTS EVENTS ACROSS DISTRICT. I SHE DOESN'T JUST CREATE SHE UPLIFTS. AND SO, WHEREAS LETICIA DESIGNS CUSTOM CORONAS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS AND FOR WOMEN FACING DEPRESSION, CHEMOTHERAPY, OR CANCER REMISSION EACH CHRISTMAS, SHE DONATES 50 CORITA TO ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS HOUSTON, INCLUDING TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, THE RONALD MCDON MCDONALD HOUSE, LATINA NUTCRACKER MARKET, THE SEGUNDO BARRIO CHILDREN'S CHOIR, AND MAKE-A-WISH, MAKE-A-WISH RECIPIENTS SPREADING JOY AND AFFIRMING THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE BEAUTIFUL REGARDLESS OF HAIR SIZE OR SKIN TONE. AND WHEREAS AS SHE IS HONORED AT HOUSTON CITY HALL, CITY HALL IN THE PRESENCE OF COMMUNITY THE COM, THE CITY OF HOUSTON PROUDLY RECOGNIZES LETICIA GURE SIMMONS FOR HER CREATIVITY, HER BEAUTIFUL RNAS, AND HER DEDICATION TO EMPOWERING GIRLS AND WOMEN THROUGHOUT OUR BELOVED CITY. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ FOR GIVING US THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK YOU PUBLICLY FOR BRINGING SO MUCH JOY TO SO MANY THANK YOU. YOU'RE VERY SPECIAL AND YOU'RE ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHY WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT CITY THAT YOU WOULD ON YOUR OWN START SPREADING SO MUCH LOVE AND JOY. SO IT'S MY PRIVILEGE AS THEREFORE I, JOHN WHITMEYER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROCLAIM MAY 5TH, 2026 IS LETICIA GARY SIMMONS DAY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. CONGRATULATIONS. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. REAL QUICK BEFORE SHE STARTS, IF I CAN HAVE HER MOM AND DAD PLEASE COME UP. SURE. OUR FAMILY AS WELL. FAMILY. YOU, MIKE, TAKE A PICTURE RIGHT HERE. RIGHT HERE. OKAY. GO AHEAD. HOW ARE YOU? YES, SIR. YES, GO AHEAD. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. I'M SORRY I'M GONNA FACE THIS WAY 'CAUSE I'M TALKING INTO THE MIC. UH, FIRST I WANNA THANK GOD FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE TODAY. UH, I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT ARE HERE WITH ME AND, UM, JUST DURING MY SPECIAL MOMENT, UH, YOU LOVE ME SO MUCH TO ME. THANK YOU. AND, UM, I'M TRULY HONORED TO RECEIVE THIS PROCLAMATION FROM THE BEST CITY IN THE WORLD. UH, MY HOUSTON, OF COURSE, ALONGSIDE COUNCILMAN, UH, QUIN MARTINEZ. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND MR. WHITMEYER OVER HERE. AND THEN, UH, OVER THE YEARS I'VE BEEN BLESSED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE MY COMMUNITY THROUGH VOLUNTEERING. UM, THROUGH THOSE EXPERIENCES, I'VE MET SO MANY INSPIRING PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED SHARE, UH, SHAPED MY JOURNEY AND SUPPORTED ME AS I CONTINUE TO GROW MY SMALL BUSINESS, WHICH IS, WHICH IS THE BILLY BOWES, ET CETERA. I AM INCREDIBLY THANKFUL FOR EVERY OPPORTUNITY I'VE BEEN GIVEN. I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING WITH ORGANIZATIONS AS LAC EASTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, UH, NAVA SHOES AND HOODIES FOR HEALING, UH, VOLUNTEERING MY TIME WITH [00:05:01] ALL OF THEM. UM, GIVING BACK IS SOMETHING THAT IS TRULY PART OF WHO I AM. I'VE DONATED TO TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AND, UH, RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE, SEGUNDO BARRIO CHILDREN'S CHOIR AND MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION ALONGSIDE MANY OTHERS. BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND GIVE BACK TO MY COMMUNITY MEANS THE WORLD TO ME. UM, I PLAN TO CONTINUE THIS WORK AND BUILD STRONGER, BUILD A STRONGER HOUSTON, A CITY THAT LOVES THAT EVERYONE LOVES TO COME TO AND SUPPORT. AND, UM, TO MY SON SOPHIA, MY SON, COREY, SOPHIA, AND RAY, WHICH IS NOT HERE RIGHT NOW, AND MY MOM AND MY DAD AND ALL MY FAMILY THAT'S HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING AND ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND HOUSTON. NEXT, THE COUNCIL, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ FOR A PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING COMPASSIONATE HOUSTON'S 15TH ANNIVERSARY. THANK YOU MAYOR PRO TEM, AND THANK YOU MAYOR WHITMEYER FOR ISSUING THIS PROCLAMATION. IT'S MY PRIVILEGE TO HELP RECOGNIZE AN ORGANIZATION CALLED COMPASSIONATE HOUSTON, WHICH FOR 15 YEARS HAS BEEN A NETWORK OF VARIOUS GROUPS, RELIGIOUS GROUPS, UH, NON-PROFIT CENTERS HERE IN HOUSTON, AND JUST PEOPLE COMMITTED TO MAKING HOUSTON A MORE COMPASSIONATE PLACE. THIS YEAR, COMPASSIONATE HOUSTON IS CELEBRATING ITS 15TH ANNIVERSARY, AND WE HAVE WITH US SEVERAL OFFICIALS FROM COMPASSIONATE HOUSTON. I'D INVITE THEM TO COME UP AT THIS TIME. HOW ARE YOU? SO MAYOR, COMPASSIONATE HOUSTON WAS FOUNDED ON FEBRUARY 2ND, 2011, AS I SAID, BY INDIVIDUALS INSPIRED BY THE PRINCIPLES OF THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION AND COMMITTED TO ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL HOUSTONIANS, UM, THROUGH COMMUNITY FOCUSED OUTREACH, INCLUDING THEIR COMPASSION WEEK, WHICH WILL BE LATER THIS YEAR. THEY FEATURE WORKSHOPS AND EXPERIENTIAL EVENTS. THEY HOST INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SPEAKERS AND INITIATIVES, AND IN FACT, THEY'LL HAVE A LUNCHEON, UH, JUST IN A COUPLE WEEKS HERE ON MAY THE 20TH, IS IT? YES. AT THE JUNIOR LEAGUE, UH, TO, TO, TO FORWARD, UH, WHAT THEY DO AND SUPPORT THEIR EFFORTS. UM, THEY FEATURE ANOTHER INITIATIVE CALLED COMPASSION THROUGH THE ARTS, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS ARTISTS AND THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF CREATIVE ARTS IN BUILDING COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITIES. AND, UH, THEY HAVE RECEIVED RECOGNITION FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS. MAYOR IN 2013, MAYOR PARKER FIRST RECOGNIZED HOUSTON AS A COMPASSIONATE CITY, AND THEN A COUPLE YEARS LATER, MAYOR TURNER, UH, ISSUED THE SAME DESIGNATION. UH, SO, SO TODAY, OR TODAY, MAYOR IN CELEBRATION OF THEIR 15TH ANNIVERSARY, UH, WE'RE HOPING THAT YOU WILL REAFFIRM THE DILIGENT WORK THAT THEY DO AND THEIR MEMBERS DO, AND HONOR THEM FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR PROMOTING A COMMUNITY THAT NURTURES EMPOWERMENT, UNDERSTANDING, COLLABORATION, UNITY, AND GOODWILL. THANK YOU FOR SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT COMPASSIONATE HOUSTON. AND THIS CHAMBER IS FULL OF COMPASSIONATE HOUSTONIANS, SO YOUR WORK IS [00:10:01] PAYING OFF, PAYING OFF. AND I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHAT A COMPASSIONATE CITY IS LED BY YOUR ORGANIZATION. IN FACT, I MEET WITH FIFA SOCCER DELEGATIONS, AND I ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET INTO ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES TO SEE OUR DIVERSITY, OUR CULTURES, AND I TELL THEM WHEN THEY LEAVE, I WANT 'EM TO BE ABLE TO SAY, HOUSTON'S THE FRIENDLIEST CITY, THE MOST COMPASSIONATE CITY THAT'S EVER VISITED. AND IT'S WORKING. THANK YOU. THEREFORE, I, JOHN WHITMER, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, HEREBY PROCLAIM MAY 5TH, 2026 IS COMPASSIONATE DAY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND I WILL INVITE PAMELA LEWIS TO OFFER SOME REMARKS AT THIS TIME. SURE. THANK YOU. MAYOR WHITMEYER, COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ AND CITY COUNCIL. I'M PAM LEWIS, THE PRESIDENT OF COMPASSIONATE HOUSTON, AND WE ARE HONORED TO BE HERE TODAY. I'M JOINED HERE BY A NUMBER OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS, LEADERS OF OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, AND SUPPORTED, SUPPORTIVE, COMMIT COMMITTED PEOPLE. WE'RE PROUD AND APPRECIATIVE THAT TODAY HAS BEEN NAMED COMPASSIONATE HOUSTON DAY, AND ALSO THAT WE ARE REAFFIRMING HOUSTON IS A COMPASSIONATE CITY FOLLOWING OUR FOUNDING IN 2013, IN 2011, IT WAS IN 2013 THAT HOUSTON FIRST TOOK THE VISIONARY STEP TO AFFIRM ITSELF AS A COMPASSIONATE CITY UNDER THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION. WE HAVE GROWN TO OVER 35 PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS WORKING LIKE ALL OF YOU TO FOSTER INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING, INFORMED EMPATHY WITH ALL CITIZENS, AND A COLLABORATIVE WAY OF FINDING SOLUTIONS TO OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS. THIS PROCLAMATION TODAY IS NOT JUST A LOOK BACK AT THE 15 YEARS IN OUR PAST, BUT REALLY A, A COMMITMENT TO REENGAGING FOR THE FUTURE. AND IT REMINDS US ALL IN THIS VERY LARGE DIVERSE CITY THAT WE SHARE COMMON HUMANITY WITH ONE ANOTHER AND ARE INTERDEPENDENT UPON ONE ANOTHER. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FROM ALL OF US FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO. WE KNOW THAT COMPASSION IS A VALUE AND A MOTIVATION. AND TO MOVE IT INTO ACTION REQUIRES WISE DISCERNMENT, LEADERSHIP THAT'S THOUGHTFUL AND RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE. SO THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF US FOR THIS PROCLAMATION. GOOD. SEE BRO. THANK YOU. YOU GOTTA DO THE BRAVO. NEXT, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES MAYOR WHITMEYER AND HR DIRECTOR JANE CHEEKS FOR A PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE RECOGNITION WEEK AND THE BRAVO AWARD RECIPIENTS. I'M WITH YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR. I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. I AM PLEASED AND VERY PROUD TO BE RECOGNIZING THE 2026 [00:15:02] BRAVO AWARD RECIPIENTS. OUT OF ALL THE AWARDS THE CITY GIVES, THE BRAVO AWARDS ARE AMONGST THE MOST ESTEEM AND IMPORTANT BRAVO AWARDS GO TO CITY EMPLOYEES WHO ARE NOT ONLY OUTSTANDING AT THEIR JOBS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO EXEMPLARY AND INSPIRING MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. FOR THEM, SERVICE COMES NATURALLY AND THEY DON'T STOP. WHEN THEY LEAVE THE OFFICE, THEY CONTINUE TO SERVE THROUGH COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND HELPING THOSE LESS FORTUNATE. TODAY WE WANT TO SHOW OUR GRATITUDE FOR MAKING OUR CITY A BETTER PLACE, NOT ONLY FOR THE GREAT WORK THEY DO FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, BUT FOR EVERYTHING THEY DO FOR THEIR COMMUNITY. HERE ARE THE 2026 BRAVO WINNERS. FIRST FALLON BARRETT. HAR FALLON. FALLON IS THE ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER FOR GENERAL SERVICES DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION MINOR PROJECTS IN-HOUSE DESIGN. THROUGH HER WORK WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS IN COUNTLESS VOLUNTEER HOURS, FALLON HAS BECOME A DRIVING FORCE CONNECTING PEOPLE, BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES, AND ENRICHING OUR CITY. SHE IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY WHERE SHE MENTORS YOUNG WOMEN. SHE'S AN ARCHITECT OF THE COMMUNITY IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. I'LL SAY SOMETHING, WE'VE OKAY. YES, SIR. OUR NEXT PERSON IS SHARON BLALOCK WITH THE HEART FOR THE COMMUNITY. SHARON HAS SPENT MORE THAN TWO DECADES PROVIDING ONE PERSON DRIVING BY GENUINE COMPASSION AND CAN CONFORM TRANSFORM A COMMUNITY. SHE HAS LED YOUNG PEOPLE FOR 26 YEARS AS A DIRECTOR AT THE CRESTMONT PARK CHURCH OF CHRIST. NICE. AND AS VICE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN, I MEAN OF THE HOUSTON AREA YOUTH FOR CHRIST. SHARON JUST DOES NOT WAIT TO BE ASKED. SHE SHOWS UP, ROLLS UP HER SLEEVES, AND GETS TO WORK. NUMBER ONE, FINAL ONE RIGHT HERE. READY? 3, 2, 1. PERFECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. NEXT IS ERICA MANN. WOO. ERICA IS A SYSTEM ACCOUNT THREE FOR THE HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM IN ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE FOR ERICA. CHANGING LIVES MEANS BUILDING BRIDGES THROUGH SIGMA GAU SORORITY AND THE NATIONAL PARALYTIC COUNCIL. ERICA HAS CHAMPIONED YOUTH MENTORSHIP, SOCIETY JUSTICE, ADVOCACY AND SCHOLARSHIPS, ACCESS FOR STUDENTS IN NEED. ERICA DOES, DOES NOT JUST PARTICIPATE. SHE GIVES IT HER EVERYTHING. GOOD? OKAY. ONE MORE RIGHT HERE. 3, 2, 1. THANK YOU. NEXT. RYAN BROMAN [00:20:01] RYAN IS A COMMUNITY OUTREACH COORDINATOR FOR THE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS. RYAN HAS BUILT A CAREER AND A LIFE AROUND OF ONE SINGLE BELIEF THAT EVERYONE DESERVES ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITY AND THAT TAKES INTENTIONAL, SUSTAINED EFFORT TO MAKE IT A REALITY. AS VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD FOR A PRIMEWAY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, RYAN HAS GOVERNED FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS SERVING MORE THAN 50,000 MEMBERS. RYAN DOES NOT WAIT FOR THE COMMUNITY TO COME TO HIM. HE GOES TO THE COMMUNITY AND HE MAKES IT STRONGER EVERY TIME HE DOES. THANK, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT, JOSE SOTO. JOSE IS A STAFF ANALYST WITH THE MUNICIPAL COURSE DEPARTMENT PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE. JOSE MADE A PROMISE WHEN HE LEARNED HE WAS GOING TO BE A FATHER, THAT HIS SON WOULD BE INVOLVED IN SCOUTS BECAUSE OF HOW THEY EXPERIENCE CAN SHAPE AND MOLD YOUNG PEOPLE. AS CLUB MASTER OF PAC 9 26, JOSE HAS BUILT A PROGRAM ROOTED IN CHARACTER, CITIZENSHIP AND COMMUNITY. WHETHER HE'S LEADING SCOUTS THROUGH THE WOODS, COORDINATING A COURT TOUR OR PLANNING COMMUNITY AWARENESS, JOSE SHOWS UP WITH PURPOSE PATIENT AND AN UNSHAKABLE BELIEF THAT INVESTING IN YOUNG PEOPLE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK THERE IS. COUPLE MORE. COUPLE MORE. ONE, ONE, TAKE ONE. RIGHT LEX, BUT ABSOLUTELY NOT LEAST IS OPHELIA BAEZ. COUNCIL SCHEDULER FOR CITY COUNCIL. OFFICE DISTRICT H CECILIA DID NOT CHOOSE A LIFE OF SERVICE. SHE WAS RAISED TO IT. AND FOR MORE THAN 35 YEARS, SHE'S HONORED THAT CALLING WITH A CONSISTENCY AND DEPTH THAT TRU THAT'S TRULY REMARKABLE. WITH THAT SAME DEDICATION AND PROFESSIONALISM IN HER ROLE AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, CECILIA, INSURERS RESIDENTS FEEL HEARD, RESPECTED, AND CONNECTED TO THE SERVICES THEY NEED. SHE DOES NOT JUST SERVE HER COMMUNITY, SHE STRENGTHENS IT. ONE RELATIONSHIP AT A TIME. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK. ALRIGHT. ONE LAST ONE RIGHT HERE. READY? 3, 2, 1. GOT IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU LADIES. I'M JUST DOING THANK YOU. YES. DIRECTOR CHEEKS. UH, BEFORE YOU LEAVE, UH, IS THAT THE ENTIRE COHORT? YES, THAT'S THE ENTIRE COHORT. WE, WE WOULD LIKE TO, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE THE MAYOR AN OPPORTUNITY, BUT ALSO SAY THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNER, PRIORITY TRUST THAT SPONSORED THIS, AND THEN ALSO TO THE HR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK. ABSOLUTELY. LET ME THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. YOUR, YOUR TEAM. THANK YOU. [00:25:04] INDIVIDUALS NOT ABLE TO DO OUR JOB. THANK YOU. THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO NOT ONLY WANT TO RECOGNIZE TODAY, BUT HUNDREDS AND EVEN THOUSANDS ACROSS THE CITY THAT MAKE CITY GOVERNMENT WORK FOR SO MANY. SO THANK YOU. IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE AT CITY HALL. THANK YOU. WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE. OKAY. UH, DIRECTOR CHEEKS. FIRST, LET ME JUST TELL YOU THAT, UM, THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST COHORTS OF BRAVO AWARD WINNERS THAT WE HAVE SEEN. . UH, I DO WANT TO, UM, TAKE A LITTLE POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE AND, UH, LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT FALLON BARRETT IS WORKING TO BECOME A CERTIFIED LICENSED ARCHITECT, AND SHE WILL BE ONE OF LESS THAN 50 BLACK WOMEN ARCHITECTS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, AND SHE'LL BE WORKING FOR THEM. SO I WANTED TO AMPLIFY HER WOMAN POWER, UH, AND CELEBRATE HER AS SHE CONTINUES TO REACH FOR HER DREAMS. BUT WE'VE, WE'VE GOT THIS CALIBER OF LEADERS AND EMPLOYEES HERE AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND WE'RE SO VERY PROUD OF EACH ONE OF YOU. UM, YOU KNOW, IT BROUGHT ME GREAT JOY TO SEE, UH, MR. SANTOS, YOUR, YOUR SON AT THE PODIUM. HE WAS VERY, VERY, UH, EXCITED, UH, ABOUT BEING HERE AT HIS CITY HALL. AND I HOPE THAT HE REMAINS, UH, THAT EXCITED ABOUT CITY GOVERNMENT. AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS THE GOVERNMENT OR MAYBE CAMPING THAT, UH, HAS HIM THAT EXCITING. AND I DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO IS IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM, DIRECTOR MAYOR. THANK Y'ALL FOR THE ANNUAL BRAVO AWARD, UH, CEREMONY. I WANT TO CONGRATULATE ALL OF THE WINNERS, UH, AND IN PARTICULAR, SHOUT OUT SELIA AYA, WHO, UH, SERVES THE DISTRICT H OFFICE IS MY SCHEDULER. SHE HAS SERVED THE CITY FOR OVER 10 YEARS, AND SHE ABSOLUTELY DESERVES THIS RECOGNITION, NOT JUST FOR HER SERVICE TO THE CITY, BUT ALL OF THE SERVICE. SHE'S GIVEN THE COMMUNITY. YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HER CHECKING YOU IN AT A FUNCTION OR VOLUNTEERING AT A GOLF TOURNAMENT. YOU NAME IT, SHE DOES IT ALL. UH, SHE RECEIVED A PRESIDENTIAL AWARD LAST YEAR FOR SERVICE AND VOLUNTEERISM, AND SO SHE ABSOLUTELY DESERVES ALL THESE ACCOLADES. UH, VERY PROUD TO HAVE YOU ON THE TEAM AND GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO, TIM. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, TO FALLON AND CELIA, UH, YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED, BUT I DEFINITELY WANNA REITERATE THOSE. AND SIMILAR TO WHAT THE MAYOR SAID, THE CITY DOESN'T WORK WITHOUT CITY EMPLOYEES. UH, CELIA, I GOT TO WORK WITH YOU, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE TRENCHES FOR ABOUT EIGHT YEARS, ALMOST NINE YEARS. AND SO IT WAS ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH YOU FAT. AND WE'VE BEEN DOING SOME WORK IN GSD AS WELL. I DEFINITELY WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UH, RYAN. UM, WHENEVER WE DO THE OUTREACH AND, YOU KNOW, FOLKS WANNA KNOW HOW THESE PROJECTS ARE GONNA BE ROLLING OUT. UH, RYAN'S BEEN OUT KNOCKING ON DOORS WITH ME DROPPING OFF LEAFLETS SO THAT WAY THE COMMUNITY KNOWS, SO THAT DRAINAGE PROJECTS ARE COMING. YOU KNOW, THESE, THESE DIFFERENT CIP PROJECTS ARE COMING IN. SO I JUST WANT TO LIFT UP BRIAN AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. MM-HMM . AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, JOSE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE WORK THAT HE'S BEEN DOING, UM, FOR CITY EMPLOYEES IN GENERAL. UM, WE ALSO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING, UH, TWO FORMER DISTRICT I COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HE WORKED FOR. UH, WE HAVE FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, NOW SENATOR CAROL ARA, WHO'S HERE. AND THEN OF COURSE FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, JAMES RODRIGUEZ, WHO, WHO JOSE WORKED WITH. AND THEN OF COURSE, FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE RICK NORIEGA, WHO HE ALSO WORKED WITH. SO HE HAS A GOOD, A GOOD, UH, UH, CREW THAT'S HERE. UH, AS JAMES SAID, THE OGS, UH, AT CITY HALL, UM, THAT ARE HERE TO LIFT THEM UP AS WELL. SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU ALL, UH, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO. AND JUST SUPER PROUD TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT I WORK WITH, UH, FINE CITY OF HOUSTON EMPLOYEES AS WELL. CONGRATULATIONS. CONGRATULATIONS TO Y'ALL. AND I THINK THEY WANT TO TAKE A GROUP SHOT OF ALL OF THE BRAVO WINNERS FOR THE COMMUNICATIONS, AND THANK YOU AGAIN TO OUR SPONSORS. [00:30:51] NEXT, WE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL RECOGNITION BY COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY D. THOMAS. UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, AND TO COLLEAGUES AND THOSE THAT ARE IN CHAMBERS IN HONOR OF ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER MONTH. WE HAVE A SPECIAL GROUP IN CHAMBERS WITH US, THE VIETNAMESE AMERICAN CULTURE ASSOCIATION. CAN YOU PLEASE WELCOME IN THE CITY HALL. THIS IS AN ACTIVE AND LIVELY GROUP THAT YOU CAN CONSISTENTLY SEE THEM AT. THE AMY NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER. THEY'RE PART OF OUR SENIORS GROUP AND THEY ARE HERE TODAY DRESSED IN THEIR TRADITIONAL IAI THAT I ALSO HAVE A COUPLE OF THOSE, BUT I AM NOT A UNIFORM TODAY. THOMAS, WILL YOU JUST HANG ON? 'CAUSE I WANNA BE ABLE TO HEAR YOU. LET'S, LET'S LET THEM, LET'S LET THEM WALK OUT BECAUSE I'M EMOTION. OKAY. Y'ALL DON'T WANT TO STAY HERE AND CELEBRATE . Y'ALL DON'T WANT TO HANG OUT WITH THAT. THAT'S OKAY. I GET TO DO IT TWICE. JUST AS NICE. THAT'S OKAY. WELL, MAYBE I SHOULD JUST HAVE BRING UP SO THEY CAN JUST BE STANDING. YEAH, YEAH. BUT I'M GONNA, AND YOU TALKED MM-HMM . DOCTOR, WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE YOUR DELEGATION? WELL, HOLD ON. WELL, YOU WANT, I'M GONNA JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THERE'LL BE IN THE PHOTOSHOP AND THEN WE'LL LOOK BACK. YEAH. WHERE, THANK YOU. OKAY. TAKE A PHOTO. I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BETTER NOW. COUNCIL MEMBER. WE READY? I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BETTER. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR AND COLLEAGUES AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE, ARE WATCHING ONLINE, I'M EXCITED. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR FOR THE PER THE POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE, WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST IN CHAMBERS, THE VIETNAMESE AMERICAN CULTURE ASSOCIATION. CAN YOU PLEASE WELCOME THEM TO THEIR CITY HALL? THANK YOU. THIS IS A LIVELY GROUP, AND ESPECIALLY AS WE CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE A API MONTH HERITAGE MONTH THROUGHOUT THE CITY, IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THEY VISIT THEIR CITY HALL. SO I'M DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE OF THEM LEAVING SOUTHWEST ALEY, TEXAS AND JOINING US TODAY, WE WERE ABLE TO VISIT EARLIER AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME INTO CHAMBERS, MEET MY COLLEAGUES, VISIT WITH THE MAYOR, AND THEN ALSO JUST UNDERSCORE AND PUNCTUATE, UH, THEIR VISIT TODAY. MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILMAN THOMAS AND THANK YOU TO REPRESENTATIVES OF OUR PROUD VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. AND I'VE ASKED MY PLANNING DIRECTOR, THE CITY'S PLANNING DIRECTOR, VERY IMPORTANT FROM THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY. WE HAVE OUR HEALTH DIRECTOR, DR. TRAN, AND THEN CHIEF 10. YEP. CHIEF OF METRO. SO YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND YOUR COMMUNITY IS HELPING EACH DAY MAKE THIS A GREATER CITY. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH YOUR CULTURAL CLOTHING AND YOUR YEAH. EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH THE GREAT CITY OF HOUSTON. YEP. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION, SO THANK YOU. FOR SURE. DR. TRAN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT YEAH. ACROSS THIS CITY, BUT CERTAINLY IN THE A LEAF COMMUNITY. YEAH. IN THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT COMMUNITY. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. RIGHT. WONDERFUL. AND THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR FOR, UH, DR. TRAN WAS WITH US LAST WEEK ON YOUR BEHALF. UM, AS WE, UH, CELEBRATED, WELL, NOT CELEBRATED, BUT WE REMEMBERED BLACK APRIL AND, AND, AND CEL IN CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY. SO IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. AND SHE'S ALWAYS VISIBLE IN REPRESENTING, UH, THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE VALUES OF OUR COMMUNITY. SO NOW WE'RE GONNA TAKE A PHOTO INSIDE THE, WE HAVE ONE COUNCIL MEMBER. RAMEZ, DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT JUST TO THANK YOU TO COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD [00:35:01] AND, UH, JUST WONDERFUL TO HONOR THE VIETNAMESE AMERICAN COMMUNITY, UH, PART OF WHAT MAKES HOUSTON SO SPECIAL. AND I'M JUST GOING AROUND, UH, THRILLED TO SEE YOUR PATRIOTISM ON DISPLAY HERE IN OUR CITY HALL. AND JUST THANK YOU. I HOPE YOU'RE, ENJOY YOUR EXPERIENCE AND THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU BRING TO HOUSTON BOOK. AND THOSE ARE, THAT'S THE 2025 BEAUTY PAGEANT WINNER. AND THIS IS OUR 2026 BEAUTY PAGEANT WINNER. OKAY. GET WITH IT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, [2:00 P.M. - INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] YOU READY FOR THE, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO FOR THE INVOCATION. THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TEM, AND COLLEAGUES. IT IS MY HONOR TO WELCOME PASTOR MINDY ROLL OF ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH TO DELIVER TODAY'S INVOCATION. PASTOR MINDY HAS SERVED AS THE PASTOR OF ZION SINCE 2020 AND IS A PROUD HOUSTON NATIVE NOW BACK SERVING THE COMMUNITY. SHE CALLS HOME, SHE BRINGS A STRONG ACADEMIC AND SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION WITH STUDIES AT TEXAS A AND M UNIVERSITY, YALE DIVINITY SCHOOL, AND A DOCTOR OF MINISTRY FOCUSED ON SPIRITUALITY, LEADERSHIP, AND JUSTICE AT ZION, PASTOR MINDY IS KNOWN FOR FOSTERING A WELCOME SERVICE-ORIENTED CONGREGATION, COMMITTED TO BEING PRESENT FOR THEIR NEIGHBORS IN MEANINGFUL WAYS. PASTOR MINDY, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US TODAY. THANK YOU. IT IS AN HONOR TO BE WITH YOU TODAY TO OFFER THE INVOCATION. BEFORE I DO THAT, I WANTED TO JUST START BY OFFERING MY THANKS, UH, TO YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON BEHALF OF THIS CITY. IT IS NO SMALL THING TO LOVE A CITY AND TO LOVE A CITY AS LARGE AND COMPLEX AS HOUSTON. AND YET YOU SHOW UP EVERY DAY OUT OF LOVE FOR THIS CITY AND OUT OF A COMMITMENT TO THE COMMON GOOD. AND I WANTED ALSO TO THANK THOSE WHO ARE HERE TODAY FOR THE SAME REASON. IT IS NO SMALL THING TO SHOW UP. IT TAKES COURAGE TO STAND AND SPEAK TO CITY COUNCIL. AND SO I COMMEND YOU FOR YOUR COURAGE AND YOUR LOVE OF THIS CITY AS WELL. I ALWAYS TELL OUR CONGREGATION, I AM NOT GONNA TELL YOU EVER WHO TO VOTE FOR, BUT I AM GONNA TELL YOU WHO TO VOTE ON BEHALF OF. AND AS LUTHERANS, WE ALWAYS SAY WE VOTE ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO ARE VULNERABLE, THOSE WHO ARE MARGINALIZED, THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING, THOSE WHO ARE HUNGRY. AND SO WHEN THEY GO TO VOTE, I ASK THEM TO VOTE WITH THOSE SPACES IN MIND. I KNOW THAT THAT IS ALSO WHY YOU SHOW UP ON CITY COUNCIL AND WHY YOU SHOW UP TO SPEAK TO YOUR COUNCIL. SO I AM PLEASED AND HONORED TO OFFER A [00:40:01] BLESSING FOR THE WORK THAT WE DO TOGETHER. LET US PRAY. GOOD AND GRACIOUS GOD, WE GIVE YOU THANKS FOR THIS GATHERING, THIS GATHERING OF FOLKS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO THE COMMON GOOD, TO THE WELFARE OF THIS GREAT CITY. WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD BLESS THIS GATHERING WITH YOUR WISDOM, THAT YOU WOULD OPEN HEARTS AND MINDS, THAT YOU WOULD SOFTEN OUR HEARTS, THAT YOU WOULD LEAD US TO DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF ONE ANOTHER. WHERE THERE IS STRIFE OR CONFLICT, WE ASK THAT YOUR SPIRIT WOULD FILL THAT MIDDLE SPACE. BRINGING US TO RESOLUTION TOGETHER, WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD BLESS EACH SPEAKER WITH WISDOM, THAT YOU WOULD BLESS EACH SPEAKER WITH COURAGE AND DISCERNMENT. WE GIVE YOU THANKS FOR YOUR GREAT CITY OF HOUSTON. FOR YOUR PRESENCE AMONG US, WE ASK THAT YOUR SPIRIT WOULD GUIDE THESE PROCEEDINGS. IN YOUR NAME WE PRAY, AMEN. AMEN. PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVIDUAL WITH LIBERTY. NEXT, WE'LL [ROLL CALL AND ADOPT MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING] MOVE INTO OUR ROLL CALL. MR. SECRETARY, IF YOU WILL, PLEASE CALL THE ROLE MAYOR WHITMEYER. COUNCIL MEMBER PECK HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ. HERE, COUNCIL MEMBER FLICKINGER WILL BE ABSENT. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, HE. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. COUNCIL MEMBER CAST TATUM. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER RAMIREZ. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER. COUNCIL MEMBER SALINAS AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN NITA A NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF APRIL 21ST AND 22ND AND APRIL 28TH AND 29TH. A MOVE MARTINEZ SECOND. THANK YOU. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. NEXT, [PUBLIC SPEAKERS] UH, FOR OUR FIRST PROCEDURAL MOTION, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO ADD DR. ADAM TRAN, KIM VU AND TOBY SUE AT THE TOP OF THE TWO MINUTE AGENDA, NON AGENDA. IS THERE A SECOND OBJECTION. BEEN MOVED IN SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? ITEM CARRIES. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON FOR A PROCEDURAL MOTION. THANK YOU. I, UM, MOVE THE SUSPENDED RULES TO ADD ANGEL CIVIL AT THE TOP OF THE THREE MINUTE NONE AGENDA SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED IN SECOND. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? WAIT. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? IF NO OTHER PROCEDURAL MOTIONS, MR. SECRETARY, UH, WILL YOU CALL THE FIRST SPEAKER? AUDREY NAFF. AUDREY NAFF. AUDREY NA. OH. TO BE FOLLOWED BY ALICE LIU. HELLO, MY NAME'S AUDREY NTH. I LIVE IN MONTROSE AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF ISSUES WITH THE PROPOSED TAX FEE, EXCUSE ME, TRASH FEE THAT I WANTED TO BRING UP. ONE IS THAT WE HOPE THAT THE TRASH FEE, IF IT IS IMPLEMENTED, IS DONE IN TANDEM WITH ENDING THE SUBSIDY OF $6 PER HOUSEHOLD TO THE 47,000 HOUSEHOLDS OR SO THAT ARE CURRENTLY GETTING THE PRIVATE TRASH PICKUP. BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE TO CONTINUE THAT $3 MILLION A YEAR WHILE ALSO DOING A TRASH FEE. AND IN ADDITION, THAT THE TRASH FEE NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A PROGRESSIVE WAY BECAUSE A LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLD SHOULD NOT BE PAYING THE SAME AS, AS A WEALTHY HOUSEHOLD. AND THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE BAKED IN AT THE OUTSET AND NOT KIND OF WITH A HOPE AND A PRAYER ADDED ON LATER. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. ALICE LOU. ALICE LIU. NEXT SPEAKER. DANNY HERNANDEZ. DANNY HERNANDEZ. ALICE. OH, IS ALICE LOU HERE? ALICE IS HERE. OKAY. TO BE FOLLOWED BY DANNY HERNANDEZ. COME ON SIS. HI, MS. LU. GO AHEAD. GOOD AFTERNOON. THIS MORNING, THE MAYOR PRESENTED HIS PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027. HE PRESENTED IT AS SOMETHING TRANSFORMATIONAL THAT WOULD SOLVE LONGSTANDING STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS WITH THE CITY'S BUDGET. UNFORTUNATELY, THOSE OF US PAYING ATTENTION KNOW THAT IT'S MORE OF THE SAME, THE SAME THAT WE SAW LAST YEAR, TAKING RESTRICTED FUNDING FROM DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE AND WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS TO PAY FOR AN EVER BALLOONING POLICE SPENDING. NOW, IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, OVER 60% OF THE GENERAL FUND NOW GOES TOWARDS POLICE SPENDING. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE DEFICIT IS BECAUSE OF THE POLICE RAISE THAT WAS PASSED LAST YEAR, FULLY [00:45:01] $122 MILLION. AND TO PAPER OVER THESE HOLES IN THE BUDGET, $104 MILLION IS GOING TO BE TAKEN FROM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THE POOREST FAMILIES IN HOUSTON WILL NOW FACE AN ADDITIONAL BURDEN OF A $5 MONTHLY TRASH FEE WITH NO EQUITY OR AFFORDABILITY PROVISIONS. THIS IS NOT A PEOPLE'S BUDGET. I WANNA ASK ONE QUESTION. ARE YOU FOR OR AGAINST LEAD IN OUR DRINKING WATER, YOUR WATER TIME, WHAT'S EXPIRED? IF YOU'RE AGAINST LEAD IN OUR DRINKING WATER, YOU NEED TO OPPOSE TAKING A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OF FUNDING FOR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE AND USING THAT TO PAY FOR POLICE AND FIRE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MS. LOU. NEXT SPEAKER DANNY HERNANDEZ. OH, SORRY. MR. SECRETARY DANNY HERNANDEZ TO BE FOLLOWED BY DR. ADAM TRAN. GOOD E GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS DON HERNANDEZ AND I AM THE PRESIDENT OF THE EAST LAWNDALE CIVIC ASSOCIATION. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN BEHALF OF MARIA JIMENEZ. UM, THE CASA CHAVEZ BOULEVARD IS, UH, FOR RENAMING. UM, UH, MOST OF YOU DO. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO, UH, MARIA JIMENEZ IS, SHE IS A LIFELONG HOUSTONIAN COMMUNITY ORGANIZER, CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE, AND HUMAN HUMANITARIAN WHO DEDICATED OVER 40 YEARS OF HER LIFE TO SERVING VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, ESPECIALLY IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS, REFUGEES, AND WORKING CLASS FAMILIES. AS A RESIDENT OF HOUSTON'S EAST END, SINCE 1957, SHE BECAME ONE OF THE CITY'S MOST RESPECTED GRASSROOTS LEADERS KNOWN FOR HER COURAGE, PERSISTENCE, AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THE MOST VULNERABLE. SO I'M HERE SUPPORTING MARIA JIMENEZ, UH, FOR THE RENAMING OF THE BOULEVARD. SHE IS ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRING LATINAS IN THE EAST END. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. NEXT SPEAKER. YES, DR. ADAM TRAN, TO BE FOLLOWED BY KIM VU. WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. GOOD AFTERNOON, WONDERFUL COUNCIL MEMBERS OF EASTERN TODAY. WE STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU, NOT ONLY A RESIDENT OF EASTERN, BUT AS A LIVING WITNESS OF HISTORY, APRIL 30TH, 1975 REPRESENT LOSS SACRIFICE AND A PAINFUL JOURNEY SEEKING FOR FREEDOM. BUT FROM THAT TRAGEDY, WE BUILD A WONDERFUL VIETNAMESE AMERICAN COMMUNITY RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON. WE LOST OUR NATION, BUT WE FOUND HOPE HERE IN HOUSTON AND WE CALL IT HOME. SO WE ASKING RESPECTFULLY, AS FOR YOUR RECOGNITION, RECOGNIZE AND HONOR MORE THAN 58,000 MEMBER US ARMED FORCE, AND ALONGSIDE WITH THE SOUTH PUBLIC VIETNAM FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM TOGETHER, WE NEED TO LOWER OUR FLAG ON APRIL, APRIL 30TH EACH YEAR TO HONOR THEM. AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, AND THANK YOU FOR STANDING WITH US. GOD BLESS AMERICA AND GOD BLESS HOUSTON. AND WE ARE HERE. OUR CE RIGHT HERE MUST BE HEALTHY. WHEN I SAY SEE YOU, YOU SAY POWER. OKAY. SEE YOU. POWER. SEE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT SPEAKER, KIM VU TO BE FOLLOWED BY TOBY SUE. UH, SORRY. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR WHITMEYER AND ESTEEM MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS KIM VU. I'M A PROUD CITY OF HOUSTON EMPLOYEE FOR THE LAST 29 YEARS, AS WELL AS AN ACTIVE VOLUNTEER WITH THE A EAF SENIORS AND THE VIETNAMESE AMERICAN CULTURE ASSOCIATION. I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE APPRECIATION FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR A EAF SENIORS AND ME TO VISIT CITY HALL TODAY. THIS VISIT WAS MORE THAN JUST AN EXPERIENCE. IT WAS, IT IS A MEANINGFUL SYMBOL OF UNITY AND A POWERFUL REFLECTION OF THE VIETNAMESE SENIOR COMMUNITY'S VOICE. HERE IN A E WE ARE TRULY GRATEFUL FOR THE WARM WELCOME AND FOR YOUR CONTINUE COMMITMENT TO SERVING A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE CITY. FOR MANY OF OUR SENIORS, THIS VISIT REPRESENTS MORE THAN A RECOGNITION. IT REPRESENTS CONNECTION. CONNECTION TO THE CITY WE PROUDLY CALL HOME AND TO THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME WITH BEING ENGAGED, INCLUDED AND HEARD. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING AN EXPERIENCE THAT HELPS BRIDGE OUR PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO SERVE AND STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. NEXT SPEAKER TOBY SUE TO [00:50:01] BE FOLLOWED BY CAESAR ESPINOZA. HI, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. MY NAME IS SU SUE. I'M HERE TODAY WITH A GROUP OF SENIORS FROM OUR COMMUNITIES. UH, FIRST I'D LIKE TO THANK THE CITY AND ALL THE LEADERS HERE FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT CITY HALL. IT REALLY MEANS A LOT FOR OUR SENIORS TO BE HERE, TO LEARN AND TO FEEL CONNECTED WITH THE COMMUNITIES. UH, AT THE BEST RATE INSURANCE, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE SENIORS EVERY DAY, HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND THEIR BENEFITS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HELPING THEM STAY ACTIVE, ENGAGED, AND CONNECTED. IF THAT'S ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE IS THAT THE PROGRAM THEN ACTIVITIES FOR SENIORS, LIKE COMMUNITY EVENTS, HEALTH SUPPORT, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO STAY ACTIVE AND, AND ARE VERY IMPORTANT. EVEN SMALL EFFORTS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE THESE THREE PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES. WE ARE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORKS YOU DO FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO SUPPORT AND WORK TOGETHER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANKS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. NEXT SPEAKER, SAY, CAESAR ESPINOSA TO BE FOLLOWED BY SYLVIA MEDINA. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, COUNSEL, UH, GREAT TO SEE YOU. UH, TODAY I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR THE RENAMING OF THE CESAR CHAVEZ BOULEVARD, UH, TO MARIA JIMENEZ. MARIA JIMENEZ WAS A STAUNCH ADVOCATE FOR EQUALITY. SHE WAS A STAUNCH EVERYTHING. SHE WAS A STRONG WOMAN FOR SURE. I WAS JUST TALKING TO A BUDDY OF MINE IN THE CAR THAT SHE LED WITH GENTLE LOVE. UH, NO, NOT GENTLE, TOUGH LOVE. UH, SHE WOULD, UH, WHENEVER WE NEEDED IT, SHE WOULD PULL OUR EARS AND BRING US BACK IN LINE. AND THOSE ARE, THAT'S THE KIND OF LEADERSHIP THAT I APPRECIATE, UH, AND THAT I VALUE. UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS, UH, PREPARING TO COME TODAY, I WAS LOOKING UP AT, UH, AT, YOU KNOW, ALL HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS. AND I FOUND VERY LITTLE, AND THAT'S DISHEARTENING BECAUSE MARIA DID SO MUCH, INCLUDING BEING THE FIRST STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT, LATINA STUDENT, BODY PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON IN 1971. THERE'S A MURAL THAT IF YOU GO TO TODAY, UM, IT'S STILL DOWNSTAIRS. UH, AND SHE FUNDED, SHE CROWDFUNDED FOR THAT BEFORE GOFUNDME WAS A THING. UH, SHE, SHE, UH, MADE SURE THAT WE HAD THE ONLY LATINO MURAL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, AND IT'S STILL THERE BECAUSE OF MARIA. UH, MARIA INSPIRED MANY OF US. YOU CAN ASK A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE NONPROFIT, UH, INDUSTRIES HERE IN HOUSTON. UH, MARIA WAS A, A MENTOR TO US. SHE WAS A GOOD FRIEND OF OUR LATE CONGRESSWOMAN, SHEILA JACKSON LEE. THEY WORKED TOGETHER ON A LOT OF ISSUES. UH, AND, UH, TODAY HER DAUGHTER, SELENA WANTED TO COME, BUT SHE'S A PROFESSOR AT U OF H AND SHE DIDN'T, SHE COULDN'T MAKE IT OUT HERE TODAY. UH, SO SHE ASKED ME TO COME AND SPEAK ON BEHALF OF HER FAMILY, ON OUR SUPPORT TO RENAME SESAR CHAVEZ STREET AS TO MARIACHI STREET. AND IT ONLY MAKES SENSE, A COMMUNITY ACTIVIST, A WOMAN, AND A STRONG, STRONG HOUSTONIAN. SO I WOULD REALLY ASK YOU TO CONSIDER, UH, RENAMING THE STREET. OH, AND AN EAST THUNDER, BY THE WAY. SHE LIVED ON 75TH HER ENTIRE LIFE. AND, UH, SHE WAS ALWAYS PROUD, UH, TO SHOW ME THE BEST. UH, SHE SAID THE RAS WERE IN, UH, EAST END. UH, I THINK THEY'RE IN SOUTHWEST, BUT WE CAN, WE CAN DEBATE. WE CAN DEBATE. COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ. OKAY. THANK YOU. NO, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON? YES. SAY SO. UM, THANK YOU. UM, I'M EXCITED TO HEAR THE RECOMMENDATION TO, UM, CHANGE THE NAME TO, UM, MARIA DID A LOT OF WORK WITH HER. UM, YES. LEARNED A LOT FROM HER AS A STRONG ADVOCATE. YOU KNOW, WE DID A LOT OF RECONCILIATION WORK, UM, AROUND WORK FIGHT AROUND 2 87 G THE STARTING OF HOUSTON UNITED. UM, SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN UPFRONT AND CENTER, LIKE YOU SAID, A FIERCE ADVOCATE. STRONG COMMITTED. AND SO SHE WOULD BE THE PERFECT PERSON. THE PER THERE WOULD BE THE PERFECT PERSON TO CHANGE THIS NAME, THE DISTRICT NAME TOO. SO, YES, ABSOLUTELY. I'M WITH YOU ON THAT A HUNDRED PERCENT. UM, AND SO YOU HAVE MY SUPPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ACTUALLY, ONE OF THE LAST CALLS THAT I HAD WITH HER WAS ABOUT THE POLICE, UH, REFORM TASK FORCE. MM-HMM . UNDER MAYOR TURNER. UH, AND SHE, I, I WON'T SAY THE EXPLICIT, BUT SHE SAYS, IF YOU DON'T DO THAT, I'M GONNA KICK YOUR BEHIND , UH, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE THERE. YOU'RE BRINGING THE COMMUNITY'S VOICE. SO SHE WAS, SHE WAS VERY, UH, VERY BALANCED, VERY FAIR PERSON. YOU, WE'VE SHARED MANY A TIMES WITH HER. YES. I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN HER CHEW ME OUT BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE. YEAH, YEAH. SHE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT. BUT IT WAS GOOD. IT WAS GOOD. SHE WAS LIKE FIERCE. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. YES, FIERCE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SURE. COUNCILOR EVAN SHABA. [00:55:01] THANK YOU. IT'S ALWAYS MY PLEASURE FOR YOU TO COME AND I THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO, AND CERTAINLY WHEN YOU COME WITH A RECOMMENDATION, IT IS VERY HIGHLY REGARDED. AND I CAN SEE ONE DAY WE MAY BE TALKING ABOUT NAMING A STREET AFTER YOU. SO THANK YOU FOR COMING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YES, THANK YOU SALINAS CESA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TODAY. AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU OR SYLVIA COULD, UH, PERHAPS SPEAK TO THIS, BUT AS FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY KNOW, WE HAD A PRESENTATION FROM CONGRESSWOMAN GARCIA ENCOURAGING US TO NAME IT AFTER DOLO HUTA. AFTER THAT DOLO HUTA MADE CLEAR THAT SHE DOES NOT WANT ANYTHING RENAMED AFTER HER, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE NOW RECONSIDERING. UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS IN RESPONSE TO WHAT DELOS HAS ASKED, A LOT OF COMMUNITIES HAVE INSISTED ON RENAMING ANYTHING FROM CESA CHAVEZ TO A LATINA ACTIVIST. CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? UM, SO, SO FIRST OF ALL, UM, I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE, UM, THAT WE LISTEN TO DOLORES JUTA. UH, SO I THINK THAT HER RECOMMENDATION, UM, AND NOW I'M, I'M ON THE FENCE, WHETHER MARIA WOULD BE HONORED OR WOULD BE UPSET AT THIS BECAUSE MARIA WAS THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO YOU WOULD, SHE WOULD, I REMEMBER GOING TO AWARD CEREMONIES WITH HER AS HER, AS HER, UH, MENTOR, AS HER MENTEE, AND AS HER, UM, WHAT IS IT CALLED, UH, STUDENT FOLLOWER. YES. UH, AN INTERN. AN INTERN WITH HER. AND SHE WOULD LIKE LITERALLY BE LIKE, GO AHEAD AND PUT THIS IN THE BOX. AND THEN WHEN I WOULD GO TO THE BOX, THERE WAS LIKE 30 AWARDS IN THERE. AND SHE, SHE WAS JUST THAT TYPE, VERY HUMBLE PERSON. BUT, UH, I THINK, NOW LET ME MAKE IT VERY CLEAR. LET ME, LET ME EXTEND AND SAY THAT I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE MORE STREETS NAMED AFTER A LOT OF OUR LEADERS HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, UH, THE, THE NUMBER SYSTEM IS GREAT, BUT IF WE COULD, UH, PUT MORE, UH, THOUGHT INTO RENAMING STREETS AFTER LATINO LEADERS, THAT'D BE GREAT. BUT THE LATINA LEADERSHIP THING IS SO IMPORTANT, UH, JUST BECAUSE MARIA WAS A TRAILBLAZER IN HER COMMUNITY HERE IN HOUSTON. SHE WAS A TRAILBLAZER. AND WHENEVER MARIA SHOWED UP, YOU CAN ASK ANYBODY WHO'S GONNA SPEAK ON MARIA TODAY, OR ANY ONE OF US WHO WORKED WITH HER. WHEN SHE SHOWED UP, SHE MEANT BUSINESS AND SHE TAUGHT ME TO COME TO CITY HALL. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A BLESSING OR A CURSE FOR SOME PEOPLE, BUT, UH, SHE, SHE, SHE TAUGHT ME TO, TO, TO COME HERE. SHE TAUGHT A LOT OF US TO COME HERE AND TO SPEAK UP FOR OUR COMMUNITY. UM, AND, UM, SHE NOT ONLY WORKED HERE, AND THAT'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING. SHE ALSO DID A LOT OF WORK NATIONALLY, BUT THE SAME THING, YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE HER NAME IN A LOT OF PLACES BECAUSE SHE WAS ALWAYS THE BEHIND THE SCENES PERSON. UM, BUT SHE ACTUALLY HELPED TO ESTABLISH THE SOUTH TEXAS, UH, NETWORK FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, WHICH LOOKED FOR REMAINS OF PEOPLE IN THE, IN THE, IN ACROSS THE DESERT. UH, SHE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN, UM, PUSHING FOR WAWA FOR A LOT OF REFORMS. UM, AND SHE ALSO DID SOME WORK WITH THE QUAKERS, UH, TO PUSH FOR REFORMS, UH, IN, IN THE, IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT SPACES. SO SHE'S NATIONALLY, INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ACTIVIST. AND I THINK AS AN EXAMPLE FOR HOUSTON, OF, YOU WANNA SHOW STRENGTH, DIGNITY, UNITY, UH, AND OH GOD, I'M GONNA GET EMOTIONAL. AND, UH, AND WHO REALLY IS A TRUE LEADER? MARIA JIMENEZ, IS IT? AND I JUST REMEMBER THE DIGNITY THING CAME TO MIND. UH, I THINK MARIA SPEAKING TO ME, 'CAUSE HER EMAIL WAS, UH, IT HAD THE WORD DIGNITY, IT DIGNITY. NOW, UH, WAS HER EMAIL, AND I WON'T SAY THE SO PEOPLE IN SPAMMER, BUT IT WAS, THAT WAS HER, HER PERSONAL EMAIL. SHE WAS ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT DIGNITY FOR EVERYBODY, NOT JUST LATINOS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, MAYOR PROTE. THANK YOU MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO MOVE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO ADD ANDREW PATTERSON TO THE BOTTOM OF THE THREE MINUTE NON AGENDA LIST. SECOND MOTION MAID. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. NEXT, NEXT SYLVIA MEDINA TO BE FOLLOWED BY ANGEL SILVA. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU. MAYOR WHITMEYER AND CITY COUNCIL. I AM A LONGTIME RESIDENT OF THE EAST END, BORN AND RAISED IN SECOND WARD, AND VERY PROUD OF IT. BUT TODAY I'M WEARING MY EAST END ALLIANCE HAT. IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH US, WE ARE A GRASSROOTS NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. AND BY THE WAY, WE ARE CELEBRATING IN 20 26, 10 YEARS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. NOT ONLY LIMITED TO VOTER ENGAGEMENT AND RECRUITMENT, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE REPRESENT THE EAST END AT THE TABLE THAT SOMETIMES WE ARE NOT INVITED TO AS WE DEAL WITH ISSUES AND IMPORTANT TO SUSTAINING A GOOD QUA QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I KNEW MARIA JIMENEZ PERSONALLY WHEN I WAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR AT THE EASTERN CHAMBER. I FOLLOWED HER AROUND FOR TWO WEEKS WITH THE BBC BECAUSE SHE IS GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED [01:00:01] FOR HER WORKS. SO THE EASTERN ALLIANCE PROUDLY SUPPORTS HONORING MARIA JIMENEZ THROUGH THE REMAINING RENAMING OF CESAR CHAVEZ BOULEVARD. AS A LIFELONG HOUSTONIAN AND NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE, MARIA JIMENEZ DEDICATED OVER FOUR DECADES TO UPLIFTING IMMIGRANT FAMILIES, ADVANCING CIVIL RIGHTS AND STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE EAST END AND BEYOND. HER LEGACY REFLECTS THE RESILIENCE, DIGNITY, AND UNITY THAT DEFINES OUR NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE EAST END. AND THERE'S NOT VERY MANY LATINA WOMEN THAT ARE BEING RECOGNIZED. RECOGNIZING HER IN THIS WAY ENSURES THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE INSPIRED JUST LIKE I WAS TO BE A LEADER WHOSE LIFE WORK WAS ROOTED IN JUSTICE, SERVICE AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THE PEOPLE OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. AND LET ME TELL YOU, WALKING ALONGSIDE OF HER, HER DIGNITY, HER COMPASSION, HUMANITY WAS THERE BECAUSE SHE DID NOT WANT THE LIMELIGHT. SHE WANTED TO BRING TO THE FOREFRONT THE PROBLEMS OF OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY. SO I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER OUR REQUEST NEXT, ANGEL SILVA TO BE FOLLOWED BY FRANCISCO ARGA. EIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. MY NAME IS SANDRA SILVA. I'M FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF MOUNT HOUSTON COMMUNITY PARTNERS. I'M BILINGUAL VETERAN AND FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE GRAD. I'M HERE TO PRESENT HUSTLE FOR HOUSTON. HUSTLE FOR HOUSTON IS A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TARGETING DISCONNECTED YOUNG ADULTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 1918 AND 2 29 IN DISTRICT B USING SOCCER TOURNAMENTS FOR RECRUITMENT. THE INITIATIVE CONNECTS PARTICIPANTS WITH A SIX MONTH, A PAID APPRENTICESHIP OFFERING, UH, MENTORSHIP, A $2,500 MONTHLY STIPEND, HEALTH COVERAGE AND CERTIFICATE UPON COMPLETION. UH, DISTRICT B FACES SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES REGARDING DISCONNECTED YOUTH AND THE IDLE LAND LEADING TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES LIKE SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT. AND TRADITIONAL APPROACHES HAVE NOT SUFFICIENTLY BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE YOUNG RESIDENTS AND MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. MY SOLUTION IS TO CREATE A PARK THAT WILL SERVE AS A MULTIPURPOSE COMMUNITY HUB, COMBINING REGULATION SIZE SOCCER FIELDS FOR TOURNAMENTS AND LOCAL ENGAGEMENT, DEDICATED AREAS FOR TRAINING AND WORKSHOPS AND MENTORSHIP AND ACTIVATE VACANT LAND TO IMPROVE NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY AND ENERGY. THE PROGRAM WORK WORKFLOW, UH, THE RECRUITMENT, THE TOURNAMENTS SERVE AS HIGH ENTRY POINT FOR THE YOUNG, A SIX MONTH PAID APPRENTICESHIP WITH LOCAL EMPLOYERS, MONTHLY MENTOR EVALUATIONS TO MAINTAIN QUALITY AND TO IMPROVE EMPLOYABILITY VIA RECOGNIZED, UH, COMPLETION OF CERTIFICATES. THIS, UH, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT WILL BRING IS YEARLY PATHWAYS FOR A HUNDRED YOUTH INTO PAYROLL ROLES, INCREASE LOCAL SPENDING VIA STIPENDS AND FULL TRAFFIC. UH, IT WILL LOWER COST FOR EMERGENCY AND SOCIAL AND JUSTICE SERVICE AND IT WILL IMPROVE SAFETY, PROPERTY VALUES AND SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT. AND ALSO IT WILL, UH, CREATE A CONSISTENT FLOW OF CERTIFIED WORKERS IN DISTRICT B. MY REQUEST FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN DISTRICT B IS TO IDENTIFY SUITABLE VACANT AND OR UNDERUTILIZED SITE IN DISTRICT B, A DUAL FUNDING STRATEGY UTILIZING CHAPTER THREE 80 GRANTS TO FINANCE THE PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE PARK AND WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT TO PROVIDE THE $2,500 MONTHLY STATEMENTS FOR PARTICIPANTS IN THEIR APPRENTICESHIP. AND ALSO TO INCLUDE THE PARK IN THE DISTRICT B, A STRATEGIC PLAN. THE QUESTION, NO ONE SAYS, WHY AREN'T WE SEEKING A MORE EFFECTIVE AND HUMANE SOLUTION TO FACE THE, TO FACE FENTANYL CONSUMPTION AND THE HABIT OF SPENDING MONEY ON FANTASIES BECAUSE THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM IS ISN'T FENTANYL, THE ROOT IS CONSUMPTION. BECAUSE LET'S IMAGINE THAT BY MAGIC, UH, THE FENTANYL DISAPPEARS TODAY, THEY WILL SIMPLY INVENT ANOTHER DRUG. WHY? BECAUSE THERE'S CONSUMPTION, BECAUSE THERE IS A SOCIAL PROBLEM, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TAKING CARE OF THE FUTURE GENERATION. AND WE MUST REVIEW WITH ALL DUE RESPECT THOSE PRACTICES WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE, RICH, ADOLESCENT, AND ARE IMMEDIATE, YOUR TO LEAVE THEIR HOME WITHOUT LOVE, CREATING AN URGENCY TO LEAVE PEACE AND TRANQUILITY ARE THE FRUITS OF JUSTICE. AND YOU DO NOT FIGHT EVIL WITH EVIL. A KNIFE OR A KNIFE WILL ONLY LIVE AS BLIND AND TULES. SO I BELIEVE HUMANS ARE BORN GOOD IN CIRCUMSTANCES, MAKE THEM BAD. THANK YOU. CHANGE THE CIRCUMSTANCES. COUNCIL MEMBER AND JACKSON. THANK YOU MA'AM. MR. SILVA. SURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN AND SHARING, YOU KNOW, YOUR VISION. UM, I MET YOU [01:05:01] LAST NIGHT AT OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY. YES, MA'AM. AND SO LOOKING FORWARD TO DISCUSSING MORE YES, MA'AM, ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOUR PLAN AND HOW WE CAN HELP MOVE THAT PLAN FORWARD. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE ACADEMY, IS TO IDENTIFY THE TOOLS AND THE RESOURCES THAT'S AVAILABLE TO US. YES, MA'AM. UM, SO THAT WE CAN MOVE THESE PROJECTS FORWARD. I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS JUST MENTIONED IN THE THREE 80, SHE HAVE SOMETHING SIMILAR. SHE WAS ABLE TO USE THAT PROGRAM IN, IN HER, UM, DISTRICT TO MOVE, UM, A PROJECT FORWARD. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SITTING DOWN WITH YOU YES MA'AM. AND DISCUSSING WAYS WE CAN PARTNER AND HELP YOU REALIZE YOUR VISION. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT FRANCISCO EZ TO BE FOLLOWED BY RHONDA VELA. HELLO? YEAH. MY NAME IS FRANCISCO EZ. I'M A RESIDENT OF CLEAR LAKE, HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I HAVE BEEN HERE. I USED TO BE THE DIRECTOR OF THE LIVING HOPE WHEELCHAIR ASSOCIATION, AND I WAS A CO-CONSPIRATOR WITH MARIA JIMENEZ FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS. AND I'M HERE TO JOIN MY VOICE TO REQUEST THAT YOUR RENAME THE CESAR CHAVEZ BOULEVARD ON HER NAME, NOT, NOT AS A WAY TO HONOR HER, BECAUSE MARIA PROBABLY WILL BE PUSHING BACK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AS A WAY TO HONOR HER COMMUNITY, TO HONOR LATINO WOMEN. I WAS LOOKING FOR HOW MANY STREETS ARE NAMED IN HOUSTON AFTER LATINO WOMEN. I COULDN'T FIND ANY AND VERY FEW WOMEN, BUT ALSO AS A WAY TO HONOR THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES THAT SHE LIVED, THAT SHE BELONGED TO FOR THREE GENERATIONS, AND THAT SHE LITERALLY GAVE HER LIFE FOR. I SAW MARIA WHEN SHE GOT THE VANDERMARK FELLOWSHIP THAT GAVE HER A THREE MONTHS OF PAY SABBATICAL TO REST, HOW TO USE THAT MONEY AND THAT TIME TO CONTINUE PUSHING. FOR INSTANCE, FOR THE, UH, LATE AMNESTIC CASES THAT LEGALIZED 400 FAMILIES IN THE LATE NINETIES. SHE WAS BIPARTISAN IN TERMS THAT SHE WILL PROTEST YOU, EITHER YOU WERE DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN, AND, UH, AND PUSH FOR WHAT SHE THOUGHT WAS RIGHT, BUT THEN SHE WILL ALSO WORK WITH YOU TO ADVANCE POLICIES THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE ON PEOPLE. SHE ALWAYS SPOKE THROUGH TO POWER, CALLING ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT POLICIES, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, IMMIGRATION AND POLICE COLLABORATION ARE TO BE MEASURED BY THE IMPACT, NOT BY THEIR INTENTIONS. AND SHE, WE COLLABORATED WORKING IN THE BORDER TO SEE THE IMPACT OF THEIR POLICIES THAT BECOME THE LOSS OF LIFE OF MANY PEOPLE. SO I'M, I'M INVITING YOU, LIKE SHE ALREADY HAS A CORRI IN CORRI, THE MARIA JIMENEZ. SO HER COMMUNITY HAS HONORED HER. THE MOVEMENT HAS HONORED HER. I THINK IT'S TIME FOR THE CITY THAT SHE GAVE HER LIFE TO, TO HONOR HER, BUT ALSO THAT WILL BE A WAY TO HONOR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, WORKING CLASS PEOPLE, UH, AND, AND LATINO WOMEN. SO, UM, YEAH, I, I, UH, ON, ON, UM, ON A SIDE NOTE, UM, SHE WILL HAVE BEEN WELCOMING HER SECOND GRAND KID TODAY. YOU KNOW, HE WAS BORN TWO DAYS AGO, THE SON OF HER SON, UH, CARLOS, WHO'S A UNION ORGANIZER, AND THEN HER DAUGHTER WHO'S IN HOUSTON, IS A RENOWNED INTERNATIONAL RENOWNED POET. SO HER, THE SEEDS THAT MARIA PLANTED ARE STILL AROUND ORGANIZATION SHE HELPED FUND ARE STILL AROUND LIKE THE WORKER CENTER, THE FAKE TIA WORKER CENTER THAT WE STARTED TOGETHER. SO AGAIN, I THINK MARIE HONORING HER IS A WAY OF FOR HOUSTON TO HONOR ITSELF BY RECOGNIZING AND VALUE IN THE CONTRIBUTION OF, UH, LATINO WOMEN, IMMIGRANT WOMEN TO MAKE THIS A TRULY COMPASSIONATE CITY THAT REALLY FIGHTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR RHONDA VEDA, UH, TO BE FOLLOWED BY JESSICA CAMPOS. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR WHITMEYER AND ESTEEMED COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS RHONDA SEPULVEDA. I COME BEFORE YOU TODAY AS A PROUD CONSTITUENT OF DISTRICT I AND FRIENDS TO SOME OF YOU. AND I'M ALSO THE CHAPLAIN OF LULAC COUNCIL 60. I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF RENAMING CESA CHAVEZ BOULEVARD AFTER MARIA JIMENEZ. THIS OPPORTUNITY, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY HITS HOME. CESA CHAVEZ BOULEVARD WAS 67TH STREET, AND I GREW UP ON AVENUE H. IT'S ON AND 67TH. I WAS RAISED BY MY GRANDFATHER IN A SMALL, MODEST HOUSE THERE AS AN ADVOCATE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE IN MY CAREER. IN MY SERVICE TO LULAC COUNCIL 60 AND MY PERSONAL PRINCIPLES I HAVE LEARNED FROM SOCIAL JUSTICE CHAMPIONS SUCH AS ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH FIZA, DEACON JOE RUBIO, LARRY PAYNE, AND MARIA JIMENEZ, EACH INSPIRED A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO ADVANCING THE RIGHTS AND DIGNITY OF THE DISENFRANCHISED. AND TODAY, I ECHO THE NAME THAT WAS NO STRANGER [01:10:01] TO THIS CHAMBER, MARIA JIMENEZ. IN THE SECOND YEAR OF THE MAYOR'S HISPANIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THIS BODY RECOGNIZED MARIA JIMENEZ AS COMMUNITY ACTIVIST IN THE 2010 ADMINISTRATION UNDER MAYOR ANISE PARKER, NOTING MARIA JIMENEZ HAS BEEN A STRONG VOICE AND ACTIVIST IN SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES FOR THE PAST 39 YEARS. SHE BEGAN BY ORGANIZING BORDER COMMUNITIES IN DRESSING HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN ENFORCEMENT AND IMMIGRATION LAWS. SHE DEVELOPED HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING AND DOCUMENTATION METHODS AND HELPED WRITE SEVERAL HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTS ON ABUSE OF AUTHORITY AND VIOLATIONS OF RIGHTS IN ENFORCEMENT OF BORDER POLICIES AND IMMIGRATION LAW THAT IS NO DIFFERENT, BUT HER FIGHT CONTINUES TODAY. MARIA JIMENEZ WAS MAGNOLIA GROWN, A FAITHFUL CITIZEN, A DISTRICT FROM DISTRICT I CONSTITUENT A NEIGHBOR, A PROUD MILBY BUFF, NATIONAL DEBATE CHAMPION WHO CHURNED THAT CRAFT INTO ADVOCACY INTO PUBLIC POLICY. HER SOUL WAS SATURATED IN THE GOSPEL OF SOCIAL JUSTICE RADIATING THROUGH HER VOICE, A VOICE THAT INSPIRED A VOICE THAT CALLED A VOICE THAT COMPELLED YOU TO LEAN IN AND LEARN A VOICE THAT SPOKE TRUTH AND MOVED PEOPLE TO ACTION. I WITNESSED HER WORK, I LISTENED TO HER AND WATCHED PEOPLE LEARN. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED, HAD A VOICE. MARIA JIMENEZ DEDICATED HER LIFE AND DIGNITY TO THE WORKING PEOPLE AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, AND SHE DID IT RIGHT HERE AT HOME. THANK YOU, MAYOR WHITMEYER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, THEY SAY THE GREATEST SHEPHERDS LEAVE FROM BEHIND TODAY, I RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR VOTE TO RENAME CESA CHAVEZ BOULEVARD AFTER A GREAT SHEPHERD AND A TRUE HOUSTON CHAMPION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE MARIA JIMENEZ. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. NEXT, JESSICA CAMPOS TO BE FOLLOWED BY YULIM CHU. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS JESSICA CAMPOS, AND I'M HERE TODAY AS A MOTHER AND AS A COMMUNITY ADVOCATE, AND AS A SURVIVOR MYSELF BECAUSE WHO WE CHOOSE TO HONOR MATTERS TO ME, TO MY DAUGHTERS, AND TO THE FAMILIES ACROSS HOUSTON. I WANT TO FIRST THANK DANNY HERNANDEZ FOR ORGANIZING US TO BE HERE TODAY. IT GOES TO SHOW HOW MANY HEROES, WOMEN, HEROES WE HAVE RIGHT HERE IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND THAT DESERVE TO BE RECOGNIZED. I'M GOING TO BE HONEST, WHEN I FIRST HEARD, WHEN I FIRST HEARD THE RECENT CONTROVERSIAL NEWS, IT HURT ME. IT MADE ME ANGRY BECAUSE WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME WHERE HOPE IS, IT IS DESPERATELY NEEDED IN OUR COMMUNITIES. AND YET, ONCE AGAIN, WE ARE FACED WITH THE REALITY THAT A MAN WAS ABLE TO GAIN POWER, RECOGNITION AND LEGACY WHILE CAUSING HARM BEHIND THE SCENES, WHILE THE WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITIES ARE SILENCED, THAT PAIN THAT IS PAINFUL, AND IT'S SOMETHING TOO MANY WOMEN UNDERSTAND. SO WHEN WE'RE ASKED WHO WE WANT TO HONOR, THIS MATTERS BECAUSE NAMING THIS, NAMING A STREET IS NOT JUST ABOUT A NAME. IT'S ABOUT WHAT WE CHOOSE TO STAND FOR RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE SOMETHING DIFFERENT, TO CHOOSE SOMEONE WHO REPRESENTS THE KIND OF HOPE OUR COMMUNITIES ACTUALLY NEED. I DID NOT KNOW MARIA JIMENEZ PERSONALLY, BUT FROM WHAT I HAVE HEARD AND READ FROM THE WORK THAT SHE HAS DONE FOR, FROM THE PEOPLE WHO STOOD WITH HER, SHE'S DESERVING OF HER LEGACY. MARIA JIMENEZ DEDICATED HER LIFE TO FIGHTING FOR IMMIGRANT FAMILIES, FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, AND FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO VOICE. SHE SHOWED UP FOR COMMUNITIES WHEN THEY WERE IGNORED, WHEN THEY WERE PUSHED ASIDE. SHE DID NOT WORK FOR RECOGNITION. SHE DID THIS BECAUSE IT NEEDED TO BE DONE. AND RIGHT NOW, IN THIS MOMENT, WE NEED THAT KIND OF HOPE. WE NEED TO HONOR PEOPLE WHOSE LEGACY WE WANT TO STAND WITHOUT HESITATION. THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO CHOOSE DIFFERENTLY, TO CHOOSE SOMEONE WHOSE LIFE REFLECTS SERVICE, INTEGRITY, AND REAL COMMUNITY. IN OUR COM REAL COMMITMENT IN OUR COMMUNITIES, I ASK YOU TO CHOOSE MARIA JIMENEZ BECAUSE THE, BECAUSE THE NAME YOU CHOOSE WILL BECOME THE STORIES OUR CHILDREN CARRY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNT. MA'AM. MA'AM. JESSICA, COUNCILMAN MARTIN. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND JESSICA, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UH, AND YOU'RE THE LAST SPEAKER ON THIS, UH, TOPIC, SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT CAME. THANK YOU, UH, FOR BRINGING YOUR VOICE TO THE, TO THE CHAMBER. UH, LAST WEEK WE HAD A, A GROUP OF FOLKS CAME FOR, UH, JOE CHACO RAMIREZ AS WELL. UM, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO CONTINUE. UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK THE DEADLINE, THE DEADLINE WAS MADE FIRST, BUT YOUR VOICE IS STILL IMPORTANT. [01:15:01] SO IF YOU, UH, ARE NOT ABLE TO COME NEXT TUESDAY, UH, SHARE AN EMAIL, UH, TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, OF COURSE TO THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. UM, AND, AND I WILL SAY, I THINK CESAR SAID IT BEST. UH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS ONE SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY 'CAUSE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES, UH, BUT WE SHOULD NOT STOP AT JUST THIS STREET, RIGHT? WE SHOULD DO THE WORK AND IT'S A HEFTY LIFT TO BE ABLE TO, TO HAVE TO, TO BE ABLE TO GO THROUGH THE RENAMING OF A STREET. UH, BUT MY COMMITMENT TO EVERYONE, UH, WHATEVER THE NAME BECOMES, UH, WE STILL NEED TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO IDENTIFY, UH, PLACES IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE CAN HONOR, UM, ALL OF OUR, ALL OF OUR LOCAL HEROES. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. OUR WOMEN HEROES. YES, ALL OF 'EM. THANK YOU. NEXT YULI CHU TO BE FOLLOWED BY ISAIAH LOPEZ. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS YULI CHU AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT J. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE CITY BUDGET AND THE NEED FOR, FOR A PEOPLE'S BUDGET WHENEVER IT RAINS. I SEE THE SAME PROBLEM EVERY TIME ON MY WAY HOME. SOUTH RICE AVENUE RIGHT NEXT TO CUNNINGHAM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FLOODS. IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE A HURRICANE. AS LONG AS THERE IS HEAVY RAIN FOR LIKE 30 MINUTES, IT FLOODS. IT IS CLEAR THAT OUR FLOODING ISSUES ARE NOT FIXED. THIS ISN'T JUST INCONVENIENT FOR DRIVERS. WHEN THAT THREE FLOODS, IT FORCES SCHOOL CHILDREN TO WALK INTO TRAFFIC OR THROUGH DIRTY AND UNSAFE WATER TO GO TO SCHOOL OR TO GET HOME. WE ARE PUTTING KIDS IN DANGER BY RAISING THE BUDGET FOR THE POLICE WHILE CUTTING THE BUDGET FOR FLOODING. IF WE ARE TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE WHO FIX OUR DRINKS TO GIVE IT TO THE POLICE COUNCIL MEMBER. POLLARD, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU. DOES THAT MEAN, UM, THE POLICE ARE NOW GOING TO SOLVE THE DRAINAGE PROBLEM? DOES THAT MEAN NEXT TIME IT RAINS? AND IF FLOODS, I'M SUPPOSED TO CALL POLICE TO COME DURING THE STREET, YES OR NO? YES. OKAY. SO I THINK IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. I THINK THE ANSWER IS NO. COPS CANNOT FIX A FLOODED STREET. WE NEED WELL TRAINED PROFESSIONALS AND WE NEED THE FUNDING THEY DESERVE TO SOLVE THE ISSUE. PLEASE DO NOT CUT THE BUDGET FOR THE SERVICES THAT KEEP THE KIDS SAFE ON THEIR WAY TO SCHOOL AND BACK HOME. THANK YOU NICK. ISAIAH LOPEZ TO BE FOLLOWED BY DAVID ESPINOZA. HELLO. I'M HERE TO EXPRESS CONCERNS I HAVE ABOUT THE UPCOMING BUDGET VOTE AND CONTINUED CUTS TO PUBLIC SERVICES THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACT WORKING CLASS RESIDENTS AND CITY WORKERS WHO ARE INCREASINGLY SPREAD THIN AND FACE WORSENING WORK CONDITIONS. LAST YEAR'S BUDGET SAW CUTS TO FLOOD CONTROL LIBRARIES AND PARKS IN UNDERSERVED NEIGHBORHOODS TO GIVE HPDA 36.5% RAISE. AND BASED ON, ON WHAT I'VE HEARD OF THE PROPOSED 2027 BUDGET SO FAR, IT SEEMS TO BE MORE OF THE SAME. SHIFTING MONEY AROUND WITHOUT ADDRESSING UNDERLYING ISSUES OR THE NEEDS OF WORKING CLASS HOUSTONIANS, BASICALLY KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. VITAL PUBLIC SERVICES REMAIN GUTTED AS HPD GETS RAISES YEAR AFTER YEAR TO COLLABORATE WITH ICE. ALL FACILITATED BY THE MAJORITY OF THIS BODY. IT'S THE OPPOSITE OF CARING FOR OUR COMMUNITIES AND MAKING THE PUBLIC FEEL SAFE. I STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH WORKING CLASS RESIDENTS, ARE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND CITY WORKERS, AND DEMANDING A BUDGET THAT FUNDS PEOPLE'S NEEDS. DAVID ESPINOZA TO BE FOLLOWED BY BETH LUMIA. HELLO, MR. MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, I'M DAVID ESPINOZA. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT B. WHAT I'M HERE TO HEAR DO TODAY IS TO CRITICIZE THIS NEW TRASH FEE AND HOW IT CONNECTS LAST YEAR'S CITY BUDGET THAT Y'ALL APPROVED AS BALANCE. IT'S NOT SO MUCH THAT YOU'RE [01:20:01] APPROVING A TRASH FEE THAT MOST CITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND IN THIS STATE HAVE ADOPTED. IT'S MORE THIS ILLUSION OF CARING ABOUT OUR PROBLEMS THAT YOU YOURSELF HAVE CAUSED LAST YEAR. DESPITE EVERY SINGLE CITIZEN SPEAKING AGAINST POLICE RAISES AND THE SLASH TO CITY DEPARTMENTS, YOU STILL WENT AHEAD AND PROVED THIS BS BUDGET LAST YEAR. YOU PROMISED THAT THE $110 MILLION, I MEAN YOU, MR. MAYOR, UH, THOSE TOTAL CUTS TO CITY SERVICES COULD BE DONE WITHOUT INTERRUPTIONS OF SERVICE. AND ANYONE'S WHO'VE SEEN DELAYED PUBLIC WORKS OR MISSED TRASH PICKUPS KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE. THIS WAS DONE IN PART BY FREEZING JOBS AND LETTING GO OF EXPERIENCED STAFF. SO LET'S DO THE MATH. LAST YEAR, SOLID WASTE BUDGET WAS CUT BY $6 MILLION IN PUBLIC WORKS BY 21.8 MILLION, AND THAT'S A TOTAL OF $27.8 MILLION. AND I'M ONLY SAYING THOSE TWO TOTALS BECAUSE YOU PLAN ON FOLDING BOTH OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS. YOUR CURRENT DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORK SAID ON CHANNEL TWO THAT THIS $5 FEE WILL RECUR ABOUT $25 MILLION. SO THAT'S ALREADY A GAP OF 2.8 MILLION THAT YOU STILL NEED TO RECOVER. IT'S JUST NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH TO COVER THAT GAP. NOW, HOW DO WE EXPECT AN IMPROVEMENT IN CITY SERVICES THIS WAY, ESPECIALLY, HOW CAN WE EXPECT AN IMPROVEMENT IN THOSE SERVICES? WE HAVE FEWER WORKERS THAN LAST YEAR. THERE WERE 849 OPEN POSITIONS LAST YEAR THAT WERE FROZEN LAST YEAR IN PUBLIC WORKS ALONE. SO HERE'S MY QUESTIONS. WILL THIS MONEY GO TOWARDS FILLING UP THESE POSITIONS? ARE YOU PROPOSING AN END TO THE FREEZE THIS YEAR? WILL YOU BE OFFERING HIGHER WAGES TO THEIR EMPLOYEES, TO THESE EMPLOYEES? PUBLIC WORKS AND SOLID WASTE, WERE BOTH FACING LEVERAGE SHORTAGES, AS IT WERE LAST YEAR. AND PART OF IT WAS BECAUSE THE PAY THAT WAS OFFERED WAS DISMAL FOR THE DANGEROUS YET VERY IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU DO TO KEEP THE CIVILIZATION RUNNING. PAY FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES ABOUT 17 TO $20 AN HOUR WHILE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS AT 22 TO 24. HAS THAT BEEN TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN APPLYING THIS FEE AND WHEN THIS RATE GOES UP $25 IN TWO YEARS, WILL IT BE ENOUGH? AND THAT'S NOT GETTING HOW THIS WILL DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT WORKING CLASS PEOPLE OF HOUSTON, WHICH ANOTHER FLAT FEE WILL DUE TO THEIR BOTTOM LINE WHEN RANS AND GROCERY PRICES ARE GOING UP, NOT EVEN YEAR AFTER YEAR, MONTH AFTER MONTH, WEEK AFTER WEEK. I WANT PEOPLE HERE TO REMEMBER THE VOTE THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR ACTUALLY IN 2027 WHEN EVERY CANDIDATE OR EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER, WELL NOT EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER, BUT WE'LL PROMISE THE AFFORDABILITY AND FIXED ROWS AND DRAINAGE. IT'S EASY TO SAY WE'RE NOT THE ONE HOLDING THE SHOVEL OR UP TO YOUR KNEES IN MUD FIXING A BROKEN PIPE AND LEAVING THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE WORK WITH A LARGER WORKLOAD TIRE. A LITTLE THINGS SHOVEL. TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU BETH. BETH LUMIA. BETH LUMIA TO BE FOLLOWED BY RITA ROBLES. HELLO. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MAYOR. UH, MY NAME IS BETH LUMIA. I AM A CO-DIRECTOR OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AT WEST STREET RECOVERY AND I ALSO LEAD OUR HUB HOUSE PROGRAM, A NETWORK OF COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO ACT AS THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES DURING DISASTERS. WE HAVE ABOUT 16, UM, HUB HOUSES OF VARIOUS SIZES ACROSS NORTHEAST AND SOUTHEAST HOUSTON. AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SHARE ANY INFORMATION ON THAT WITH Y'ALL. WE OFTEN HEAR LEADERSHIP DISCUSS DISASTERS IN TERMS OF NEWSWORTHY HURRICANES. THAT IS NOT THE CASE FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO OPERATE THESE HUB HOUSES AND RESIDENTS THAT THEY SUPPORT. IT DOESN'T TAKE A NAME STORM TO TRIGGER A CRISIS DURING A REGULAR RAINFALL OR A STANDARD GULF STORM. OUR NEIGHBORHOODS LOSE POWER AND STREETS TURN INTO RIVERS WHILE THE CITY WAITS FOR A FEDERAL DECLARATION. OUR HUB CAPTAINS ARE ALREADY IN DISASTER MODE. THEY'RE OUT IN THE RAIN MAKING CALLS TO ENSURE SENIORS ARE SAFE, DISTRIBUTING WATER AND BATTERIES AND CHECKING THAT NEIGHBORS ARE HOME SAFE BEFORE THE WATER RISES. THEY DO THIS BECAUSE THEY CARE AND BECAUSE HOUSTONIANS ARE SCARED EVERY TIME IT RAINS. MAYOR, YOU RAN ON A PLATFORM OF FIXING STREETS AND DRAINAGE, YET WE SEE A FRUSTRATING TREND. HOUSTON'S INFRASTRUCTURE IS PRIORITIZED ONLY WHEN IT'S PRIMED TO ENTICE SPONSORS AND INVESTORS FOR THE WORLD CUP. WE ARE SEEING RUSHED REPAIRS AND BEAUTIFICATION FOR CAPITAL WHILE THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIVE HERE ENDURE NEGLECTED DITCHES AND FOULING PIPES. WHERE IS A SENSE OF URGENCY WHEN THE PEOPLE ASK FOR IT? IF WE WANT A TRULY RESILIENT CITY, WE MUST INVEST IN THE PEOPLE AND THE BASIC SYSTEMS THAT PROTECT THEM. WE ARE CALLING COUNCIL TO FULLY FUND THE DITCH RE ESTABLISHMENT PROGRAM BY $45 MILLION. WHEN DITCHES ARE THE PRIMARY [01:25:01] DRAINAGE SYSTEM FOR MANY OF OUR VULNERABLE NEIGHBORHOODS. LEAVING THEM CLOGGED IS A POLICY CHOICE TO LET THOSE SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOODS FLOOD INVEST IN PUBLIC WORKS BY HIRING CITY WORKERS. RELYING ON ON SKELETAL CREWS OR EXPENSIVE OUTSIDE CONTRACTORS IS NOT THE DEFINITION OF A GOOD GOVERNMENT. WE NEED A ROBUST INTERNAL WORKFORCE TO MAINTAIN OUR BEAUTIFUL CITY, PROTECT, UH, CITY SERVICES AND EMPLOYEES. WE DEMAND NO CUTS TO ESSENTIAL SERVICES, NO JOB CUTS AND NO HIRING FREEZES. WE CANNOT BUILD A SAFER HOUSTON BY STRIPPING DEPARTMENTS THAT KEEP US RUNNING. I ASK Y'ALL TO PRIORITIZE THE RESIDENTS WHO ARE HERE EVERY DAY OVER THE INVESTORS WHO ARE HERE FOR ONLY A SEASON. WE BELIEVE THESE DEMANDS WILL BRING US TO A HEALTHIER, SAFER, AND MORE LIVABLE HOUSTON FOR EVERYONE. AND I JUST HAVE, SINCE I HAVE EXTRA TIME, UM, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION, UM, FOR MAYOR WHITMEYER. UM, MAYOR, ARE YOU VIOLATING THE VALOREM SETTLEMENT BY ONLY INCREASING DRAINAGE FUNDING BY 31 MILLION INSTEAD OF 48 MILLION? THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. READ A ROLLABLE. I GUESS THIS QUESTION IS ALSO FOR ANY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. CAN ANYONE ANSWER MY QUESTION? NO MA'AM. YOUR TIME'S EXPLAINED. THANK YOU. OKAY, THAT'S DISAPPOINTING. THANK YOU. READ, READ A ROLLS ROBLES TO BE FOLLOWED BY REBECCA SALE. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS RITA ROBLES AND I AM FROM THE DENVER HARBOR COMMUNITY. I WANTED TO SPEAK ABOUT HUB HOUSES. I AM A HUB HOUSE CAPTAIN IN MY AREA. I CARRY SUPPLIES FOR RESIDENTS IN MY COMMUNITY. I HELP BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A DISASTER. I HAVE HELPED WITH SOLAR POWER, BATTERIES, HEATERS, FANS, CAMPING STONES, LANTERNS, MANY REFRIGERATORS, AND SO MUCH MORE. THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS SAID MANY, MANY TIMES IN TIMES OF CRISIS, PREPARE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AND HUNKER DOWN. I KNOW WE'VE HEARD THAT MANY, MANY TIMES. THE THING IS, THE CITY WILL NOT COME OUT AND HELP US DURING A CRISIS IN MY AREA, MARY, EXCUSE ME, IN MY AREA AND SURROUNDING AREAS. IT FLOODS. THIS IS DUE TO DECADES OF NEGLECT IN OUR DITCHES IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THIS IS A POLICY, UM, FAILURE. WE ARE IN CRISIS. WE NEED THE CITY TO FOLLOW UP ON THEIR WORD AND REPAIR, REPLACE OUR WATER AND SEWER SEWAGE PIPES THAT ARE SPILLING INTO OUR COMMUNITIES. TAKING $104 MILLION FROM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IS THE OPPOSITE OF THAT. OUR NEIGHBORHOODS FLOOD DURING NORMAL RAINS. WE ARE LIVING WITH POLLUTION IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND LEAD IN OUR DRINKING WATER. THIS BUDGET SOLVES NONE OF THOSE ISSUES AND THESE ISSUES ARE PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS. SO I KNOW THAT MY COUNCIL MEMBER IS HERE AND SOME OF THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WE WORK WITH. AND AND I WANT TO ADDRESS ALL OF YOU. WHAT ARE Y'ALL GOING TO DO FOR OUR AREAS? I KNOW THAT RECENTLY I NOTICED THAT OUR, OUR, UH, FREEWAY AND THE, UM, INTERSECTIONS HAVE BEEN CLOSED DOWN FOR STREET REPAIRS. AND, UM, I'M SORRY TO SAY, I MEAN I'M HAPPY THAT THEY FINALLY REPAIRED THE ROADS IN CERTAIN AREAS, BUT THEY DID SUCH A SHODDY JOB, UH, TRYING TO HURRY UP FOR FIFA. I MEAN, DOES THAT MEAN THAT THEY'RE GONNA COME BACK AND FIX IT BECAUSE THE ROADS ARE VERY UNEVEN AND THE STREETS THE WAY THEY PAINTED IT IN, IN, IN, IN RAIN, WHEN IT RAINS IN AN EVENING, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO SEE IT. AND SOMEBODY LIKE ME WHO'S GETTING UP IN AGE, I HAVE TO WEAR GLASSES AT NIGHT. IT'S WORSE. I DON'T SEE THOSE LINES. THEY DID A VERY, VERY SHODDY IN A VERY, VERY FAST TIME. SO I'M HOPING THAT YOU GUYS WILL COME TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD, COME TO I 10 BETWEEN WAYSIDE AND CREST AND LOOK AT THE SHODDY JOB THEY DID. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT REBECCA, REBECCA SALE TO BE FOLLOWED BY JOSIAH RECTOR. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME'S BECKY SELL. I'M HERE BECAUSE I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DIRECTION THIS BUDGET IS TAKING US AND I'M ALSO VERY CONCERNED BY THE AMOUNT OF QUESTIONS WE'VE ASKED [01:30:01] JUST TO SILENCE. TOTALLY UNDERSTAND IF Y'ALL NEED MORE TIME TO UNDERSTAND THESE QUESTIONS AND GET BACK TO US. BUT OUR UNDERSTANDING IS Y'ALL ARE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PEOPLE AND IT'S YOUR JOB TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON AND ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS. SO I'M GONNA ASK SOME MORE QUESTIONS. WE'LL ALSO SHARE THEM IN AN EMAIL FOLLOWING UP AND WE'D REALLY APPRECIATE ANYONE'S HELP. UM, WE'RE NOT HERE TO BE UNNECESSARILY PROVOCATIVE OR TO TRICK YOU OR TO FIGHT. I SEE YOUR SMIRK, MAYOR WHITMEYER. WE'RE HERE BECAUSE OF OUR CONCERN FROM COMING FROM ON THE GROUND EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE. OKAY. I'M A TRAINED ENGINEER. I'M A CO-DIRECTOR OF WEST STREET RECOVERY, A MEMBER OF THE NAC. I'VE BEEN A FIRST RESPONDER IN HOUSTON TO DISASTERS FOR NINE YEARS. SINCE HURRICANE HARVEY. I'VE PERSONALLY REBUILT FIVE HOMES, BEEN THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR ON FIVE HOMES AND DONE A LOT OF OTHER CONSTRUCTION. I'VE SET UP THE HUB HOUSE PROGRAM. I'VE DESIGNED SOLAR AND BATTERY SYSTEMS TO PUT ON MEMBERS' HOMES. I'VE DESIGNED WATER PURIFICATION SYSTEMS, SYSTEMS THAT ARE WORKING AND BEING USED IN ALL THESE DISASTERS. I'VE SPENT WEEKS HELPING PEOPLE APPEAL FEMA FILE FOR FLOOD INSURANCE, TALKING TO FAMILIES OF HOW TO AVOID THE SEWAGE BILLS ON THEIR PROPERTIES. SO WE'RE NOT SAYING THIS STUFF TO BE PROVOCATIVE. WE'RE REALLY WORRIED AND WE WANT THE BUDGET TO TAKE US IN A GOOD DIRECTION NO MATTER HOW YOU TALK ABOUT IT. WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED IS TO TAKE $104 MILLION THAT IS RESTRICTED TO WATER AND SEWAGE AND MOVE IT TO THE GENERAL FUND. THAT'S NOT OKAY. THOSE SYSTEMS ARE FAILING RIGHT NOW. WE NEED NOT JUST TO CONTINUE WHAT'S HAPPENING, BUT TO IMPROVE IT. SOME WINS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE BEEN SHARED AND WE AGREE WITH SOME OF THOSE WINDS. THE DECREASE IN WATER MAIN BREAKS, THAT'S AMAZING. THESE WINDS ARE GOOD, BUT THESE WINDS DO NOT JUSTIFY THE EXISTENCE OF OTHER PROBLEMS. WE'VE RECENTLY BEEN TESTING WATER FOR LEAD IN 30 HOMES THAT WE TESTED OVER 25% HAD DETECTABLE LEVELS OF LEAD. ONE OF THOSE HOMES WAS IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX WITH 200 OTHER UNITS. THIS IS THE VERY BEGINNING OF A STUDY WE'RE DOING WITH TEXAS A AND M, BUT THAT'S NOT OKAY. HOW CAN WE JUSTIFY TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM A DEPARTMENT THAT HAS OUR KIDS DRINKING LEAD AND MOVING IT TO SOMETHING ELSE? WE WANT OUR TRASH TO BE FIXED ALSO. WE'RE NOT SAYING TO TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM THAT PROGRAM, BUT THAT IS NOT A SOLUTION. THAT'S A FALSE SOLUTION THAT IS DECREASING THE QUALITY OF SERVICE OR WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT DECREASING THE QUALITY OF SERVICE WHEN OUR KIDS ARE DRINKING. COUNCIL. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU FOR, UM, YOUR CONTINUED ADVOCACY. IT'S BEEN A BLESSING AND UM, HONOR TO WORK WITH WEST STREET RECOVERY. I KNOW MY OFFICE, UM, WORK CLOSELY WITH YOU GUYS. WE EVEN GIVE YOU SOME OF OUR DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS TO, UM, SUPPORT SOME OF THE WORK THAT YOU DO. AND SO WE'RE ALWAYS WELCOME. WE'RE ALWAYS OPEN TO SITTING DOWN AND DISCUSSING, YOU KNOW, YOUR PRIORITIES. AND UM, OF COURSE WITH THE BUDGET COMING UP, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH YOU. SO LET'S GET A MEETING ON THE CALENDAR WITH MARY AND SO WE CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR PRIORITIES. OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT UP POLLARD. COUNCILMAN POLLARD. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, AND TO YOU AND THE REST OF THE SPEAKERS, ONE, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR COMING FORWARD. UH, THERE'S, THERE MAY NOT ALWAYS BE A LOT OF DIALOGUE IN THIS SETTING, UH, FOR, FOR DISCUSSION. UH, BUT I CAN SAY FOR MYSELF AND PROBABLY MANY OF MY OTHER COLLEAGUES AS WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LISTEN TO YOU ALL. SO ALTHOUGH WE MIGHT NOT HAVE A RESPONSE OR BE ABLE TO ANSWER EVERY QUESTION, UH, THAT IS POSED, DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE DON'T WANT TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE. AND SO, UH, TO FOLLOW UP WITH MY OFFICE FOR SURE ON ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ANY TIMES TO MEET. UH, BUT DON'T TAKE THE NON REBUTTALS OR THE SILENCE AS WE'RE NOT LISTENING. UH, WE ARE JUST TAKING THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LISTEN TO YOU. THANK YOU. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU NICK. JOSIAH RECTOR TO BE FOLLOWED BY ROLAND CURRY. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT D. NEXT YEAR IS GONNA BE THE 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE HARVEY. WE KNOW THAT HURRICANE HARVEY WAS 30% STRONGER AS A RESULT OF HUMAN-INDUCED CLIMATE CHANGE AND WHAT ONCE WERE CALLED, 500 YEAR STORMS ARE INCREASING IN LIKELIHOOD, TRIPLING IN PROBABILITY THIS CENTURY. LAST YEAR THE TEXAS STATE CLIMATOLOGIST OFFICE PREDICTED THAT BY 2036, EXTREME RAINFALL IN TEXAS WOULD INCREASE BY UP TO 25%. SO IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE A STORM EVEN GREATER THAN HARVEY HITS HOUSTON IN 2024, THE CLAIMS GUIDE RANKED HOUSTON AS THE RISKIEST CITY IN THE US TO OWN A HOME. AND IT'S JUST GETTING RISKIER. HOUSTON IS NOT PREPARED FOR THE NEXT SUPERSTORM. THIS IS A RACIAL JUSTICE ISSUE [01:35:01] AND AN ECONOMIC JUSTICE ISSUE. 88% OF HOUSTON'S DRAINAGE DITCHES ARE IN MAJORITY PEOPLE OF COLOR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND WE KNOW WHEN THE NEXT SUPERSTORM HITS THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE GONNA FLOOD AGAIN. DEVASTATING LOWER INCOME HOUSEHOLDS AND WIDENING THE RACIAL WEALTH GAP. THE MAYOR IN HIS PRESS CONFERENCE THIS MORNING REFERENCED 31 MILLION FOR DRAINAGE. THIS IS NOT ENOUGH. WE NEED THE CITY TO COMMIT TO THE FULL 45 MILLION FOR THE DITCH DITCH REPLACEMENT PROGRAM AND WE NEED ACCOUNTABILITY IN HOW OUR FUNDS ARE SPENT. THIS ADMINISTRATION DIVERTED $30 MILLION FROM STORM WATER FUNDS FOR BUILDING DEMOLITION LAST YEAR. AND NOW THIS ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO TAKE OVER A HUNDRED MILLION FROM THE WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS AND USE IT TO PLUG A RECORD DEFICIT THAT WAS CREATED BY OUT CONTROL SPENDING INCREASES AND OVERTIME REVEALED BY THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE FOR ESPECIALLY HPD. IT IS NOT PUBLIC SAFETY WHEN YOU UNDERFUND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL SAVE LIVES IN HOUSTON'S MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. AND THESE KINDS OF ACCOUNTING TRICKS DO NOT GENERATE NEW REVENUE OR REDUCE THE COST OF ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE. THE SAME GOES FOR SOLID WASTE. ONE IN FIVE RESIDENTS OF THIS CITY LIVES UNDER THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE INSTEAD OF A REGRESSIVE TRASH FEE THAT WILL TAKE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF LOW INCOME RESIDENTS MONTHLY INCOMES. WE SHOULD CLOSE THE MASSIVE TAX LOOPHOLES FOR CORPORATIONS AND REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS, INCLUDING $92 MILLION FOR OIL AND GAS CORPORATIONS. WE SHOULD LOOK AT ASSESSED FEES FOR DEVELOPERS AND PHASE OUT TR TIR ZS THAT HAVE SERVED THEIR PURPOSE. A FEE IS FAR MORE REGRESSIVE AND WILL RAISE LESS MONEY IN ONE YEAR THAN A 1 CENT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE, WHICH MELISSA DEBOWSKI HAS SAID WOULD BE AUTHORIZED WITHOUT HAVING TO GO BEFORE VOTERS THAT WOULD RAISE $28 MILLION IN A YEAR AND BE FAR LESS REGRESSIVE THAN THIS $5 FEE. WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT ANY REVENUE THAT IS RAISED FOR BOTH DRAINAGE AND SANITATION ACTUALLY GOES TO IMPROVING INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPROVING WAGES, CONDITIONS, AND STAFFING LEVELS FOR SANITATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTS. IF WE REALLY CARE ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, IT MEANS PREVENTING THE HUNDREDS OF DEATHS THAT COULD OCCUR OVER THE NEXT 10 TO 15 YEARS WHEN THE NEXT SUPERSTORMS ARISE AND OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS SYSTEMATICALLY UNDERFUNDED. THANK YOU. NEXT ROLAND SIR. COUNCIL, YOU WANNA BE RECOGNIZED NEXT. ROLAND CURRY. ROBERT, GO AHEAD. ROBERT DRE KIA HOWARD TO BE FOLLOWED BY DIMITRI SMITH. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMAN. MY NAME IS GIL HOWARD. I WORK FOR OTG CONCESSIONS AT THE AIRPORT AT BUSH AND CONTINENTAL. UM, AND I ALSO WANNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO SEIU. WE ARE SUPPORTING YOU GUYS. JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW, UM, I AM HERE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE RECENTLY RATIFIED A NEW C BAY THAT WILL CHANGE THE LIVES OF 700 EMPLOYEES WORKING AT OTG. I AM PERSONALLY GLAD BECAUSE THIS WILL RAISE MY INCOME FROM 1450 TO $20 AN HOUR AND IN OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR, WE'LL GET ANOTHER ADDITIONAL DOLLAR, WHICH WILL BRING ME AT 21. AND FOR ME, THIS IS LIFE CHANGING BECAUSE NOW I CAN TRULY TAKE OUT THE TIME TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF AS MY MEDICAL EXPENSES. SO FOR ME, I DO APPRECIATE AND THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ALL YOU DO. AND I WANNA MOST PARTICULARLY MR. JOHN, YOU THE LETTER AND SUPPORT THAT YOU SENT OUT IN SUPPORT OF GETTING US THIS RAISE WITHOUT YOU, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD'VE BEEN DONE WITH OTG OUR CONCESSIONS. AND I AM TRULY APPRECIATED ON BEHALF OF ME AND OUR MY COWORKERS, WE ARE EXTREMELY GLAD AND WE ARE VERY HAPPY AND EXCITED AND KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT DEMITRI SMITH, BEFORE WE GET STARTED, CAN I PASS THIS FOR THE RECORD TO BE FOLLOWED BY DEBORAH FEATHERING OF BEAUMONT? IT IS BEEN A WHILE. HELLO, HOW Y'ALL DOING? WELL FIRST OF ALL, I'M GOING TO INVOKE ALL YOUR OATH OFFICE TODAY. YOU ARE ALL SITTING IN A FIDUCIARY CAPACITY. YES, YOU'RE ALL SITTING IN A FIDUCIARY CAPACITY AS PUBLIC TRUSTEES. FIRST THING I WANNA DO IS PUT YOU ON NOTICE OF A NEGATIVE AVERT FORMER FIDUCIARY AUDIT, FRAUD, WASTE AND ABUSE OF [01:40:01] FEDERAL FUNDS RECIPIENT, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER H-P-D-U-E-I, NUMBER 5 7 6 6 S AS IN SAM, THREE NINE Y NINE SIX B EIGHT FEDERAL FRAUD AWARD. IT'S THE BURN EDWARD MEMORIAL GRANT SISTANCE PROGRAM NOTICE OF A NEGATIVE ADVERTISEMENT OF FOR DEMAND INVESTIGATION. I DIMITRI SMITH, FIDUCIARY TRUSTEE FOR THE ESTATE OF THE ACCUSED HEREBY PROVIDE THIS NOTICE TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON REGARDING CASE NUMBER 1 9 5. I'M GONNA LEAVE THE REST BLANK. LAST FOUR DIGITS, 10 10. I HAVE FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF THE FACTS OF THE STATES HEREIN HAVING PERSONALLY REVIEWED THE OFFICER BODY WORN CAMERA BWC, WHICH YOU GET PAID FOR FOOTAGE AND TESTIMONY WITH THE COURT APPOINTED A COUNSEL. YOUR OFFICER ABUSED MY DAUGHTER IR THAT I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY EVIDENCE, VIDEO, OR MEDICAL RECORD PROVIDING FOR THE ACCUSED OF OFFICER A RODDIS ON FEBRUARY 16TH, 2026. I DENY SUCH EVIDENCE EXISTS IR THAT D THAT THE BWC FOOTAGE PROVES THAT THE ACCUSED NEVER SLAPPED, KICK OR CAUSED PAIN TO OFFICER RODDA CONTRADICTING THE FALSIFIED POLICE REPORT IN CASE NUMBER THAT SAID, I JUST SAID, I VERB THAT THE CHARGING INSTRUMENT SIGNED BY THE AFFIANT HABE FLORES IS A FRAUDULENT DOCUMENT AS FLORES WAS NOT A WITNESS AND NOT PRESENT ON THE SCENE TO ATTEST TO ANY ASSAULT, I VERB THAT THE CITY IS WITHHOLDING VWC EVIDENCE TO MAINTAIN FALSE LEVEL TWO FELONY CHARGES CONSTITUTE OFFICIAL OPPRESSION AND GRANT FRAUD. VIOLATION OF DEPARTMENT OF UH, UH, UH, DOJ STANDARD ASSURANCE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND HPD OR SUB-RECIPIENTS OF DOJ FE. THIS IS FROM THE TREASURY ONE FIVE PB JA DASH 22 GG DASH 0 3 54 DASH JA GX. THIS FUNDING IS CONTINGENT UPON ASSURANCE NUMBER FOUR, CIVIL RIGHTS AND ASSURANCE. NUMBER 11, INTEGRITY BY FALSELY ACCUSING AN INNOCENT BLACK WOMAN WITH NO CRIMINAL RECORD OF HIGH LEVEL FELONY MIMICKING THE PATTERN PATTERNS. PATTERNS OF ASHLEY GONZALEZ RACELESS RACIST ACTIONS. THIS AGENCY HAS BEEN BREACHED OF ITS FIDUCIARY CAPACITY AND FEDERAL CONTRACT. I DEMAND THIS COUNCIL INVESTIGATE OFFICER A ROTES FOR RACIST MAL FEIS AND FABRICATION OF HIGH LEVEL CRIMINAL CHARGES. YOU HAVE FIVE DATES. I DON'T HAVE TO ASK YOU NO QUESTION. YOU HAVE VIOLATED YOUR GRANT FRAUD. THANK YOU. NEXT DEBORAH FEATHER OF BEAUMONT. WAIT, YOU DENIED THE FOUR YEAR REQUEST. NEXT, YOU KNOW THAT RIGHT? JE RE I ASKED FOR A FOUR YEAR REQUEST FOR YOUR HPD OFFICER. THIS BODY DENIED IT. THANK YOU MA'AM. OKAY. I WANT YOU TO KNOW, THANK YOU TO BE FOLLOWED BY CARRIE RICE OF CYPRUS. GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I'M A DEALER IN THE SOUTHWEST. I'M DEALING WITH AUTO DEALER. ANY DOCUMENT YOU LOSE, UH, WHETHER DBS OR ANYTHING, YOU COULD GO GET A REPLACEMENT. AND UNFORTUNATELY WITH AUTO DEALER, THEY HAVE FAVORITISM. CERTAIN PEOPLE GET AWAY WITH MURDERS AND IF YOU ASK FOR A SR YOU WON'T GET IT F*****G CRAZY. AND IT'S GETTING REALLY NASTY. AND I REQUEST THE CITY TO BUT AFIS IN CASE IF WE LOSE IT, WE'RE NOT AN ANGELS IN CASE IF WE LOSE A-A-S-R-I MEAN WE COULD FOR XP, WE COULD GET A REPLACEMENT. I MEAN, I LOST MY DBAI WENT AND GOT IT. I GOT, I GOT A COPY FOR $5 AUTO, THE DEALERS, CERTAIN PEOPLE GETTING AWAY, YOU KNOW, WITH SO MANY THINGS THAT I, I HAVE A LIST OF IT AND NOBODY DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. AND IT IS GETTING A LOT OF DEALER ATTENTION. SO ALL OF 'EM CONCERNED AND ALL OF THEM ASK ME TO COME AND TALK TO YOU GUYS. AND I'VE BEEN CALLING THE MAYOR OFFICE FOR THE PAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS. WE'VE BEEN HAVING THIS ISSUE AND NOBODY LISTENING TO US. THANK YOU. NEXT, CARRIE RICE OF CYPRUS, JIMMY RAY TO BE FOLLOWED BY KEVIN STRICKLAND. GOOD AFTERNOON MR. MAYOR. COUNCIL. COUNCIL MEMBERS. MR. MAYOR. GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, IS MY COUNCIL MEMBER GOING TO BE HERE? JOAQUIN MARTINEZ? UH, NOT ADVISED. GO AHEAD AND SPEAK. UH, I'M [01:45:01] HERE BECAUSE I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY NEIGHBOR THAT LIVES BEHIND ME. BACK ON JULY 8TH, 2024, WE HAD HURRICANE BARREL CAME THROUGH AND IT BLEW PART OF MY PRIVACY FENCE OVER. AND WHEN THAT CAME DOWN, THERE WAS A SECOND FENCE BEHIND MINE THAT WAS A CHAIN LINK FENCE. AND HAD ALWAYS BEEN THERE AT SOME POINT AFTER 2021, MY NEIGHBORS HAD TORE IT OUT. IT WASN'T THEIR FENCE, IT WAS MY FENCE. BUT THEN THEY TOOK THE PIECES OF THE BROKEN FENCE THAT CAME DOWN TO THE HURRICANE AND THEY HIRED A COMPANY AND THEY HAD IT SET UP TO BE THEIR FENCE NOW. AND THEN THEY TOOK A CHAINSAW AND CUT IT DOWN FROM EIGHT FEET TO SIX FEET. AND WHEN I CONFRONTED ABOUT IT, HE SAID I DIDN'T GIVE HIM ANY MONEY AND THAT FENCE BELONGED TO HIM. NOW I SPENT, THAT WAS ON A TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY I CALLED MY FAMILY. WHEN THURSDAY I CALLED MY FRIENDS AND EVERYONE SORT OF AGREED THAT I SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE POLICE, WHICH I DID FRIDAY. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME IT WASN'T THEIR PROBLEM. I NEEDED TO CALL THE CONSTABLE CALLED THE CONSTABLE. THEY SAID IT WASN'T THEIR PROBLEM, IT WAS THE POLICE PROBLEM. WENT BACK AND FORTH. FINALLY, I CALLED THE MAYOR'S CITIZEN ASSISTANCE HOTLINE. THE FIRST WORDS OUTTA THE LADY'S MOUTH WAS, THAT'S THEIR JOB. NOBODY DID ANYTHING. SO I CALLED MR. MARTINEZ'S OFFICE AND I SP CHRISTINA ANSWERED THE PHONE. FIRST THING OUTTA HER MOUTH. THAT'S THEIR JOB. AND IT TOOK OVER A MONTH FOR ME TO GET A CONSTABLE TO COME OUT. HE WOULD NOT TAKE A REPORT, BUT HE VIDEOED EVERYTHING AND TOLD ME THAT SINCE THE MAJORITY OF THE FENCE WAS NOW FACING THEIR SIDE, THAT IF I TOUCHED IT, I WAS GONNA BE ARRESTED. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AFTER THAT. AND I WAS IN CONTACT WITH CHRISTINA. AND THEN FINALLY I WANTED TO GET A POLICE REPORT FILED, SOMETHING FILED. 'CAUSE THE CONSTABLE WOULDN'T DO IT. THE POLICE OFFICER CALLED ME ON THE PHONE. HE WOULDN'T COME TO MY HOME. BUT HE TOOK THE POLICE REPORT OVER THE PHONE AND GAVE ME A CASE NUMBER. THAT WAS IN 2024. AND NOW WE'RE APPROACHING THE TWO YEAR MARK FOR THAT. AND THIS HAS BECOME AN ISSUE WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY 'CAUSE THEY WANNA CLOSE THIS OUT, COMING UP TO BE THE TWO YEAR MARK AND THEY'RE REFUSING TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY'RE SEEING IT AS A CRIMINAL ACT THAT ISN'T BEING INVESTIGATED. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. THAT'S WHY I CAME HERE TODAY. HAVE YOU UM, TALKED TO YOUR NEIGHBOR? I DID TALK TO HIM AT, WHEN THE FENCE CAME DOWN. THAT WAS MY FIRST TIME EVER MEETING THAT THAT NEIGHBOR, UM, THE, THE, THE HOME THAT I LIVE IN WAS MY GRANDPARENTS' HOME. I'VE LIVED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD MY ENTIRE LIFE. YEAH. AND UM, I KNEW THE PEOPLE ORIGINALLY THAT LIVED THERE, BUT WHEN THEY DIED AND THE HOUSE GOT SOLD, WE NEVER GOT TO MEET THOSE PEOPLE. 'CAUSE THERE HAD ALWAYS BEEN A PRIVACY FENCE THERE. AND THE PRIVACY OFFENSE ORIGINALLY WENT UP. I WANNA SAY IT WAS MAYBE MID, MID TO LATE SEVENTIES. LET, LET ME ASK AGAIN. HAVE YOU TALKED TO THE NEIGHBOR, THE NEIGHBOR THAT DID THE DAMAGE, THE NEIGHBOR THAT YOU HAVE THE DISPUTE WITH? YES, I DID. WHEN'S THE LAST TIME I TALKED TO HIM? THE DAY? THAT WAS A TUESDAY. IT WAS TUESDAY. THE, THE QUESTION IS, HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO HIM RECENTLY? NO, THE, THE LAST TIME I SPOKE TO HIM. WELL, LET ME, LET ME SUGGEST YOU'D BE AMAZED IF YOU COMMUNICATE, TELL HIM OF YOUR CONCERNS. WHAT ABOUT OTHER NEIGHBORS? HAVE YOU MAYBE HAD OTHER NEIGHBORS GET INVOLVED? UH, NO I HAVEN'T. I SPOKE TO HIM ONCE AND I, I KIND OF THOUGHT, WELL, LEMME JUST URGE YOU, YOU KNOW, IT'S AMAZING WHAT A CONVERSATION SOMETIMES I REALIZE THAT. AND WHEN I ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD LIKE TO COME OVER AND HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE AND TALK ABOUT IT, HE LAUGHED IN MY FACE AND SHUT THE DOOR. YEAH. WELL WHY DON'T YOU TRY AGAIN TO COMMUNICATE, MAYBE WRITE HIM A NICE NOTE AND I KIND OF WANT THE POLICE TO COME NOW. YEAH, BECAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT COMPASSION. OKAY, LET ME ASK, ASK YOU THIS. LET ME ASK YOU THIS, WHAT WOULD BE THE CRIMINAL ACCUSATION? WELL, RIPPING OUT THE FENCE. OKAY. TAKING MY OTHER FENCE OFF OF MY PROPERTY. THE PIECES OF IT, USING IT FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT AND THEN CUTTING IT DOWN TO SIZE, INCLUDING THE PART OF THE FENCE. HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO A LAWYER? I HAVE NOT YET. UM, LEMME JUST SAY I'M HELPING WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY. HPD DOES A LOT OF THINGS AND THE CONSTABLES HAS CERTAINLY SHOWED UP. WHY DON'T YOU GO TALK TO AN ATTORNEY ABOUT A SMALL CLAIMS COURT AND TRY TO RESOLVE IT BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND YOU BELIEVE IT'S CRIMINAL. I THINK YOU OUGHT TO ADVISE AN ATTORNEY, MAYBE GO DOWN TO THE DA'S OFFICE AND SEE IF THEY'LL TAKE CHARGES. BUT IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE A COMMUNICATION ISSUE WOULD [01:50:01] GO A LONG WAYS. COUNSEL. OKAY. COUNCIL MARTINEZ. WELL, I, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, AND MR. RAY. UM, THESE ARE ALWAYS DELICATE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES WHEN YOU START WORKING WITH A NEIGHBOR. AND AGAIN, AS MAYOR ALLUDED, I THINK CONVERSATIONS GO A LONG WAY. ANOTHER THING, AND I DON'T, I DON'T, I'VE SPOKEN TO CHRISTINA, BUT THE HARRIS COUNTY RESOLUTION CENTER IS ALSO ANOTHER LOCATION THAT WE CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, RECOMMEND. UM, I, I KNOW THAT THEY'VE SPOKEN TO THE JP COURT, WHICH IS I BELIEVE, UH, JUDGE TREVINO'S OFFICE AS WELL. SO THERE ARE SOME, YOU KNOW, WAYS THAT YOU CAN GO ABOUT MOVING FORWARD. UM, I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND, AND I'M HAPPY TO, I'M HAPPY TO GO OUT THERE WITH Y'ALL ALRIGHT. AND HAVE A CONVERSATION IF, IF NEED BE. BUT ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, IT'S A PRIVATE, IT, IT'S A PRIVATE ISSUE. AND SO IF YOU START INVOLVING MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT, IT, IT MIGHT GET TO A POINT WHERE Y'ALL NOT REALLY HAVING ANY CONVERSATIONS AND THEN IT'LL STOP THERE. AND THAT FRUSTRATION, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, UH, WHEN YOU HAVE A, A NEIGHBOR THAT YOU JUST DON'T GET ALONG WITH THAT BECOMES, YOU KNOW, VERY DETRIMENTAL TO YOUR LIVELIHOOD AS WELL. UM, AND SO I WOULD, I WOULD RECOMMEND THE HARRIS COUNTY RES, UH, DISPUTE RESOLUTION CENTER. WE CAN GET, UH, CHRISTINA CAN SHARE THAT CONTACT WITH YOU. UM, WE CAN SET UP SOMETHING. AGAIN, I'M HAPPY TO BE THERE. I'LL, I'LL TAKE THE COFFEE FOR BOTH OF Y'ALL. UM, BUT LET'S, LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. UM, BUT CONVERSATIONS DEFINITELY NEED TO BE HAD AGAIN. OKAY. THAT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. UM, THAT'S WHAT I'VE WANTED SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING. IT'S JUST THAT NO ONE HAS OFFERED ME ANY SORT OF PATH THAT WAY. AND THE MOMENT THE CONSTABLE THREATENED ME WITH ARREST FOR TOUCHING THE FENCE, THAT'S WHEN I FIGURED THAT WAS A LEGAL MATTER. I DO NOT WANT TO GET ARRESTED FOR TOUCHING MY OWN PROPERTY. AND RIGHT NOW I'M PAYING TAXES ON PROPERTY THAT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE. SHOULD IT, WE'RE SORRY. WE'RE SORRY ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES. TRY THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE COUNCIL MEMBER. HE'S ACTUALLY IN OFFERING TO GET INVOLVED. IT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT MEDIATOR TO ME. OKAY. WHEN CAN WE DO THAT? UH, WE CAN DO IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S ON MY CALENDAR IN THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS, BUT I'LL MAKE SURE THAT CHRISTINA REACHES OUT TO YOU. OKAY. WE CAN DO IT SOON. SHOULD I GO TALK WITH SOMEONE NOW FROM YOUR OFFICE? NO, GIVE, YEAH, GIVE REBECCA WILLIAMS YOUR CONTACT. YEAH. IS THAT YOU, REBECCA? YES. SHE'S IN THE CAR. WHY DON'T YOU GIVE HER YOUR CONTACT AND WE'LL FORWARD IT TO COUNCILOR MARTINEZ AND I'LL COMMUNICATE WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBER TO SEE IF, UM, SOME IMPROVEMENT CAN BE MADE. YEP. I, I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. BE SAFE. KEVIN STRICKLAND NEXT TO BE FOLLOWED BY JEFF DUSTIN. GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCIL AND MAYOR. UM, IT'S GROUNDHOG DAY AGAIN. I'M KEVIN STRICKLAND, PRESIDENT OF THE GREATER HEIGHTS SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH HAS ENGAGED ON THE 11TH STREET SAFETY IMPROVE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT FOR MANY YEARS. I'VE SENT YOU PREVIOUSLY TWO LETTERS OF SUPPORT PROVIDED BY MY COUNSEL, PLUS SEVERAL LETTERS OF SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS IN THE AREA. BY NOW, COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER HAS RECEIVED DOZENS OF EMAILS REITERATING OUR SUPPORT. UM, THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE PRIOR CAMPAIGNS WE'VE ORGANIZED. THE COMMUNITY WIDELY SUPPORTS THIS PROJECT. ON APRIL 26TH, 2025, 110 PEOPLE VOICED THEIR STRONG SUPPORT OUT OF TOWN HALL ORGANIZED BY COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO AND COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. KIDS WHO ATTEND HOG AND HARVARD TALKED ABOUT HOW THEY CAN NOW CROSS THE STREET SAFELY TO GET TO SCHOOL. AS ALWAYS MISSING FROM THE DISCUSSION ABOUT 11TH STREET IS THAT IT IS A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AND IT IS WORKING EXACTLY AS DESIGNED. WE HAVE THE FACTS TO BACK IT UP. THE CITY CAREFULLY ANALYZED THE DATA BEFORE AND AFTER THE PROJECT. BEFORE AVERAGE SPEEDS WERE 40 AND A 30 CRASHES ON THE CORRIDOR WERE HIGHER THAN THE STATE AVERAGE. NOW THE AVERAGE SPEED IS CLOSE TO THE SPEED LIMIT. DO YOU KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO GET THE AVERAGE SPEED TO THE SPEED LIMIT ON A HOUSTON STREET? CRASHES ARE DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY SO FAR IN 26 THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN THREE CRASHES. SO HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? BECAUSE 11TH STREET HAD EXCESS CAPACITY. THAT MEANS DRIVER SPEED. WHEN THEY SPEED THEY CRASH MORE AND THOSE CRASHES ARE MORE SERIOUS. THIS IS ALL BASED ON FACTS, NOT ANECDOTES OR VIBES. IT IS NOT TRUE TO SAY THAT FIRE TRUCKS CAN'T USE 11TH. NO DATA HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO SHOW THIS. I UNDERSTAND IF A COUNCIL MEMBER LIVES IN KINGWOOD, SHE MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE HEIGHTS TO KNOW THAT MOST OF THE STREETS ARE NARROW WITH OPEN DITCHES AND THE FIRE TRUCKS MANAGE JUST FINE. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO USE AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE OF YOUR CHOICE [01:55:01] AND GO TO THE TWITTER APP, WHICH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE USES OFTEN. IF YOU'RE NOT SURE HOW TO DO IT, COUNCIL MEMBER SALINAS AND CASTILLO CAN HELP YOU AND YOU CAN SEARCH FOR HASHTAG FIRE TRUCKS ON 11TH. UM, I'D ALSO POINT OUT SINCE IT'S BUDGET SEASON, THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE COULD WASTE SO MUCH MONEY REMOVING A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT WHEN THE CITY IS FACING SO MANY DIFFICUL DIFFICULTIES AS MY FELLOW HOUSTONIANS HAVE BEEN POINTING OUT ALL AFTERNOON. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OH, WOW. THAT THANK YOU ON THE DOT . I CAN TAKE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BUDGET IF YOU LIKE. NEXT I'M KIDDING. JEFF DUSTIN TO BE FOLLOWED BY CLAY KAIN. HELLO. UM, THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME AND LETTING ME TALK TODAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS JEFF DUSTIN AND I'M HERE REPRESENTING ONE PARK PROJECT AND OVER 1500 HOUSTON RESIDENTS. ONE PARK PROJECT IS A COMMUNITY DRIVEN ORGANIZATION ADVOCATING FOR INCLUSIVE SHARED USE POLICIES ACROSS PUBLIC SKATE PARKS. WE ARE HERE TO RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH CITY COUNCIL AND H-P-A-R-D ABOUT A PILOT PROGRAM AT LEE AND JAMIL SKATE PARK DOWNTOWN. ONLY A FEW BLOCKS FROM HERE, CURRENTLY BMX BICYCLES ARE NOT ALLOWED IN HOUSTON. SKATE PARKS LIMITING ACCESS TO A PUBLIC FACILITY FOR A LARGE AND ACTIVE COMMUNITY. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE CONCERNS AROUND SAFETY PARK DESIGN AND POTENTIAL WEAR AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE PROPOSING A STRUCTURED SOLUTION TO WORK WITH THE CITY ON ALLOWING US TO BE A PART OF THE PROGRAM. WE'RE PROPOSING A 90 DAY PILOT PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS BMX ACCESS UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS, INCLUDING CLEAR RULES, OPTIONAL DE DESIGNATED TIMES, AND COMMUNITY SUPPORTED OVERSIGHT. THIS APPROACH ALLOWS THE CITY TO EVALUATE REAL WORLD, REAL WORLD DATA AND PROVIDES A LOW RISK WAY TO ASSESS SHARED USE. WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR A PERMANENT CHANGE TODAY, JUST THE OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE A CONTROLLED PILOT PROGRAM. WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THIS PROPOSAL IN PER IN PERSON TO ANY COUNCIL MEMBER THAT IS WILLING TO HEAR US. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. UM, I DO WOULD LIKE TO ADD, I DO HAVE A PROPOSAL SHEET WITH ME. IF ANY COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD LIKE TO TAKE ONE, I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE THAT AND BE ABLE TO FOLLOW UP WITH THEM AFTER THE MEETING TO SEE IF WE COULD SIT DOWN AND DISCUSS MORE OF THE NUANCES TO THE PROGRAM. IT'S BIGGER THAN, YOU KNOW, JUST SAYING CAN WE BE A PART OF IT. UM, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF DATA AND RESEARCH TO BACK OUR CLAIMS, UM, WHEN IT COMES TO INSURANCE SAFETY AND USE OF THE PARK AND WE'D LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO SOMEONE IN PERSON TO SEE HOW WE COULD MAYBE GROW. THANK, THANK YOU COUNCIL AND CASTILLO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND JEFF, UH, I REALIZE SOMEONE ELSE IS ALSO HERE TO TALK ABOUT THIS. UM, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF SKATE PARKS IN MY DISTRICT, SO I DO WANT TO TAKE YOU UP ON YOUR OFFER TO MEET, TO DISCUSS. UM, ONE OF MY STAFF MEMBERS IS GONNA COME BY TO GET THE PAPER AND CONNECT WITH YOU AND, AND GET SOMETHING SET UP FOR US. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT THAT MR. CASTILLO. THANK YOU AND THANKS AGAIN FOR THE TIME. HAVE A GREAT DAY. THANK YOU. NEXT CLAY KAIN TO BE FOLLOWED BY CARLOS MIRANDA MIRO OF CYPRESS. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME'S CLAY KANE. I'M A HOUSTON RESIDENT AND ACTIVE RIDER. I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE ONE PARK PROJECT PROPOSAL AND, UH, THERE'S A REAL COMMUNITY HERE THAT WANTS TO USE THESE PARKS RESPONSIBLY AND THE STRUCTURED PILOT PROGRAM WOULD GIVE THE CITY A SAFE WAY TO EVALUATE THIS. UM, WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR A PERMANENT CHANGE, JUST AN OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE IT. UH, AND IF I COULD ADD A COMMENT TO WHAT MR. CASTILLO SAID, WE ARE AWARE OF OTHER SKATE PARKS, BUT TODAY WE ARE HERE TO DISCUSS THE LEE AND JOE JAMELE SKATE PARK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR. NEXT, CARLOS MIRANDA MIRA OF CYPRUS TO BE FOLLOWED BY ALBERT ALBERT LANES. HELLO, MEMBERS OF THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL. I'M CARLO. I ADVOCATE FOR VOTING METHOD REFORM AND I WAS MEANING TO CHAT WITH Y'ALL ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF INTRODUCING A VOTING METHOD CALLED APPROVAL VOTING FOR HOUSTON CITY ELECTIONS. OUR CURRENT VOTING METHOD CHOOSE ONE. VOTING WITH A RUNOFF IS CONSIDERABLY BETTER THAN MANY ALTERNATIVES, BUT IT'S VULNERABLE TO WHAT I'D CONSIDER IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST FLAWS OF ELECTIONS IN AMERICA. VOTE SPLITTING. I'M SURE THAT YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH VOTE SPLITTING WHENEVER Y'ALL CAMPAIGN IN CROWDED FIELDS. IT'S DUE TO THE RULES OF THE GAME THAT WE GET UNNECESSARILY FRACTURED RACES, WHICH LEAD TO REALITY SUCH AS OVER THE LAST DECADE, HOUSTON MAYOR, UH, HOUSTON MAYORAL CANDIDATES, UH, ADVANCE FROM THE RUNOFF WITH AN AVERAGE OF 38% OF THE VOTE, MEANING 62% OF VOTERS, UH, VOTED FOR ANYBODY ELSE. AND I DON'T MENTION THIS IN A NEGATIVE LIGHT TO ANY OF THE CANDIDATES OR THE MAYOR, THIS IS JUST AN UNFORTUNATE FLAW THAT WE'VE ACCEPTED AND ELECTIONS DUE TO VOTE SPLITTING BECAUSE OF CHOOSE WIN VOTING. BUT SYSTEMS LIKE APPROVAL [02:00:01] PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE THAT MAY ALLOW FOR BETTER REPRESENTATION AND MORE DECISIVE MANDATES WHEN VOTE SPLITTING OCCURS. IT'S NOT JUST A SMALL INCONVENIENCE, THESE ARE THOUSANDS OF VOTERS LOSING REAL POWER, UH, WHEN DESIRING TO EXPRESS THEIR HONEST PREFERENCE. WHY HAVE A METHOD KNOWN FOR BREEDING, POLARIZATION AND FRAGMENTED SUPPORT WHEN WE COULD ELECT LEADERS WITH CONSENSUS BASED METHODS THAT EMPOWER VOTERS? APPROVAL WORKS LIKE THIS. WHEN YOU GO TO VOTE, INSTEAD OF ONLY BEING ABLE TO BUBBLE IN NEXT TO ONE CANDIDATE, YOU GET TO BUBBLE IN NEXT TO ALL THE CANDIDATES THAT YOU LIKE. AND AS WE DO NOW, WE SIMPLY COUNT UP THE VOTES AND THE CANDIDATES WITH THE MOST VOTES WINS. UM, REMOVING THE RESTRICTION OF ONLY BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT ONE CANDIDATE IS NOT JUST AN AESTHETIC CHANGE. WE'VE OBSERVED IN THE CITIES THAT HAVE IMPLEMENTED APPROVAL VOTING TO GENUINELY HAVE IMPROVED THE REPRESENTATIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR THAT CITY'S POLITICS. UM, WE'VE SEEN IT REDUCE THE SPOILER EFFECT AND ALLOW FOR A MUCH HEALTHIER AND REPRESENTATIVE, UH, YOU KNOW, TYPES OF RACES. UH, APPROVAL. SIMPLICITY ALSO HAS THE BENEFIT OVER OTHER METHODS SUCH AS RANKED CHOICE, VOTING OF LIKELY BEING COMPATIBLE WITH OUR CURRENT VOTING MACHINES, AS WELL AS REDUCING ERROR RATES AND COMPLEXITY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, LIKELY BEING IN THE CLEAR FOR TEXAS LAW IN WAYS THAT RANKED CHOICE VOTING CANNOT. I'D LOVE TO ADD HOUSTON TO THE LIST OF CITIES LIKE ST. LOUIS AND FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA, LEADING AMERICA ON THE ISSUE OF DEMOCRATIC REFORM. FOUR, QUALITY MULTI CANDIDATE ELECTIONS NEEDED TO IMPROVE REPRESENTATION, BREAK GRIDLOCK AND LOWER THE TEMPERATURE OF POLARIZATION. AND I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A REAL BENEFIT TO APPROVAL OF VOTING THAT COULD EMPOWER BOTH THE VOTERS OF HOUSTON AS WELL AS THE REPRESENTATIVES AND OF COURSE, IF NEEDING FURTHER CLARIFICATION ON APPROVAL OF VOTING, HOW IT WORKS, THE TRADE OFFS. UH, FURTHER CLARIFICATION ON WHY I BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT. I'D HAPPILY ANSWER ANY OF THOSE QUESTIONS FROM Y'ALL. IF NOT, I'LL CONCEDE MY TIME. I APPRECIATE Y'ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALBERT LANES. ALBERT LANES. NEXT SPEAKER, REGINALD REGINA SOFAS. REGINALD REGINA. REGINA SOFAS. NEXT SPEAKER, JACOB CLEMENT. JACOB CLEMENT GREETING. IT'S EVERYBODY. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE VOTE BECAUSE ITS DISTRICT C AND THE REPLACEMENT FOR . NOW WE HAVE TWO CHOICES, EITHER IN ALIA YARD, UH, NOR BY SALLY ACORN OR, UH, JOE POND, WHO, UM, IS ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE CHRONICLE. AND THEN WHEN, UM, THE CHRONICLE PUBLISHED A LETTER THAT, UH, I WROTE TO, TO THEM ABOUT WOMEN AND ICE AND THE VOCAL MINORITY. AND, UM, WELL, UH, I ALSO WENT TO AUSTIN ON MY BIRTHDAY, AND THERE I SAW JOE, I MEAN, UM, I SAW, UM, WHAT'S HIS NAME, UM, AND, UH, DON HINE. AND NOW AFTER SEEING DON HINE, I I THOUGHT THAT WAS GOOD. AND THEN THE NEXT TWO WEEK WEEKS LATER, I SAW, UH, SARAH ECKHART. AND, UM, FOR BOTH OF THOSE POLITICIANS RUNNING FOR POLITICAL OFFICE AS BEING THE STATE COMPTROLLER, I GAVE A GIFT TO, TO, UH, DON HANS, A BOOK ON CHRISTIANITY AND JUDAISM AND ON, UH, FOR HERSELF SARAH ECKHART, UH, A LITTLE, UM, UM, HOW CAN I SAY THIS, BUT I, A , WHICH HAS SHE SEEN ON ONE SIDE AND AN ASTRONAUT ON THE OTHER SIDE. YOU REALLY DETECTED, NOW IT'S TIME. WELL, UM, LET'S SAY AN AGGIE, UH, WAS TALKING WITH MAYOR MEYER AND WHILE HE NOD HIS HEAD WAS BALD, AND SO HE ASKED HIM, WHAT DID YOU NAME YOUR DAUGHTER? AND MARY WILMAR SAID, BARBARA ANN. AND, UM, WELL, THE SAID, WHY NOT BARBARA ANN. THANK YOU, JACOB. NEXT SPEAKER, KELLY HANNIGAN GALORE. KELLY HANNIGAN GALORE. NEXT SPEAKER. EDUARDO DURAN. EDUARDO DURAN. NEXT SPEAKER, ANDREW PATTERSON. ANDREW PATTERSON. NEXT SPEAKER, CAROLYN RIVERA. CAROLYN RIVERA, TAB TO BE FOLLOWED BY RUBEN GARZA. [02:05:19] CAROLYN RIVERA CITY GAS, NORTHEAST HOUSTON MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL. AN ADDITIONAL TRUST FEE ADDED TO OUR WATER BILL. REALLY, OUR WATER BILL HAS TRIPLED IN FIVE YEARS. AN ADDITIONAL FEE IS A BURDEN FOR US. POOR PEOPLE. WILL OUR TRASH SERVICE IMPROVE? HOW? WHEN OVER 250 WORKERS ARE NO LONGER EMPLOYED AT PUBLIC WORKS ALTERNATIVES HAVE A SMALL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE, CHARGE, BIG FINES AND TAX MULTIMILLION DOLLAR CORPORATIONS LIKE GOLD STAR METAL, WHO ARE TRASHING OUR COMMUNITY, CAUSING POLLUTED, FLOODED WATER DURING A MINOR RAIN, DESTROYING OUR SOIL AND DITCH DRAINAGE. BY THE WAY, I'VE GONE THROUGH TCEQ AND ALL THE REST OF THEM, THEY DIRECT ME TO YOU WHEN IT COMES TO GOLD STAR MEDAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU NICK RUBEN, RUBEN GARZA TO BE FOLLOWED BY MAXIM MILANO DI DIAZ. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. MARIN CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS RUBEN GARZA. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE BUDGET, BUT VERY BRIEFLY, I'M ALSO A MEMBER OF, UH, LULAC COUNCIL 60, AND I DO WANT TO ECHO EVERYONE'S PREVIOUS, UH, STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF RENAMING CESA CHAVEZ BOULEVARD, UH, IN HONOR OF MARIA JIMENEZ. UM, WITH CONCERNS FOR THE BUDGET, UH, AS A, AS SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW HERE, I'M AN ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF AN ORGANIZATION CALLED STRONG TOWNS HOUSTON. WE FOCUS ON CITY MUNICIPAL FINANCES AND WE'VE TAKEN A LOOK AT THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S OVERALL FINANCIAL POSITION, OUR NET FINANCIAL POSITION, BASICALLY COMPARING ASSETS TO LIABILITIES AS OF 25, UH, OR AS OF THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEARS, NEGATIVE 13 BILLION. AND AS THE EVERYONE KNOWS, THE CITY HAS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DEFERRED MAINTENANCE OBLIGATIONS. UH, TO GET OUT OF THIS AND TO SUGGEST A STRONG TOWN'S APPROACH WOULD BE TO DO THE FOLLOWING. UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE BUDGET COMING UP, I KNOW THERE'S A FALSE DICHOTOMY BETWEEN SERVICES AND TAXES. I WOULD RATHER THE CITY FOCUS ON INFILL DEVELOPMENT, GENERATING NEW TAX REVENUE FROM NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT WOULD REQUIRE ELIMINATING PARKING MINIMUMS AND EXPEDITING PERMITS FOR LOCAL BUSINESS, INCLUDING TRAFFIC CALMING DEVICES. TIME HAS EXPIRED. CAN I GET A LITTLE BIT EXTRA TIME? JUST VERY BRIEFLY. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. UM, ONE THING WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CONSIDER IS A TRAFFIC CALMING LINE ITEM BUDGET FOR HBW TO INCLUDE TRAFFIC CALMING DEVICES AND QUICK BUILD PROGRAMS AS SEEN IN THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO. HAPPY TO TALK TO, UH, Y'ALL'S OFFICES ABOUT THAT, INCLUDING MODEL LANGUAGE TO USE. AND ONE THING IS TO STOP INCREASING DEBT SERVICING IF IT IS GREATER THAN 5% OF LOCALLY SOURCED REVENUE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT MAX DIAZ TO BE FOLLOWED BY RAIN EDMAN. HELLO, MAYOR WHITMEYER AND MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. THIS BUDGET IS NON NEUTRAL. IT IS A CHOICE TO PROTECT PROPERTY PRIVILEGE AND POWER AND MAKE WORKING PEOPLE PAY FOR IT. YOU HAND OUT TAX ABATEMENTS TO CORPORATIONS, LEAVE DEVELOPER LOOPHOLES IN PLACE, AND THEN COME TO THE PUBLIC WITH A REGRESSIVE TRASH FEE AND A UTILITY SHELL GAME AS YOU ARE TOO GULLIBLE TO SEE IT. THAT IS NOT NEW REVENUE, THAT IS MOVING MONEY AROUND WHILE WATER, WASTEWATER, DRAINAGE, TRASH PICKUP AND PUBLIC WORKS STAY UNDERFUNDED AND OVERSTRETCHED. DO NOT TELL US THIS IS ABOUT SAFETY. REAL SAFETY IS FUNCTIONING UTILITIES, WORKING DRAINAGE, CLEAN WATER, GOOD TRASH PICKUP, AND FULLY PUBLIC SERVICES, AND START CAPPING POLICE OVERTIME. THERE'S TOO MUCH PUBLIC MONEY GOING INTO THAT SINKHOLE. IF WE'RE GONNA THROW IN AS MUCH MONEY AS WE WANT TO THE POLICE, WE SHOULD OR HAVE THEM PICK UP THE TRASH AS WELL. YOU, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. NEXT RAIN EDMAN TO BE FOLLOWED BY JACQUE HENLEY. HELLO, HELLO. UM, ONCE HERE, I'M COMING HERE TODAY TO REALLY SHARE MY CONCERNS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE FEE BECAUSE COMPOUNDED FEES REALLY DO WEIGH MORE HEAVILY ON LOWER INCOME RESIDENTS THAN THEY DO THE INCOME RESIDENTS THAT ACTUALLY HAVE, UH, DISPOSABLE INCOME. AND SO TWO OFFERINGS I WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE FOR YOU WOULD BE ONE, UH, THERE ARE [02:10:01] ABOUT $93 MILLION WORTH OF TAX ABATEMENT CONTRACTS THAT ARE GONNA BE EXPIRING THIS YEAR. THAT'S A SOURCE OF REVENUE THAT IF IT IS AVAILABLE, AND IF IT IS A PRIORITY TO REALLY MAKE THAT SHORTFALL SMALLER, YOU COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, UM, ACTUALLY TAXING CORPORATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKING MORE WEALTH FROM THE CITY THAN ACTUALLY GIVING INTO THE CITY. AND THEN TWO, UH, THERE IS A PROCESS BY WHICH YOU CAN DO A ONE SIT INCREASE ON THE PROPERTY TAX WITHOUT NECESSARILY HAVING TO DO IT ON A VOTE. AND IN THAT, THAT WOULD GENERATE AT LEAST $28 MILLION WORTH OF REVENUE, WHICH IS ACTUALLY A LOT MORE THAN THE $5 TAX, UH, $5 FEE THAT WOULD BE GENERATED RIGHT NOW. AND IN AN IDEAL WORLD, WE WOULD PAUSE SOME CONSTRUCTIONS HERE AND THERE, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. BUT THAT'S JUST SOME OFFERINGS THAT I WOULD WANNA PROVIDE, UH, FOR THIS BODY TO CONSIDER. THANK YOU. JUST CHECK. MM-HMM . NOW. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, I WAS GONNA LET YOU FINISH, UM, YOUR, YOUR SUGGESTIONS, RAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVOCACY AS ALWAYS. PROBLEM. UH, THERE IS ONE MORE THAT IF, IF YOU DON'T MIND ME, GO AHEAD. UM, THE OTHER ONE I WANTED TO, UH, ADVISE ON IS THAT IN A PERFECT WORLD, WE WOULD, UH, PAUSE SOME CONSTRUCTION AROUND THE GEORGE R. BROWN CONVENTION CENTER. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A LOT OF POTENTIAL GROWTH IN THERE, BUT CONSIDERING THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH SUCH A, A LARGE SHORTFALL, THERE COULD BE A SPACE WHERE WE CAN AT LEAST PAUSE CONSTRUCTION FOR NOW UNTIL WE DEAL WITH THAT SHORTFALL TO, UH, AT LEAST ACCOMMODATE FOR WHAT'S HAPPENING WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. BUT THAT $100 MILLION THAT IS, UH, TAPPED FOR WATER, UH, THERE ARE SEVERAL HOMES THAT ARE BEING TESTED FOR LEAD IN THE POSITIVE AND THERE'S ALREADY CONCERNS ABOUT THE STRUCTURES WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S WATER INFRASTRUCTURE. SO THAT CAUSES A LOT OF CONCERN. BUT, UM, THOSE ARE JUST SOME OFFERINGS I WANTED TO PROVIDE. THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR PROAM, THANK YOU BRAIN FOR BEING HERE AND, AND ALWAYS, UM, LOOKING FOR SUGGESTION, UH, SOLUTIONS AND OFFERING YOUR SUGGESTIONS. I YOU ARE LIKE THE SECOND OR THIRD PERSON THAT, UM, TALKED ABOUT THE LEAD. HAS PUBLIC WORKS BEEN, UM, INVOLVED IN THAT OR WAS THAT AN OUTSIDE ORGANIZATION THAT TESTED FOR THE LEAD? SO, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, I BELIEVE THE, UH, TESTING WAS LED BY WEST STREET RECOVERY AND NORTHEAST ACTION COLLECTIVE. I MIGHT BE MISSPEAKING, BUT I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO, UH, FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR OFFICE WITH MORE DETAILS ON WHAT THAT STUDY ACTUALLY PULLED UP. YEAH, I'M, I'M VERY, UM, INTERESTED IN KNOWING SO THAT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE IS AN OUTSIDE ENTITY THAT SAID LEAD WAS PRESENT, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT SOMEONE FROM THE CITY ALSO TESTS THIS WATER. UM, SO THAT IF SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE, WE CAN HAVE PUBLIC WORKS TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT. ABSOLUTELY. I'LL BE SURE TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR OFFICE AS SOON AS I CAN. OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT ED HENLEY TO BE FOLLOWED BY LEE MERCER. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. MAYOR WHITMEYER, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, THIS HAS BEEN A NINE YEAR JOURNEY AND, UH, OUR HEAVENLY FATHER HAS LED ME HERE TO PROTEST AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT, THE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE 3,300 BLOCK OF MONTROSE BECAUSE HE HAS MADE KNOWN TO US THERE'S AN OIL WELL THERE. AND HE HAS ALSO INFORMED US THAT THERE WILL BE AN OIL EMBARGO. AND RECENTLY THIS, THIS IS, IT'S GOING TO BE UNPRECEDENTED UNHEARD OF. THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING AND RECENTLY THE REASON WHY I AM BACK SO SOON, UH, HE MENTIONED ABOUT, HE SAID, INFORM THE MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL MEMBERS PRELIMINARY. THAT IS THE WORD THAT HE HAS GIVEN ME RECENTLY. PRELIMINARY THE TIME HAS EXPIRED. REMEMBER THAT TO GOD BE THE GLORY. THANK YOU MA'AM. AMEN. NEXT LEE MERCER, SIR, TO BE FOLLOWED BY JOSEPH AMARI. AFTERNOON TO THE MAYOR. AFTERNOON. SENATOR MAYOR IN CITY HALL. I'M LEE MERCER AND I'M BACK AGAIN. IN REFERENCE TO CRIME PREVENTION AND, UH, CRIME PREVENTION AS, UH, NOTE, UH, DENOTED AS BEING CRIME PREVENTION IS THE PRACTICE OF STOPPING CRIME ACTIVITY BEFORE IT HAPPENS. USING STRATEGIES THAT RANGE FROM BETTER STREET LIGHTNING TO YOUTH MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS. WE HAVE A LOT ALSO, UH, CRIME PREVENTION ACTIVITIES WITH THE PRIMARY GOAL OF PREVENTING CRIME IN THE CONTEXT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE. [02:15:02] AND FINALLY, IN REFERENCE TO, UH, MERCI FOR PRESIDENT, I'M LEAH MERCER JR. RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2028 AND THE US ARMY AND I ARE DOING THE PRESIDENT CAMPAIGN. THIS IS AN ARMY COLLEGE AND I'M THE ARMY STUDENT AND WE'LL DEVELOP THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. SO WE'RE GONNA REDEVELOP THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT INTO POLICING A SECOND GOVERNMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS WANNA TALK TO YOU. JOSEPH AMMA, HOW YOU DOING MR. MAYOR? HOW Y'ALL DOING TODAY? COUNCIL? YOU'D MAKE A GREAT VP, HUH? YOU KNOW, I GOT A JOKE FOR YOU. I MEAN, UH, BY BILL WHITE JOKE ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING BILL WHITE'S JOKE WAS IF AFFORDABLE HOUSING YOU COULD AFFORDABLE STAYING A HUNDRED THOUSAND, 200, 300,000 HOUSES AND STAYED UP FOR 10, 20, 30 YEARS. BUT YOU CAN'T DO THAT IF, IF YOU LIVE, IF YOU GOT BILL, IF YOU HAVE 50, 50, 50,000 FOR INCOME, YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO STAY IN YOUR HOUSE. THAT'S WHAT IT, THAT WOULD BE A WHITE SAYS BACK THERE. UH, ANTHONY HENRY KNOWN JUDGE MARIA IS COMPLAINING OF BEING EVIC BY FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC MATERIAL ABOUT PHYSICAL ART THEFT RING AFTER THREE MOVE SCRIPTS WERE STOLEN WITH A TOTAL BOX OFF POTENTIAL 350, 300 $50 MILLION AFTER NONE OF THESE CRIMES THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED HAS BEEN SOLVED, INCLUDING HIS MOTHER KIDNAPPED THE IFIED FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT IFIED COURT DOCUMENT. NONE OF THESE CRIMES HAVE BEEN, NONE OF THESE CRIMINAL HAVE BEEN APPREHENDED OR BROUGHT TO JUSTICE, NOR HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE FROM STATE OR FEDERAL LAW. WHAT AGES OR LOCAL, LOCAL AUTHORITIES UNDER THE MILITARY MOORE LAW. WHAT I RECOMMEND TO WHITE AND BLACK PRIVILEGE, IF YOU DON'T HAVE TALENT SKILL, LEARN HOW TO FINANCE THE DEAL. WE, BLACK AMERICA HAD INDEPENDENT FINANCE. AUSTIN ENTERTAINMENT PROJECT, SISTER LEWIS ARMS AREA. I DON'T KNOW HOW MY MOM AND DAD GENERATION DID IT. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY FOUND THIS, BUT THEY DID. THE HIP HOP GENERATION, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. HATE ADMITTED SIR. THE OYSTER PRODUCT BY MYSELF. SOME OF 'EM SOLD DRUGS AND DOPE BEFORE THEY CAME TO LEVEL SUCCESS. OKAY, THANK YOU. THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY BANKS OR ANY BANK WHITE THE PEOPLE, BUT THAT'S, THANK YOU. THANK, THAT'S NOT WHITE COMPLIMENTAL FAULT. THAT'S OUR FAULT NOT THERE. THANK YOU. LOVE TO TALK TO YOU. BE SAFE. WE STAY IN RECESS [RECESS] TILL NINE IN THE MORNING. [READING OF THE CONSENT AGENDA] LLC FOR AUTOMOTIVE HEAVY DUTY BRAKE REPLACEMENT PARTS. ITEM NINE, APPROVED SPIN AND AUTHORITY FOR TREE TRIMMING, LANDSCAPING DEBRIS REMOVAL, STORM RELATED EMERGENCIES AND RELATED SERVICES AWARDED TO CENTRAL LANDSCAPING AND MAINTENANCE. ITEM 10, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $798,790 41 CENTS FOR PLANNED SAPB TWO G OPTIMIZATION ASSESSMENT ITEM 11, APPROVED SPEND AND AUTHORITY FOR PURCHASE OF MAPPING AND SYSTEMS ASSESSMENT AWARDED TO MGT IMPACT SOLUTIONS LLC AND THIS ITEM SHOULD ONLY BE CONSIDERED AFTER, AFTER THE PASSAGE OF ITEM 10. ITEM 12, ASPEN, E-P-C-L-L-C AND GLOBAL W-E-T-L-L-C TO REMOVE, FURNISH AND INSTALL FOUR CONVEYOR BELTS AND SYSTEMS AT VARIOUS WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS. ITEM 13, AMEND MOTION 2021 DASH 3 87 TO EXTEND THE AWARD TERM TO JUNE 29TH. 2028 AWARDED TO KIM WRIGHT INC. FOR CHLORINATED CHEMICALS. ITEM 14 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY FOR PURCHASE OF POWER PROTECTION CONSULTING SERVICES AWARDED TO EVERYDAY POWER CONSULTING LLC. ITEM 15 APPROVED SPINNING AUTHORITY FOR REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR METERING PUMPS AND ANALYZERS AWARDED TO MCCAULEY CONTROLS COMPANY. ITEM 16, REACH, GRAB AND GO DEBRIS REMOVAL COMPANY FOR ON-CALL. HEAVY TRASH SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES ITEM 17 APPROVED SPENDING AUTHORITY FOR SHORT-TERM VEHICLE RENTAL SERVICES AWARDED TO EAN HOLDINGS LLC. ENTERPRISE ITEM 18, RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING AT 9:00 AM ON MAY 20TH, 2026 IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER OF CITY HALL 9 0 1 BAGBY STREET, SECOND FLOOR, HOUSTON, TEXAS 7 7 0 0 2 ON THE CITY BUDGETS FOR THE TIME PERIOD JULY 1ST, 2026 THROUGH JUNE 30TH, 2027. ITEM 19 RESOLUTION APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SUBMISSION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION UNDER TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD'S DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUND LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM. ITEM 20 RESOLUTION ENDORSING COUNCIL MEMBER MARIO CASTILLO AS THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S REPRESENTATIVE AND CANDIDATE FOR BOARD MEMBER OF THE 2027 NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS FEDERAL ADVOCACY COMMITTEE. ITEM 21 ORDINANCE AMENDING ARTICLE FOUR, CHAPTER 10 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, HOUSTON, TEXAS RELATING TO MULTI-FAMILY RENTAL [02:20:01] BUILDINGS ESTABLISHING A HIGH RISK APARTMENT INSPECTION PROGRAM. ITEM 22, ORDINANCE AMENDED SECTION SIX DASH 27 AND SIX DASH 29 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, HOUSTON TEXAS RELATING TO BARK FOUNDATION AND APPROVING AMENDED BARK FOUNDATION BYLAWS. ITEM 23, ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION FOR GRANT ASSISTANCE TO THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FOR THE OPIOID STIMULANT AND SUBSTANCE USE SITE-BASED PROGRAM. ITEM 24, ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZED AND LEASE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND SUMMIT SEAFOOD SUPPLY INC. ITEM 25 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $1,291,000 $1,506,000 $314,000 $1,129,000 $466,000 $753,000 AND $1,939,000 FOR FFY 26 CIP PROJECTS. ITEM 26 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $1,836,592 FOR TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS. ITEM 27, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $360,000 FOR PETROLEUM STORAGE TANK REPLACEMENT FOR THE HOUSTON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. SUB BISSONNET MAINTENANCE FACILITY. ITEM 28 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $100,000 FOR PLANNED NEW DIGITIZATION LAB EQUIPMENT. PROJECT ITEM 29 ORDINANCE APPROV IN AUTHORIZING CONTRACT WITH INNOVATIVE LEGAL SOLUTIONS. ITEM 30, ORDINANCE APPRO AND AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT TO CONTRACT WITH VERSA. VERSATILE PUBLIC SAFETY INC. ITEM 31 ORDINANCE APPROVED AND AUTHORIZING FIRST AMENDMENT TO CONTRACT WITH HILLTOP SECURITIES ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT LLC ITEM 32. ORDINANCE APPROVED AN AUTHORIZING FOURTH AMENDMENT TO CONTRACT WITH AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS INC. ITEM 33, ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NUMBER 2023 DASH 8 76 RELATED TO CONTRACT WITH LANGUAGE LINE SERVICES INC. ITEM 34, ORDINANCE AMENDING CITY OF HOUSTON, ORDINANCE NUMBER 2026 DASH 16 RELATING TO THE RESCHEDULING OR POSTPONEMENT OF CERTAIN CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. ITEM 35 ORDINANCE FINDING AND DETERMINING PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY FOR THE ACQUISITION OF REAL PROPERTY INTEREST IN CONNECTION WITH THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECT KNOWN AS THE FOURTH MAIN REHABILITATION AND RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT. CONSENT DECREE, GOODYEAR LIFT STATION AND SCARSDALE LIFT STATION PROJECT ITEM 36 ORDINANCE FINDING AND DETERMINING THAT PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY NO LONGER REQUIRE THE CONTINUED USE OF A 15 FOOT WIDE ALLEY FROM FARGO AVENUE SOUTH TO FAIRVIEW AVENUE LOCATED WITHIN BLOCK 13 OF FAIRGROUNDS EXTENSION SUBDIVISION, VACATING AND ABANDONING THE ALL OF FAIRVIEW CORRIDOR LLC AND FRED SHAFI. 20 20 12. 2012 FAMILY TRUST ITEM 37 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH GREATER SOUTHEAST MANAGEMENT DISTRICT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT GRIGGS ROAD SYSTEM SYSTEMIC SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. ITEM 38, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $187,950 APPROVED AND AUTHORIZING INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY OF HOUSTON AND MIDTOWN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FOR CLEBURNE AND CAROLINE STREETS SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. PROJECT ITEM 39, ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $69,463 55 CENTS FOR WALKER STREET RAIL REHABIL REHABILITATION PROJECT AS AN ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION. ITEM 40 ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $210,000 AS A SECOND ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION, APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING SECOND AMENDMENT TO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES CONTRACT WITH CIVIL TECH ENGINEERING ENGINEERING, LLC ITEM 41 ORDINANCE APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING FIFTH AMENDMENT TO SUB-RECIPIENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE SALVATION ARMY. THIS ITEM WAS TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS AND WAS ITEM 10 ON THE AGENDA OF APRIL 29TH, 2026. THIS COMPLETES THE READING OF THE AGENDA FOR THE CITY COUNCIL SESSION OF MAY 6TH, 2026. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT COUNCIL SESSION TO BEGIN AT 9:00 AM AND WITH THAT, I WISH EVERYONE A BLESSED AND HAPPY HUMP DAY. [RECONVENE] COUNSEL, PLEASE COME TO ORDER ITEM ONE, [PUBLIC HEARINGS] PUBLIC HEARING. I THINK WE HAVE THE, UH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR MICHAEL EVANS, COME FORWARD. AND HIS TEAM FLOOR IS YOURS, MICHAEL. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR. UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR MICHAEL EVANS. UH, I'M HERE IN SUPPORT [02:25:01] OF ENERGY TRANSFER PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO EXTEND THE EXISTING SURFACE SITE WITHIN EISENHOWER PARK FOR THE TED COLLINS PIPELINE FROM 10 BY 20 FEET TO 50 BY 50 FEET, ALONG WITH A TEMPORARY WORKSPACE OF THE SAME SIZE DURING CONSTRUCTION THAT WILL NOT ADVERSELY AFFECT THE PARK. EISENHOWER PARK CONSISTS OF 682 ACRES OF LAND LOCATED ON THE SOUTH COAST OF LAKE HOUSTON, NONE OF WHICH WILL BE DISTURBED. THE PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION AS DESIGNED WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH PARK PURPOSES, AVOIDS THE NEED FOR TREE REMOVAL, AND THERE WILL BE MINIMUM IMPACT ON THE PARK DURING AND ONCE CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE. ENERGY TRANSFER WILL TAKE ALL NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO KEEP THE AREA SAFE. THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE WILL BE FOR A PERIOD OF UP TO 18 MONTHS. ENERGY TRANSFER HAS PERFORMED EXTENSIVE PLANNING WITHIN THE CLEARED AREA. THERE WILL BE MINIMUM DISTURBANCE BEYOND THE DESIGNATED WORK ZONES AND THERE WILL BE PROTECTION IN PLACE FOR THE SURROUNDING GREEN SPACES. ACCESS TO EISENHOWER PARK WILL BE PRESERVED THROUGHOUT THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS AT THE PRESENT TIME. THE EXTENSION OF THE SITE IS EXPECTED TO START WITHIN SIX MONTHS. THERE IS NO FEASIBLE PRUDENT ALTERNATIVE TO THE SELECTIVE ROUTE. AS A RESULT OF ORIGINAL ENGINEERING EFFORTS AND THE INSURING DISCUSSIONS WITHIN THE CITY. THE PROPOSED EXPANSION AS DESIGNED MINIMIZES HARM TO EISENHOWER PARK AS A PARK AND RECREATION AREA. NOTICE OF THIS PUBLICATION OR NOTICE OF THIS PUBLIC HEARING HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE ON APRIL 16TH, 2026. APRIL 23RD, 2026, AND APRIL 27TH, 2026. UM, REPRESENTATIVES FROM ENERGY TRANSFER WILL NOW PRESENT AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AFTER THAT. ANY QUESTIONS OF MR. EVANS? NO, SIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE DO HAVE ONE PERSON SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. DOMINIQUE PRESENT. MR. MAZO, COME FORWARD. THANK YOU, MR. DAVIS. YOU WOULD, I THINK YOU'VE DONE YOUR JOB. THANK YOU. THERE'S, UNLESS THERE'S QUESTIONS. OKAY. GOOD MORNING. OKAY. I DID TAKE THE 96 TO RAYLON TO WALK OVER HERE AND THERE THE BUSES ARE LOOKING BETTER AND CLEANER. SO THAT'S, SOME THINGS ARE GOING THE RIGHT WAY WITH THIS PART, WITH THIS. I'M FOR A PIPELINE THING BECAUSE PIPELINES KEEP CHEMICALS AND STUFF LIKE THAT OFF OUR HIGHWAYS. UH, WE GOT ENOUGH TRAFFIC ON OUR HIGHWAYS WITHOUT, WITHOUT STUFF COMING ON OUR, COMING ON TRUCKS AND STUFF. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THIS IS YOU, THIS MEETING TODAY, YOU HAVE TO FULFILL BY WHAT STATE LAW SAYS, AND I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE WITH THIS IS THERE SHOULD BE A PUBLIC HEARING OUT BY THE BOTTOM OF LAKE HOUSTON. AND I REALLY THINK, UM, AFTER BUDGET, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT THE HORSESHOE NEEDS TO LOOK AT IS HOW TO DO PUBLIC HEARINGS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT'S NOT IN INSIDE GROUP SIX 10 SO PEOPLE CAN COME. AND TWO, UH, I WANNA MAKE A SHOUT OUT. UM, ABBY, THANKS TO YOU WORK HERE AT CITY COUNCIL ON THE ROUND. GOOD LUCK AT AT COUNCIL, AT THE, WORKING WITH THE HARRIS COUNTY, UH, LAWYERS. I MEAN ATTORNEY'S DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT. AND SECONDLY, UM, I THINK IT'S YOU MADAM UH, MADAM CAROLYN. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. YOU'RE DOING A GOOD JOB BECAUSE NEXT WEEK, TUESDAY HERE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE HAVE WITH THE MAYOR AND SOME OTHER PEOPLE IN THE, UH, HERITAGE ROOM, YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED IN GOVERNMENT. AND, AND I AM VERY MUCH FOR THAT. I, MY FIRST TIME SPEAKING HERE WAS THE FIRST METRO BOARD MEETING, UH, ALMOST 50 YEARS AGO. SO I AM VERY MUCH FOR HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE, YOUNG PEOPLE INVOLVED IN OUR GREAT AMERICAN EXPERIMENT, UM, FOR THAT AND COMING FROM THAT EXPERIENCE. IF, IF THIS IS GONNA BE A WORKING GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE, I WOULD LIKE TO BE BE HELPING WITH THEM, GIVING THESE, THESE YOUNG PEOPLE IDEAS HOW TO PRESENT THEMSELVES IN PUBLIC AND SO ON. AND MAYBE YOU CAN ASK, UM, UH, MR. J HERE, MR. POLLARD, HOW'D YOU DRESS UP? HOW DO YOU PRESENT THE BODY WHEN YOU COME BEFORE A BODY OF PEOPLE LIKE THIS THAT SOMETIMES LOOKING GOOD HELPS PRESENT THE MESSAGE WITH. SO WITH THAT, I HAVE NO COMMENTS, UH, UNLESS MR. HOE HERE WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE PRESENT THAT WOULD LIKE TO TESTIFY? IF NOT, THE HEARING'S CLOSED. MOTION TO CLOSE. MOTION BY THE MAYOR APPROACH TO MOVE TO CLOSE THE HEARING. SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN [02:30:01] FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSING AIN'T CLOSED. THANK YOU. SECRETARY, [CONSENT AGENDA] WOULD YOU GO TO CONSENT UNDER THE ACCEPT WORK CATEGORY? NEED A MOTIONS? NEED A MOTION FOR ITEMS 2, 3, 4, AND FIVE. CAST TO MOVE. SECOND. MOTIONS MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED. NAME. MOTION PASSES UNDER THE PROPERTY CATEGORY. NEED A MOTION FOR ITEM SIX PASS. STATE OF MOVE MOTIONS MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED. NAME. MOTION PASSES UNDER THE PURCHASING AND TABULATION OF BIDS CATEGORY ITEMS 10 AND 11, 14 AND 16 HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. NEED A MOTION FOR ITEMS? 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, AND 17. SAY, MOVE SECOND. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL FAVOR SAY YES. DOES OPPOSED NAY MOTION PASSES UNDER THE ORDINANCES CATEGORY? ITEM 40 HAS NOT BEEN RECEIVED, BUT WILL BE CONSIDERED IF IT'S RECEIVED BEFORE. I'M SORRY, I SKIPPED A WHOLE RE THING UNDER THE RESOLUTIONS CATEGORY. ITEM 20 HAS BEEN REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. NEED A VOTE FOR ITEMS 18 AND 19? MR. VOTE? ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAME MOTION PASSES NOW UNDER THE ORDINANCES CATEGORY, ITEM 40 HAS NOT BEEN RECEIVED, BUT WILL BE CONSIDERED IF IT'S RECEIVED BEFORE THE END OF THE MEETING. ITEMS 21, 22, 25, 30, 32, 34 AND 36 HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. AGAIN, THOSE NUMBERS ARE 21, 22, 25, 30, 32, 34, AND 36. NEED A VOTE ON THE BALANCE? ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED. NAME MOTION VOTES. YES. ITEMS REMOVED [CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA] FOR SEPARATE CONSIDERATION. ITEM 10 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. COUNCIL CASTILLO. COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COLLEAGUES. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT 10 AND 11. UH, AT A RECENT BFA COMMITTEE MEETING, WE LEARNED ABOUT MANUAL DATA ENTRY THAT WAS OCCURRING WITH TIMECARDS AROUND OUR, UH, POLICE AND FIRE. THIS IS A EXAMPLE OF AN ITEM, UH, THAT'S GOING TO LOOK AT ELIMINATING SOME MANUAL DATA ENTRY IN OBO, UH, AROUND CONTRACT COMPLIANCE WITH TWO SYSTEMS THAT CURRENTLY ARE NOT TALKING TO EACH OTHER. UM, SO IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF, OF THINGS WE CAN DO TO HELP IMPROVE OUR PROCESSES AND ELIMINATE SOME OF THOSE REDUNDANT PRACTICES, UH, THAT ARE TAKING UP VALUABLE, VALUABLE TIME AND, AND COST MONEY. UM, AND WE SHOULD BE EXPANDING THIS AS WELL TO THOSE OTHER ITEMS LIKE OUR, UH, POLICE FIRE MANUAL TIMECARD DATA ENTRY AND THE, THE WORK IT TAKES TO JUST PROCESS OUR PAYROLL, UM, IN THOSE AREAS. MAYOR ILLA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO FOR HIGHLIGHTING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I DID TALK TO THE DIRECTOR. UM, AND THIS REALLY DOES START THE PROCESS OF, UM, ASSESSING THAT INTERFACE BETWEEN SAP AND B TWO G. UM, DURING THE DISPARITY STUDY, UH, THE DATA CAME OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A LOT OF MANUAL INPUTTING AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO, UM, BRING ALL THAT DATA TOGETHER. AND THIS IS DEFINITELY GOING TO STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS SO WE CAN USE OUR DATA QUICKLY AND MORE EFFICIENTLY. SO, I APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT OF THIS ITEM. VERY GOOD. ITEM 10. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. I NEED A MOTION. NEED A MOTION FOR ITEM 11, CASTEX T MOVE. MOTION MADE. AND SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED ANY MOTION PASSES. NEED A MOTION FOR ITEM 14? CASTEX TATUM, MOVE MOTIONS MADE IN SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED. NAME MOTION PASSES. ITEM 16 NEEDS A MOTION. CASTEX A MOVE SECOND. COUNCIL MEMBER POLLARD. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE. UM, THIS ITEM IS FOR ONCALL HEAVY TRASH SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES FOR MY DISTRICT. UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, UH, OUR COUNCIL DISTRICT SERVICE FUNDS ONLY ALLOW US TO GO UP TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, UH, PER ITEM. UH, MY OFFICE HAS REACHED THAT LIMIT AND NOW HAS HAD [02:35:01] TO PUT FORTH AN INFORMAL BID FOR AN ADDITIONAL $50,000 FOR HEAVY TRASH AND TREE WASTE COLLECTION FROM OUR JAY CITY PRIVATE CRASH TRASH CREW, UH, IN THE DISTRICT. UM, THIS ITEM WOULD HELP, UH, SUPPLEMENT THE WORK OF SOLID WASTE. UH, WE'RE PROBABLY THE ONLY DISTRICT THAT I KNOW OF THAT HAS THIS TYPE OF ON-CALL PRIVATE TRASH CREW. UM, BUT WE KNOW THAT THE CITY HAS HAD REAL CHALLENGES WITH PICKING UP HEAVY TRASH AND TREE WASTE ALL OVER THE CITY, AND SPECIFICALLY IN JAY CITY. AND SO I'M ASKING FOR YOU ALL'S SUPPORT AND APPROVAL OF AN ADDITIONAL $50,000 TO HELP, UH, PICK UP THE HEAVY TRASH AND TREE WASTE. UH, THIS COMPANY IS A MBE AS WELL AS A SBE. UH, I THINK THIS IS THE MODERN APPROACH TO, UM, SOLID WASTE WHERE WE CAN HAVE THESE SPECIALIZED, PRIVATE SUPPLEMENTAL CREWS WITHIN OUR DISTRICTS AS WELL. SO THIS ADDITIONAL $50,000 WILL GO A LONG WAY AT HELPING COLLECT THE TRASH THAT HAS BEEN BEHIND. THANK YOU. VERY BACK TO THE VERY GOOD. ALL IN FAVOR? SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. I DON'T THINK HE HEARD. I REFER BACK. I WANNA SEND IT TO ITEM. ITEM 20 IS A RESOLUTION. JUST NEED A VOTE. COUNCIL THE VOTE AFTER THE VOTE. UH, ALL IN FAVOR? OH, 20 SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NA. MOTION PASSES. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU MAYOR. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UM, I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE, UH, OUR COLLEAGUE, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO, UH, THIS ITEM, UH, IS TO SUPPORT HIS CANDIDACY, UM, FOR THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND IS CHAIR OF NLCS, UH, TECHNOLOGY. FEDERAL ADVOCACY COMMITTEE, UH, IS SOMEONE THAT HAS WORKED WITH NLC FOR YEARS. I KNOW OUR MAYOR PRO TEM AS WELL, AND OTHERS AROUND THIS HORSESHOE. UH, IT MEANS A LOT TO HAVE HOUSTON REPRESENTED IN SUCH, UH, CRITICAL LEADERSHIP ROLES. I KNOW YOU'LL DO AN OUTSTANDING JOB. UH, AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WE REALLY WANNA LIFT UP BECAUSE IT'S, UH, GREAT TO HAVE YOU THERE. IT'S ALSO GREAT FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. AND, OH, NO STAND STEEL. HE, HE WANTS TO SPEAK. MARTINEZ WANTS TO SPEAK. WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO FOLLOWING CAYMAN. NO, THIS IS EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU AND THE CITY TO BE INVOLVED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS. COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST ALSO WANTED TO LIFT UP, UH, OUR COLLEAGUE, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. HE'S BEEN, UH, ON THE FOREFRONT OF A LOT OF THE TECH AND INNOVATION CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE HORSESHOE. UM, AND THEN TO BE ABLE TO BE AT, AT A NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES AS WELL. UM, DEFINITELY HAVE, UH, ALL THE FAITH IN THE WORLD TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE REPRESENTING THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO, THANK THANK YOU'ALL MAYOR PRO JAM COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE ON, UM, THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES BOARD. I KNOW THERE'S A, A PROCESS THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO, UM, GET SELECTED. WISHING YOU THE BEST, UM, AS, AS A CHAIR OF ONE OF THOSE POSITIONS AS WELL. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AS, UM, A CITY BECAUSE, UH, MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT WE'LL BE HOSTING THE ACTUAL NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES CONFERENCE HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN 2027. UM, AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE SEEN, UH, ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS THERE AREN'T VERY MANY CITIES THAT HAVE THE CAPABILITIES TO HOST THOSE LARGE CONFERENCES. AND THE EXPANSION OF THE GEORGE BROWN IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE BENEFICIAL FOR US TO ATTRACT MORE CONFERENCES LIKE THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, UM, AND THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, BECAUSE EVEN IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, THERE ARE ONLY THREE OR CITIES THAT CAN HOST THESE TYPES OF EVENTS. SO MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE ACTIVE ON THE BOARDS AND CHAIRING THOSE COMMITTEES IS, IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US AS A CITY. UM, SO I WISH YOU THE BEST AND LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE ON THE, UH, NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES. NEXT ITEM 21 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. AND BEFORE WE VOTE, I WANNA RECOGNIZE THE MAYOR PRO TEM, BUT BEFORE I DO, I WANT TO DO A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO COUNCIL AND CERTAINLY TO THE MAYOR PRO TEM AND HOUSING CHAIR THOMAS, FOR THE PROCESS THAT BRINGS THIS TO THE TABLE. TODAY, I ATTENDED THE A LEAF FIRST PUBLIC HEARING. IT WAS VERY BENEFICIAL TO HEAR FROM NOT ONLY CITIZENS RESIDENTS, BUT ALSO THE PROVIDERS. UM, IT WAS INTERESTING, A COMMON THEME THAT I SAT IN WAS PUBLIC SAFETY AT THESE FACILITIES. BUT THANK YOU. YOU'VE BEEN DILIGENT AND I THINK YOU'VE REACHED A PACKAGE THAT'LL SERVE THE RESIDENTS, THE OWNERS, AND, UH, THE GENERAL PUBLIC, CERTAINLY THE COMMUNITIES AROUND [02:40:01] THESE FACILITIES. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND, AND YOUR WORK PRODUCT. UH, MAYOR POT. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, ALSO JUST WANT TO, UH, THANK THE PUBLIC AND EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THOSE PUBLIC HEARINGS. UM, WE REALLY CAN'T, UM, MAKE GOOD PUBLIC POLICY WITHOUT THE PUBLIC. AND I THINK THIS WAS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATING IN THE POLICY THAT WE WERE CREATING ON BEHALF OF THE CITY. UM, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HABITABILITY CONCERNS, YOU KNOW, AS A COUNCIL, WE HEAR THOSE A LOT HERE. UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN CONSTITUENTS JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO, UM, THEY COME HERE AND THEY ARE LOOKING FOR HELP. AND WE'VE HEARD THAT YEAR AFTER YEAR, UM, THESE HEARINGS ALLOWED US TO HEAR FROM THE TENANTS. UM, WE WERE ABLE TO HEAR FROM THE OWNERS, THE OPERATORS, UM, AND I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THIS ORDINANCE IS THE STARTING POINT. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, UM, COLLECT MORE DATA, TO HEAR FROM MORE PEOPLE. IT IS NOT THE, UM, SOLVE ALL FOR THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE IN THE CITY BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS A, IT IS A BIG PROBLEM. BUT I DO THINK THAT THIS ORDINANCE IS A GREAT START FOR US. UM, THIS IS A, A CHANCE FOR US TO, UM, REALLY TARGET THOSE REPEAT OFFENDERS, UM, THE WORST PROPERTIES, UH, AND NOT ALL OWNERS. UM, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE OWNERS AND OPERATORS, IS THAT THEY DON'T GET PUNISHED, UM, FOR THE BAD ACTORS. I THINK WE ALL WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WHAT HAPPENS TO, UH, THE REPEAT OFFENDERS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO CURE THE PROBLEMS, AND THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS AND THE, UH, CITIZENS IN HOUSTON HAVE GOOD PLACE, GOOD AND SAFE PLACES, UH, FOR THEM TO LIVE. I DO WANT TO ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO CONTINUE, UM, UTILIZING THE 3 1 1 SYSTEM, UM, AND TO ALSO CONTACT THEIR, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND OUR, UH, AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS SO THAT WE CAN HELP USHER THIS PROCESS THROUGH. UM, WANNA GIVE A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO OUR HOUSING CHAIR, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, UM, WHO WAS VERY DILIGENT ON A, UH, TOUR ACROSS THE MEDIA, LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT OUR, UM, HEARINGS AND ABOUT THE PROCESS THAT WAS TAKING PLACE TO GET TO THIS ORDINANCE. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, UM, CHAMPIONED ONE OF THOSE MEETINGS. UM, WE HAD LOTS OF PARTICIPATION FROM OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AT THESE HEARINGS, AND SO I THINK WE LOOKED AT THIS COMPREHENSIVELY, UM, AND WE ENDED UP WITH A, A QUALITY ORDINANCE. UM, IT'LL COME BACK TO US IN ABOUT A YEAR OR SO FOR US TO REEVALUATE. WE CAN LOOK AT THE DATA, UM, WE CAN LOOK AT, UM, HOW MANY PEOPLE CALLED, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY APARTMENT COMPLEXES ARE ACTUALLY ON THE LIST THAT NEED TO, THAT HAVE MADE SOME CHANGES. UM, AND THEN WE CAN REEVALUATE HOW WE CAN CHANGE THE ORDINANCE MOVING FORWARD. BUT I THINK THIS IS A GREAT STEP FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UM, AND SO COLLEAGUES, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR SUPPORT OF THE APARTMENT INSPECTION ORDINANCE. COUNCIL MEMBER KAMAN. VERY FINE. I'LL SWITCH. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS. THANK YOU MAYOR AND MAYOR, PRO TEM, UH, COLLEAGUES. TODAY THE ITEM REAFFIRMS OUR COMMITMENT TO QUALITY AFFORDABLE HOUSING. NUMBER ONE, WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND WE HEARD A LOT OF THAT, AND THAT IS A HUGE ISSUE. BUT I THINK OVERALL WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO MAKE SURE HOUSTONIANS CAN AFFORD AND ARE ABLE TO STAY AND REMAIN IN QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING. YOU CAN'T WATCH A NEWS SEGMENT OR INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK WITHOUT WATCHING A STORY ABOUT HORRIBLE CONDITIONS. MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE LIVING IN. UM, STRUCTURAL ISSUES, UH, HEALTH ISSUES, SAFETY ISSUES, AND HOUSTONIANS DESERVE MORE. UM, I ECHO EVERYTHING MAYOR PRO TIM AND MAYOR WHITMEYER HAS MENTIONED ABOUT THIS ORDINANCE. AND I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE THINGS WE LEARNED DURING THE, UH, ENGAGEMENT SESSION. WE LEARNED ABOUT MOLD IN A VERY REAL WAY IN TERMS OF WHAT OUR LIMITATIONS ARE. UM, WE LEARNED ABOUT, UM, THE TYPE OF DEMAND THIS PUTS ON OUR LIMITED PERSONNEL. SO I THINK AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THIS SETS US IN THE RIGHT PACE FOR US TO COME BACK TO THIS BODY WITH MORE INFORMATION TO GIVE ASEC AND THE, UH, CITY EMPLOYEES THE TIME AND THE DATA THAT THEY NEED TO COME BACK TO US WITH TARGETED RECOMMENDATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT ONE, WE HAVE A STRATEGY IN PLACE TO ADDRESS MOLD IN THE FUTURE AS WE ARE CLIMATE CITY. UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE PERSONNEL IN PLACE BECAUSE 50% OF OUR NEIGHBORS HAVE LEASES. THEY'RE LIVING MULTIFAMILY, UH, UNITS. AND SO, UM, EXCITED THIS WAS A HEAVY LIFT. AND, AND, AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT THIS ORDINANCE IS [02:45:01] DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE DID THE ENGAGEMENT ON THE FRONT END. MM-HMM . WE, AND, AND THAT'S HARD. THAT'S HEAVY TO DO. IT'S TIME CONSUMING. AND WE HAD HUNDREDS OF PARTICIPANTS ONLINE AND IN PERSON CONTRIBUTE FROM ALL DISTRICTS, ALL CORNERS OF THE CITY. UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ATTENDED, OR IF YOU SENT YOUR STAFF, EVERYONE WAS FULLY ENGAGED WITH THIS BECAUSE WE ALL DEAL WITH THIS. THIS IS NOT AN AT LARGE OR DISTRICT OR MAYOR'S ADMINISTRATION ISSUE. IT'S A HOUSTON ISSUE. UM, SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR, UM, YOUR DILIGENCE IN STAYING INVOLVED IN THE CONVERSATION. AND, AND SO WE HAVE TO REVERSE ENGINEER HOW WE DO POLICY. AND MAYOR PROTO WAS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. UM, THAT'S WAS, THIS WAS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. AND I THINK WHAT WE HAVE TO TODAY, UM, WILL YIELD A LOT OF FRUIT IN THE FUTURE, UM, UH, FOR HOUSTONIANS FOR QUALITY AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SUPPORT OF MY COLLEAGUES. I, I, I THINK, UH, YOU MADE SUCH AN EXCELLENT POINT THAT THIS COULD BE THE MODEL FOR HOW THE COUNCIL WORKS, HAVING REAL MEANINGFUL HEARINGS, CERTAINLY IN THE COMMUNITY, THEN REACHING A CONSENSUS AND A WORKABLE PRODUCT AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO THE FULL COUNCIL. THAT'S, WE NEED TO DO MORE OF THAT FOR SURE. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN CAYMAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I DID WANNA LIFT UP THE WORK OF OUR CHAIR OF HOUSING COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS AND MAYOR PRO TEM, WHO REALLY, UM, DID THE HEAVY LIFTING ON THIS. UH, THERE WAS A LOT OF PARTICIPATION, OUR OFFICE PARTICIPATED, BUT IT REALLY WAS, UM, Y'ALL'S LEADERSHIP THAT USHERED THIS IN, IN A VERY THOUGHTFUL WAY FROM BRINGING TOGETHER ORGANIZATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL ENTITIES, INCLUDING THE APARTMENT ASSOCIATION TO EVERYDAY RESIDENTS WHO ARE EITHER LIVING IN THESE UNSAFE, UH, DANGEROUS CONDITIONS OR THAT SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS THAT'S IMPACTED BY THIS AS WELL. UH, SO THIS HAS BEEN A MUCH NEEDED NECESSARY STEP, UH, AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE THIS COME TO FRUITION. UH, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO OVERSEE AND HOLD THAT ACTOR PROPERTIES ACCOUNTABLE, PERIOD. UH, AND I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE ESTABLISHING THINGS LIKE THE APARTMENT STANDARDS ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE, UH, THAT WE ARE THE FINES. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S CLEAR TO THE PUBLIC UP TO $2,000 A DAY FOR A VIOLATION. THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT HAS TO STOP BEING THE COST OF JUST DOING BUSINESS OR BUSINESS AS USUAL. UM, MY OFFICE IN THE PAST HAS HAD TO FUND UPWARDS OF OVER $10,000 A MONTH, UH, EXCUSE ME, $10,000 IN CDSF FOR ADDITIONAL HEALTH INSPECTIONS. THAT'S AN ADDITION TO OVERTIME PATROLS FOR AREAS. BUT JUST TO GET ENOUGH INSPECTORS OUT THERE. AND COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, YOU TALKED ABOUT, WE SEE ON SOCIAL MEDIA ALL THE TIME HOW BAD THESE PLACES ARE. AND JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, UM, DR. CANDACE MATTHEWS AND HER TEAM, TO HER CREDIT, UH, WAS OUT AT LIFE OF JACKSON SQUARE. AND IF YOU WALK UP TO THE LEASING DOOR OF THAT BUILDING, IT IS COVERED IN RED TAGS. YOU CANNOT SEE THROUGH THE DOOR WINDOWS BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY CITATIONS ON IT, YOU CANNOT SAFELY WALK THROUGH THE PROPERTY. THEY'VE GOTTEN CITATIONS FOR, UM, LACK OF HOT WATER, INOPERABLE AIR CONDITIONING, OVERFLOWING TRASH, WATER INTRUSION, PEST INFESTATION. AND THAT'S ON TOP OF THE CHAPTER 1 25 THAT WE HAD FILED. BECAUSE CRIME IS SO DANGEROUS FOR THOSE TENANTS. AND I WANNA EMPHASIZE FOR THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE ON THOSE PROPERTIES BECAUSE THEY ARE THE VICTIMS OF MISMANAGEMENT AND CALLOUS BEHAVIOR. MY ASK MOVING FORWARD, I KNOW WE'RE COMPILING THAT LIST OF THE BAD ACTORS AND LIFE OF JACKSON SQUARE MUST BE INCLUDED IN THAT INITIAL LIST, MAYOR. UM, IT IS EXPENDING WAY TOO MANY CITY RESOURCES FROM A PUBLIC SAFETY PERSPECTIVE. UH, THE CITATIONS, I WE'RE STILL ASKING FOR THE FORMAL COUNT IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS, BUT IT'S, IT MEETS THE CRITERIA. WE, WE DIDN'T GET CONFIRMATION THAT IT WAS ON THERE. SO AGAIN, I'M PUBLICLY ASKING 'CAUSE I'M GETTING CALLS LEFT AND RIGHT 'CAUSE THE WORD IS SPREADING ABOUT THIS. AND IT'S REALLY GREAT THAT THE WORD IS SPREADING AND LIFE OF JACKSON NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED. UM, AND WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO SHARE THIS WIN, UH, WITH RESIDENTS WHO ARE ASKING FOR RELIEF, UM, AS WE CONTINUE. BUT AGAIN, THE WORK IS JUST STARTING. THANK YOU, ALCORN. COUNCILMAN ALCO. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES WHO CARRIED THIS ACROSS THE FINISH LINE. I I DID ATTEND BOTH OF THOSE PUBLIC SESSIONS AND, AND WHAT STRUCK ME IS, IS PEOPLE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THEY COULD CALL THE CITY. PEOPLE WERE, AND, AND I LOVE THAT WE WERE OUT THERE TALKING ABOUT THIS ON THE, I HEARD COUNCIL MEMBER OF THOMAS ON THE RADIO BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE JUST TRYING TO DEAL WITH THEIR LANDLORD OR THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY AND THEY WEREN'T GETTING ANYWHERE, OR THEY WERE GETTING IN TROUBLE FOR COMPLAINING. [02:50:01] AND WE'RE LIKE, NO, YOU CAN CALL THE CITY. WE CAN'T FIX EVERYTHING. LIKE WE, WE DID DISCOVER THE MOLD THING. BEDBUGS ARE AN ISSUE THAT THE TENANT HAS TO DEAL WITH, THAT I LEARNED A LOT THROUGH THIS PROCESS. MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR HONORING YOUR COMMITMENT TO COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER AFTER BRINGING THIS FORWARD. I DO LOVE THAT WE WENT OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND REALLY TALKED TO BOTH THE, THE, AND I ALSO LEARNED ABOUT PROPERTY MANAGERS. I MEAN, THEY, THEY, SOME GOOD ONES LIKE TAKE THE HEAT FOR OWNERS THAT WON'T PAY. SO IT'S COMPLICATED, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE'S AN OWNER, THEY'RE TRYING TO GET IT DONE. IT'S LIKE, WHO DO WE CITE? WHO DO WE, BUT THIS HAS ALL JUST RAISED A LOT OF AWARENESS. WE HAVE AWARENESS OF IT 'CAUSE WE HEAR, HEAR PEOPLE COME AND TALK TO US ABOUT THEIR DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS. BUT I THINK IT REALLY HELPED, IT'S GONNA HELP TENANTS, UM, KNOW THAT THE CITY IS HERE TO HELP COUNCILMAN SALINAS. I JUST WANNA ECHO WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN SAID, YOUR LEADERSHIP COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS AND COUNCIL MEMBER CASSICK TATUM WAS REALLY REMARKABLE. I ATTENDED ONE OF THE PUBLIC SESSIONS, SO INCREDIBLY INFORMATIVE, AND AS COUNCIL MEMBER ALCOR SAID, SO MANY RESIDENTS JUST DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE RESOURCES THAT WERE ALREADY AVAILABLE. SO, SO GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE TO SHEPHERD THIS FORWARD, AND I COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS MO NEEDS TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF OUR NEXT EFFORT. UM, BUT I HAVE NO DOUBT WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP AND THE WORK OF THIS COUNCIL WILL BE ABLE TO GET IT DONE. BUT THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID ON THIS. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR DAVIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WANT TO JUST COMMEND OUR, UH, COLLEAGUES AGAIN FOR THE LEADERSHIP IN THIS AS WE ATTENDED, UH, THE PUBLIC SESSIONS AS WELL. BUT I ALSO LIKE TO UPLIFT THAT WE, UM, WOULD TRY OUR BEST TO PARTICIPATE IN VISITING SOME OF THESE FACILITIES BECAUSE WHAT IT WILL DO, IT WILL ENCOURAGE THE RESIDENTS BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY, UH, MY CONSTITUENT TEAM, WE'VE ALREADY VISITED A COUPLE OF APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND MATTER OF FACT, WE GOT ONE TO DO THIS THURSDAY. UM, AND SO OFTENTIMES THE RESIDENTS DON'T FEEL EMPOWERED TO NOTIFY THE CITY AND OTHERS BECAUSE THEY FEEL THREATENED THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE EVICTED FROM THE FACILITIES AND THAT TYPE OF THING. BUT I THINK THE PRESENCE OF, OF MANY OF US AS CO YOU KNOW, AS COLLEAGUES OF COUNCIL, TO GO OUT THERE AND INTERACT WITH THOSE PEOPLE, WE WENT THROUGH DIFFERENT APARTMENTS AND LITERALLY TALK FACE TO FACE WITH SOME OF THE RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT THEIR EXPERIENCE. AND ONE GENTLEMAN, UM, WHILE WE WERE THERE, HAD JUST GOTTEN EVICTION THE DAY BEFORE. UH, I THINK WE WENT OUT, WE WERE CALLED BY DR. MATTHEWS, UH, AND WE WENT OUT THERE AND MET WITH THEM AND WALKED THROUGH THE WHOLE FACILITY. SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE US THAT, UH, THIS IS CERTAINLY A NEEDED, MOST IMPORTANT ORDINANCE, UM, THAT WE INVO UPON IT. BUT I THINK GOING FORWARD, THIS IS THE MODEL FOR DOING SOMETHING GREATER AND BIGGER. UH, I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE RESOURCES IN PEOPLE, BUT I THINK THE MORE THAT OUR PRESENCE AS COUNCIL, IT ENCOURAGES THE RESIDENTS TO SPEAK OUT AND NOT BE AFRAID TO, UH, IDENTIFY SOME OF THESE BAD ACTORS. THANK YOU, MR. POLLARD. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I TOO WANT TO, UH, THANK MY TWO COLLEAGUES, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS AND MAYOR PRO, TIM CASTEX TATUM FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. J CITY. WE HAVE 75% OF OUR RESIDENTS LIVE IN APARTMENT COMPLEXES. WE GET AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF CALLS, UH, REGARDING, UM, ISSUES WITH THOSE APARTMENT COMPLEXES. I ROUTINELY GO TO APARTMENT COMPLEXES OR SEND STAFF OUT, UH, TO TALK TO MANAGEMENT, UM, COMPANIES AND OWNERS AND RESIDENTS ABOUT THEIR LIVING CONDITIONS. AND SO THIS GIVES US A TOOL THAT WE CAN UTILIZE. AND SO I DO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND ALSO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER LETICIA PLUMMER, UH, FOR RAISING THIS ISSUE AND WORKING ON THIS ISSUE DURING HER TENURE YEAR, AND FOR US TO CONTINUE IN THAT EFFORT AND THAT WORK, UH, NOW TO GET THIS PASSED. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THANK YOU COUNCILOR EVANS. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, AND GOOD MORNING. I WANNA ALSO THANK MY COLLEAGUES. OF COURSE, YOU ALL HAVE SEEN SOME OF MY ENGAGEMENTS GOING VIRAL, KICKING MY LEGS UP WHEN THE, WHEN THE MOUSE RAN BY AND ALL OF THAT. AND, AND I'M GONNA HAVE TO ALSO, UH, I KNOW CANDACE MATTHEWS, SHE'S NOT A PISTOL, SHE'S A CAN, A CANNON, BUT I APPRECIATE HER ENGAGEMENT. SHE IS ALWAYS AT THE FOREFRONT TRYING TO HELP RESIDENTS. AND THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF LISTENING AND, AND HAVING COMPASSION FOR PEOPLE IN THE PLACES THAT THEY, THEY FIND THEMSELVES. AND SO I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR MOVING FORWARD AND HELPING US TO GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY HAVE SOME SUBSTANTIVE TEETH IN DOING THINGS TO HELP PEOPLE. SO THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR PROTE. THANK YOU MAYOR. I TOO WANNA THANK MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM, AND COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS FOR THEIR WORK ON THIS. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF APARTMENT [02:55:01] COMPLEXES IN DISTRICT A THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE ISSUES WITH THAT WE WORK ON EVERY DAY. AND THIS ORDINANCE IS GOING TO REALLY HELP GIVE US SOME TOOLS TO MOVE FORWARD, UM, WITH THOSE APARTMENT COMPLEXES. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK. AND MAYOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS TOO. THANK YOU. JUST, YOU HAVE VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED A MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. GOOD JOB. NEXT ITEM 22 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE ALL IN FAVORS. COUNCILMAN ALCORN. THANK YOU MAYOR. I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. YOU KNOW, I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN MY FIRST TERM WORKING ON ANIMAL WELFARE ISSUES, AND THIS IS A GREAT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. I WAS BRIEFED BY KELLY ZUNIGA, WHO WAS THE CONSULTANT THAT WHO WAS HIRED TO KIND OF RESTRUCTURE THIS BOARD, FIGURE OUT HOW THE BARK FOUNDATION CAN BE A LOT MORE AGGRESSIVE IN FUNDRAISING, CAN BE A LOT MORE, UH, ADVISORY TO WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS CITY THAT LIKE TO GIVE MONEY TO ANIMAL WELFARE CAUSES, AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO TAP INTO THIS. I THINK HIRING THE NEW EXECUTIVE PART-TIME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OVER THE FOUNDATION WILL GIVE IT SOME DIRECTION. IT WON'T JUST BE LIKE, COME TO A MEETING AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE A FUNDRAISER ONCE A YEAR. IT'LL BE REALLY STRATEGIC AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, I APPRECIATED YOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS YESTERDAY, MAYOR, ABOUT THE ADOPTION CENTER. I THINK THAT'S REALLY SMART. AND THEY WOULDN'T TELL ME THE LOCATION, BUT YOU WERE JUST BLARING IT TO GOD AND EVERYONE YESTERDAY. SO I'M ALL EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND, UH, AND I THINK THAT'LL BE A GREAT CHANCE FOR PEOPLE TO, TO, UM, GO AND ADOPT ANIMALS AND EVERYTHING WE CAN DO, UM, TO IMPROVE ANIMAL WELFARE. YOU KNOW, WE LEAD THE NATION IN STRAY ANIMALS. IT'S, IT'S A BIG PROBLEM IN A LOT OF NEIGHBORHOODS. SCARED TO TAKE THEIR KIDS TO THE PARK BECAUSE OF STRAY DOGS, AND THAT JUST SHOULDN'T BE. SO THANK YOU FOR THIS, THIS MOVE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. AND MARK HAS NEVER GOTTEN THE ATTENTION THAT IT DESERVES. AND WE ALL WANTED TO. I THINK YOU'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE REALLY PLEASED WITH IT, TAKING OFF NOW AND DOING EVEN GREATER THINGS AND THIS NEW MODEL WILL WORK TO ITS ADVANTAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER CARTER, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UH, UH, I TOO AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. THIS IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. I ENVISION THE HOUSTON ZOO, THE BARK EXAMPLE OF THE ZOO. I THINK IT'S GONNA BE GREAT. I HAD A, A GOOD CONVERSATION WITH KELLY ZUNIGA AND SHE'S ON IT, YOU KNOW, AND GREAT TEAM. AND THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO, AND TO MOVE, BARK INTO THE PLACE THAT WE REALLY NEED IT TO BE FOR OUR CITY, THE, THE STRAY ANIMALS. WE GET CALLS ALL THE TIME AS EVERYONE AROUND THE HORSESHOE DOES, AND I THINK THIS IS AN EXCITING NEXT STEP FOR OUR CITY. SO THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT COUNCIL RUCKERS TO YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'M GONNA ECHO, UH, WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID. YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT BARK AND THE RESOURCES THAT IT GETS VERSUS WHAT IT NEEDS, UH, FUNDRAISING IS A REALLY BIG OPPORTUNITY TO HELP FILL THAT GAP. AND WITH THESE CHANGES, WE'LL BE BETTER POSITIONED FOR THAT. UM, AND THERE IS A, A, A STRONG COMMUNITY OUT THERE THAT CARES ABOUT AND SUPPORTS ANIMAL WE WELFARE ISSUES. AND SO THAT'S, UH, AN AVENUE THAT WE SHOULD BE ENGAGING WITH AND UTILIZING TO BRING IN MORE RESOURCES BECAUSE YES, IT'S A QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUE, IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE, AND IT'S ONE THAT IMPACTS THE ENTIRE CITY. SO WE, WE NEED TO BE DOING THINGS LIKE THIS, UM, TO HELP MEET THAT NEED. THANK YOU. WELL, THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR, MEMBERS SAY, AYE. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. NEXT. ITEM 25 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. ITEM 30 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR, COUNCILOR KAMAN, AFTER, AFTER THE VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED NAY. MOTION PASSES. COUNCILOR CAMAN. COUNCIL CAYMAN. THANK YOU. UH, I JUST WANTED TO SPOTLIGHT THIS ITEM. I WAS ACTUALLY VERY EXCITED TO SEE, UM, THIS ISN'T THE, A AMENDMENT TO THE NEW RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR HPD THAT'S COMING ONLINE. UH, FOR YEARS, MYSELF AND COUNCIL MEMBER PECK HAVE BEEN WORKING TOWARDS THE NEW RMS SYSTEM. AND TO SEE, UH, WE'RE TAKING A STEP CLOSER, AND THIS IS ACTUALLY AN ADD-ON AND NEW INTERFACE WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S ARSON BUREAU SO THAT THEY CAN BE SUBMITTING ADDITIONAL DATA. UM, IT WILL ALSO EXPAND HPDS ONLINE CITIZEN PORTAL, UM, FOR SOME ADDITIONAL TYPES OF OFFENSES, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO AGAIN, THE RMS SYSTEM AS A WHOLE IS SO OUTDATED. CURRENTLY, THE NEW SYSTEM ALLOWS US TO ADD DIFFERENT INTERFACES ON, TO CUSTOMIZE IT AS NEEDED WHEN NEW ISSUES ARISE. AND IT REALLY IS A GREAT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. [03:00:01] SO EXCITED, UH, TO SEE THIS MOVING FORWARD FOR, AGAIN, THE NEW SYSTEM. THIS ISN'T AN ADDITIONAL COST TO THE OLD SYSTEM. VERY GOOD, THANK YOU. NEXT, NEXT, ITEM 32 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED. NAME, MOTION PASSES. ITEM 34 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED. NAME, MOTION PASSES. ITEM 36 IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED A MOTION PASSES. ITEM 41 [MATTERS HELD] IS AN ORDINANCE. JUST NEED A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY YES. THOSE OPPOSED A MOTION PASSES. THIS COMPLETES THE ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. COUNCIL [MATTERS TO BE PRESENTED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS] MEMBER SALINAS, YOU READY? YES. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, SO JUST A FEW UPDATES ON OUR, FROM OUR OFFICE. WE WILL BE CONTINUING OUR OFFICE HOURS. UH, IT'S BEEN GREAT SO FAR. WE'VE HAD COMPLETE, UH, LIST OF FOLKS COMING FROM ALL OVER THE COMMUNITY JOINING ME, UH, REMOTELY AND IN PERSON TO SHARE THEIR VIEWS AND IDEAS. UH, OUR NEXT SESSION WILL BE ON MAY 29TH, SO IF ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO SIGN UP, PLEASE DO SO. UM, AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO SHARE, I RECENTLY VISITED EXPLORATION GREEN, UH, WITH FOLKS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING THAT PARK. IT'S AN ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE SPACE. I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN HAS GONE AND TAKEN HER TEAM, AND I THINK A REALLY BRILLIANT EXAMPLE OF USING COMMUNITY SPACE IN A BEAUTIFUL AND THOUGHTFUL WAY THAT ALSO ADDRESSES OUR FLOODING ISSUES. AND I REALLY HOPE TO SEE THAT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY TRIES TO DEVELOP MORE OF THOSE SPACES ACROSS HOUSTON. UM, BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON HERE. AND THEN THE LAST THING I WILL ADD IS A FEW OF THE, A FEW OF US, INCLUDING COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, MYSELF, COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO AND COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON, HAVE RECENTLY PUT FORTH A PROPOSITION A, UH, TO BRING ONLINE SIGN UP TO THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN THE YEAR 2026. YOU CAN PAY YOUR TAXES, YOU CAN, UH, RENEW YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE, BUT YOU CANNOT SIGN UP ONLINE TO SPEAK HERE AT CITY HALL. UM, I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE THAT THIS ORDINANCE WILL BE MOVING FORWARD FOR A VOTE ON MAY 20TH. I THINK IT'S A GREAT STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY HERE AT CITY HALL. AND I'M OF COURSE, ALWAYS HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUES IF YOU ALL HAVE ANY. UM, BUT I HOPE WE HAVE EVERYBODY'S SUPPORT ON MAY 20TH. THOSE ARE ALL OF MY UPDATES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN CARTER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY MONDAY TO MEET THE FREEDOM PLANE, UH, WHICH IS A REALLY, UH, GREAT, UM, BOEING AND PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES DELIVERED THE, UH, EXHIBIT, UM, THE, UH, FREEDOM PLANE, THE NATIONAL TOUR, THE DOOR DOCUMENTS THAT FORGED A NATION. AND IF YOU GET A CHANCE, GO TO THE HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE BETWEEN MAY 8TH AND 25TH AND TAKE A LOOK. WE ARE ONE OF EIGHT CITIES IN THE ENTIRE NATION THAT HAS THIS EXHIBIT. THE ONLY ONE IN TEXAS. SO IT'S A BIG DEAL. UM, AND THEN A SIDE PERSONAL NOTE, I ENTERED INTO GRANDMOTHERHOOD ON THURSDAY LAST WEEK WITH THE BABY GIRL, MY YOUNGEST SON, UH, MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW HAD A LITTLE BABY GIRL, AND WE'RE SUPER EXCITED AND, UM, JUST BIG NEWS FOR THE WEEK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR EVANS SHABA. THANK YOU MAYOR AND COLLEAGUES. I, UH, WANT TO BEGIN BY RECOGNIZING THE EXCELLENT COMMUNITY PARK EVENT HELD IN DISTRICT D IN SUPPORT OF OUR HBCUS. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND PARTNERSHIP COMING TOGETHER IN A PUBLIC SPACE TO CELEBRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, AND THE ROLE THEY CONTINUE TO PLAY IN SHAPING LEADERS, CREATING OPPORTUNITY AND STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNITIES. AS AN EDUCATOR, I KNOW FIRSTHAND THE POWER OF INVESTING IN STUDENTS AND INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE CARRIED GENERATIONS FORWARD. AND DISTRICT D WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT EFFORTS THAT UPLIFT OUR HBCUS, CONNECT FAMILIES TO RESOURCES, AND CREATE SPACES WHERE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE CAN SEE WHAT IS POSSIBLE. I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK THE ORGANIZERS, THE VOLUNTEERS, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AND EVERYONE THAT CAME OUT TO MAKE THE EVENT OF SUCCESS. DISTRICT D CONTINUES TO BE A PLACE WHERE EDUCATION, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY MEET, AND THAT IS WHY WE PROUDLY CALL IT THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION. AN UPCOMING EVENT TONIGHT THAT IS GONNA BE EXCITING. IT'S THE KICKOFF OF THE JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL. IT WILL BE TONIGHT AT THE EL DORADO BALLROOM AT 6:00 PM OF COURSE, WE KNOW THAT JUNETEENTH IS CELEBRATED NEXT MONTH, BUT WE ARE HAVING A LOT OF ACTIVITIES LEADING UP TO THAT EVENT. AND THE KICKOFF, AGAIN, IS TONIGHT. UH, MUSEUM PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IS HAVING THEIR GENERAL MEETING, UM, AT, UH, THE COVENANT CHURCH. 49 49 CAROLINE STREET. THE MEETING IS AL ALSO TONIGHT FROM SIX TO 7:00 PM UH, THE 62ND FOUNDER'S DAY SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON [03:05:01] WILL BE HELD THIS SUNDAY, AND THAT WILL BE SPONSORED BY THE HOUSTON LEAGUE OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN INCORPORATED. THAT WILL BE SATURDAY FROM 10:30 AM TO 1:00 PM AT THE SUNNYSIDE HEALTH AND MULTI-SERVICE CENTER, 44 10 REED ROAD. WE LOOK FORWARD TO JOINING THE HOUSTON LEAGUE OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN AS THEY CONTINUE THEIR LONGSTANDING WORK SUPPORTING LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITY IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND THAT CONCLUDES WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT OF DESTINATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR . THANK YOU. I WANNA START BY ANNOUNCING, UM, THE BUDGET TOWN HALLS THAT COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND I ARE GONNA BE DOING NOW THAT WE ARE IN BUDGET SEASON. SO WE WILL BE DOING TWO, ONE IN PERSON AND ONE VIRTUAL. THE IN PERSON VIR, THE IN-PERSON BUDGET TOWN HALL WILL BE ON MAY 16TH AT THE FONDE REC CENTER. THAT IS A SATURDAY AT 10:00 AM AND THEN THE VIRTUAL TOWN HALL WILL BE MAY 20TH IN THE EVENING WEDNESDAY AT 6:00 PM AND THESE ARE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN ABOUT THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK AND YOUR INPUT AS THESE ARE YOUR TAX DOLLARS. UM, YOUR INPUT AND YOUR FEEDBACK IS CRITICAL. SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR MORE INFORMATION AROUND OUR BUDGET TOWN HALLS. ALSO, THIS PAST SATURDAY, I WAS ABLE TO JOIN THE GIRLS ON THE RUN FOR THEIR 5K, UH, AT RICE UNIVERSITY. UM, THERE WERE A TON OF FOLKS OUT THERE TO CAP OFF, UH, A GREAT SEASON OF WHAT THEY DO IN TERMS OF TEACHING YOUNG GIRLS LIFE SKILLS, HELPING THEM BUILD CONFIDENCE, AND THEY, THEY CAP IT OFF WITH A A 5K AND THEY WERE ALL OUT THERE. UM, IT WAS A GOOD, UM, GOOD WAY TO START THE MORNING. AND THEY ACTUALLY HAD ME GO OUT THERE, THERE AND DO SOME WARMUPS WITH THEM, WHICH WAS A LOT OF FUN. BUT I WOULD, I DO WANT TO CONGRATULATE ALL THE GIRLS THAT PARTICIPATED, UM, IN THAT 5K AND THE DISTRICT H HORIZON'S INTERNSHIP APPLICATION IS NOW OPEN AGAIN. SO THIS WOULD BE FOR OUR NEXT COHORT FOR A SIX MONTH PAID INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY IN THE DISTRICT H OFFICE. IT WILL BE FOR ANYBODY THAT LIVES WORKS OR STUDIES IN THE DISTRICT, UH, AND CAN WORK 20 HOURS A WEEK. SO YOU CAN CHECK OUT, UM, THE DISTRICT H WEBSITE OR SOCIAL MEDIA FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY. AND, UH, WE'VE HAD SOME FANTASTIC FOLKS COME THROUGH, UM, THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS PROGRAM AND, UH, WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS, UH, CITY HALL EXPERIENCE TO APPLY. AND THEN FINALLY, I DO WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR THE SUPPORT ON THE NLC RESOLUTION. UM, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES ARE GREAT FOR THE CITY, UH, TO HAVE FOLKS AT THE TABLE, UH, INVOLVED IN COMMITTEES AND AT THE ORGANIZATION. UM, YOU KNOW, I AM INTERESTED IN THE, THE IT COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE. I WAS APPOINTED TO THAT COMMITTEE. UM, SO THIS IS A POTENTIAL LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY THERE AND THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES HERE IN HOUSTON FOR THOSE IMPROVEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO, TO OUR SYSTEMS AND HOW WE ARE DELIVERING CONSTITUENT SERVICES AND COMMUNICATING TO FOLKS WHAT WE ARE DOING. SO I APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT, UH, AND LOOK FORWARD TO, TO MORE, UH, INVOLVEMENT AND SERVICE WITH THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR DAVIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, WANTED TO BEGIN THIS MORNING TO INVITE, UM, EVERYONE TO OUR UPCOMING TOWN HALL MEETING, UM, MONDAY, MAY 18TH AT THE CHINESE COMMUNITY CENTER. AS YOU MAY KNOW, MY OFFICE HAS HELD FOUR ANNUAL TOWN HALLS SINCE, UM, WEEKLY, A YEAR SINCE WE STARTED IN 24. THIS HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A VERY SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITIES ALL OVER THE CITY. I'M VERY PROUD OF MY TEAM, A LOT OF WORK AND PUTTING THIS TOGETHER, REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. UH, WE'VE HELD, UM, TOWN HALLS IN EAST LITTLE YORK, UH, HOMESTEAD A LEAF, FONDANT GARDENS, GULF GATE, SPRING BRANCH, SUNNYSIDE ACRES HOME, AND MOST RECENTLY IN MONTROSE. UH, NOW WE ARE BACK ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE AND WE WON'T INVITE EVERYONE TO, UH, COME OUT TO SHARPSTOWN AT THE CHINESE COMMUNITY CENTER LOCATED AT 9,800 TOWN PARK DRIVE. UM, WE HOLD A Q AND A PANEL AT THE EVENT. PANELISTS INCLUDE HPD, CHIEF DIAZ, METRO POLICE, CHIEF MAN, 10 PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTOR, LARRY SADDLE, WHITE PUBLIC WORKS, COO, CHRISTIAN BUTLER, [03:10:01] SOLID WASTE DIRECTOR LAURA HANSON, HOUSING DIRECTOR MIKE NICHOLS AND PARK, UH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR APPRENTICE COLLINS. WE HOPE THAT ALL THAT CAN WOULD JOIN US. IT'S A GOOD ENGAGEMENT. IT GIVES THE OPPORTUNITY TO THE COMMUNITY TO EXPRESS AND GIVE AND ASK QUESTIONS CONCERNING THEIR COMMUNITIES. AND, UH, AND IT IS TURNED OUT TO BE VERY GOOD FOR RESOURCE INFORMATION BECAUSE WE DO INVITE OTHER VENDORS, FEMA, SBA, RED CROSS AND OTHERS, AND THEY'LL BE PARTICIPATING WITH US. UM, LAST ON A SAD NOTE. I DO WANT TO, UM, UM, FOR THOSE WHO MAY, MAY KNOW OR MAY NOT KNOW, UH, WE LOST A GREAT FRIEND IN OUR CITY, UM, REVEREND PERRY WOOTEN, UM, WHO, UH, SERVED THIS CITY AS A SHERIFF DEPUTY AND ALSO SERVED AS CONSTABLE OF PRECINCT SEVEN. UH, PERRY WAS VERY WELL-KNOWN PERSONALITY THROUGHOUT HOUSTON. AND, UH, SO I REALLY, REALLY WAS A PERSONAL FRIEND AND A BIG, UH, SUPPORTER. AND WE WORKED A LETTER TOGETHER ON A LOT OF THINGS. SO, UM, JUST WANTED TO, UM, ASK HIM THAT WE WILL OFFER OUR PRAYER FOR THE WOOTEN FAMILY AND THE LOSS OF OUR DEAR BROTHER. AND CERTAINLY, UH, HE'S GOING TO BE MISSED. AND, UH, THAT'S ALL THAT I HAVE TODAY, MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCILMAN KAMAN. WE'VE, UM, RECENTLY IN HOUSTON BEEN SEEING A LOT MORE TRAGIC HEADLINES THAT READ, UH, MURDER SUICIDE AND ONE MOST RECENTLY YESTERDAY. UH, AND I, I TALK ABOUT THIS OFTEN, BUT WHEN WE, UH, SAY MURDER SUICIDE, USUALLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. AND I WOULD FIRST AND FOREMOST ENCOURAGE OUR PARTNERS, UH, IN THE MEDIA WHO ARE COVERING THESE HORRIFIC SITUATIONS AND TRAGEDIES. UM, TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COMPONENT OF THIS AND INCLUDE RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE, BECAUSE IT DIDN'T JUST START WITH THAT ONE FATAL ACT. UM, THERE ARE SIGNS BEFORE THAT WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE KNOW SURVIVORS AND VICTIMS KNOW HOW TO SEEK HELP IS ANOTHER STORY. UM, WE HAVE INCREDIBLE PARTNERS HERE IN HOUSTON WHO ARE SUPPORTING SURVIVORS AND CONNECTING, UH, INDIVIDUALS WITH CRITICAL RESOURCES. ONE OF THOSE, UM, IS THE HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S CENTER, AND THEY SERVE THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES EVERY SINGLE DAY. UH, WE HAD SECURED AS THE CITY OF HOUSTON ADDITIONAL FUNDING, UH, SO THAT THEY COULD GROW AND EXPAND THEIR HOUSING. UH, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE FACILITY, BUT ON AVERAGE, JUST ONE ORGANIZATION, HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S CENTER. IN 2025 ALONE, THEY AVERAGED 106 CALLS A DAY TO THEIR HOTLINE, TOTALING OVER 35,000 CALLS LAST YEAR ALONE, 35,000 CALLS TO ONE SINGLE ORGANIZATION. UH, MY OFFICE HAS PARTNERED, UH, TO FUND $15,000 TO SUPPORT BILINGUAL CALL TAKERS FOR HAWK, UM, FOR THEIR 24 7 CRISIS RESOURCE HOTLINE. AND I WANNA THANK HPD FOR BEING OUR SPONSORING DEPARTMENT IN THAT, UM, OUR DOMESTIC ABUSE RESPONSE TEAM IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS SCENARIOS. UM, OUR OFFICERS RESPOND IN, UM, AND THEY DO INCREDIBLE WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND WE APPRECIATE THEIR PARTNERSHIP AND DEDICATION. UH, I WANNA SHARE OUT THAT HOTLINE, UH, IT FOR HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S CENTER, 7 1 3 5 2 8 2 1 2 1, OR YOU CAN VISIT HAWK.ORG. THERE ARE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OUT THERE. AND MAYOR, WHEN I, UH, PREVIOUSLY WE HAD WORKED TO INCLUDE IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING, INCLUDING A CHARGE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME CONSOLIDATIONS, UH, BUT WHEN WE WENT ONLINE, IT REFERENCES, FOR EXAMPLE, HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S CENTER IS A RESOURCE, BUT THERE'S NO LINK OR NUMBER TO CONTACT. IT DOESN'T INCLUDE THE HARRIS COUNTY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COORDINATING COUNCIL. AND THERE'S SO MANY RESOURCES WE CAN INCLUDE THEM ALL. UM, BUT I WOULD APPRECIATE, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH WHOEVER IS IN CHARGE OF THAT AT THE MOMENT SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION AND MAKING THESE RESOURCES AVAILABLE. BUT AGAIN, UH, MORE RECENTLY WE HAVE BEEN SEEING THESE HEADLINES, MURDER, SUICIDE, MURDER, SUICIDE. AND IT HAPPENS FAR TOO OFTEN. BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WHAT THIS REALLY IS AND THAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND WE HAVE TO BE DOING A LOT MORE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR JACKSON. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, ON MONDAY, UM, WE KICKED OFF OUR INAUGURAL CLASS OF THE DISTRICT B ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY WITH 52 STUDENTS, UM, 52 LEADERS ACROSS THE UM, UM, DISTRICT. THE GOAL [03:15:01] OF THE ACADEMY IS TO ENSURE THAT DISTRICT B RESIDENTS ARE NOT JUST WITNESSES TO GROWTH, BUT THEY'RE LEADING AND SHAPING, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN IN THE DISTRICT. DURING THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, RESIDENTS WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS NEEDED TO STRENGTHEN NEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIES. THE PARTICIPANTS WILL, PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN THE FUNDAMENTALS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HOW INVESTMENT HAPPENS IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND STRATEGIES FOR ATTRACTING BUSINESSES AND RESOURCES THAT SUPPORT LONG-TERM GROWTH. UM, THE ECONOMIC ACADEMY IS PART OF THE BE SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY, UH, CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVE. IT'S A COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT LAUNCHED BY MY OFFICE TO ADDRESS POVERTY, INCREASE OPPORTUNITY AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN DISTRICT B THROUGH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND COMPUTE, COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING AND ECONOMIC GROWTH. SO IF RESIDENTS ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THE NEXT CLASS, UM, REACH OUT TO OUR OFFICE. WE WILL ANNOUNCE WHEN O APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN, OR THEY CAN CONTACT US AT 8 3 2 3 9 3 3 0 0 9. OUR DISTRICT BE@HOUSTONTX.GOV. I ALSO WANT TO THANK, UM, COURTNEY JOHNSON, RHODES, THE PRINCIPAL BROKER, AND CEO OF GEORGE E. JOHNSON PROPERTIES. SHE'S FACILITATING THIS, UM, ACADEMY. AND SO AGAIN, IF RESIDENTS ARE INTERESTED IN THE NEXT, UM, COHORT, CONTACT OUR OFFICE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ. THANK YOU MAYOR. I'LL PASS THIS WEEK. COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS, I PASS. I'M NOT SURE HE BELIEVES HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY. HE LOST WORDS. I PASSED MAYOR, APPROACH HIM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. JUST A COUPLE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS. UM, I DID WANT TO JUST KIND OF AMPLIFY ITEM FIVE THAT WE PASSED EARLIER TODAY. UM, IT WAS, UM, THE ACCEPT WORK OF SOME CITYWIDE PANEL REPLACEMENT PROJECTS, AND WE RECEIVED SOME REALLY POSITIVE FEEDBACK ON THOSE PANEL REPLACEMENTS. SO I WANTED TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT, UM, TO DIRTWOOD GREEN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. WE GET A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT DO THE WORK, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO, UM, WHEN WE GET SOME POSITIVE FEEDBACK, I WANT TO AMPLIFY THAT AS WELL. SO, UM, THANK YOU TO DIRTWOOD GREEN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. THEY DID AN EXCELLENT JOB ON THE PROJECTS. UM, THESE ARE SOME OF THE STREETS THAT ARE HEAVILY TRAVELED BY LARGE CEMENT AND GARBAGE TRUCKS, AND THEY DID SOME REALLY, UM, QUALITY STREET OVERLAYS THROUGHOUT DISTRICT K. AND THEN I WANT TO, UM, LET THE RESIDENTS IN THE HI CLARK SOUTH POST OAK AREA KNOW THAT, UM, A ROAD WILL BE RECEIVING A MEAL OVERLAY. AND THAT PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON MAY THE FOURTH, UH, 2026, AND SHOULD BE COMPLETE BY THE SUMMER OF 2026. SO IF YOU ARE DRIVING IN THAT AREA, WE'RE ASKING YOU TO SLOW DOWN OR TAKE THE DETOUR, UM, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WORK IS DONE SAFELY. UH, WE DO HAVE A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETING COMING UP. UM, REALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE THE RESIDENTS IN DISTRICT A TO PARTICIPATE. UM, THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE DISTRICT, A OFFICE AND THE FIVE CORNERS DISTRICT TURNS NINE, UM, HOUSTON PARKS BOARD AND METRO UP ART STUDIO AND PRECINCT ONE HOUSTON, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, AND THE EDISON ARTS CENTER AND AIR ALLIANCE HOUSTON. AND THIS MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE ON THURSDAY, MAY 21ST FROM SIX TO 8:00 PM IT'S A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETING. IT WILL BE HELD AT THE FOUNTAIN LIFE CENTER. AND THIS IS JUST FOR FURTHER DIALOGUE BETWEEN OUR LOCAL LEADERS AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS SO FOLKS CAN KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AND AROUND THE DISTRICT AS FAR AS ONGOING DEVELOPMENTS INSIDE THE COMMUNITY. AND THEN, UH, COLLEAGUES, I ALSO WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO HOUSTON WATER. UH, WE HAD A, A FRANTIC CALL FROM, UH, RESIDENTS IN MAY, MAYFAIR PARK. THEY HAD A BIG WATER MAIN BREAK, UH, AND THEY REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO GET THE WATER TURNED OFF. AND THEY CALLED, UM, UH, PUBLIC WORKS AND, UH, OUR DIRECTOR OF CONSTITUENT SERVICES, ERIC GOODWIN. AND THEY WERE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED AT HOW FAST, UH, HOUSTON WATER SHOWED UP AND SHUT THE WATER SUPPLY OFF AND ALLOW FOR CLEANUP AND IMMEDIATE REPAIRS. AND MS. MARY LOU BALLO, WHO IS THE PRESIDENT OF MAYFAIR PARK, WANTED ME TO MAKE SURE TO AMPLIFY THE GOOD WORK OF OUR PUBLIC WORKS HOUSTON WATER DEPARTMENT WHO HELPED THEM IN A EMERGENCY SITUATION. MAYOR, I KNOW SHE SENT AN EMAIL TO YOUR OFFICE TOO, BUT SHE REALLY WANTED TO, UM, LET US KNOW THAT PUBLIC WORKS IN HOUSTON WATER WAS OUT THERE, ASAP TO HELP TAKE CARE OF THEIR CONCERNS. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GREAT WORK THAT YOU CONTINUE TO DO ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. Y'ALL BE KIND TO EACH OTHER AND MAKE IT A GREAT DAY. AND THANK YOU VICE MAYOR POTO. THANK YOU MAYOR. I WANT TO ANNOUNCE OUR NEXT COFFEE WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBER AND COPS EVENT. IT WILL BE ON THURSDAY, MAY 28TH AT 10:00 AM AT [03:20:01] THE WHITE OAK CONFERENCE CENTER, 7 6 0 3 ANTOINE DRIVE. UM, I WILL BE THERE. OUR HPD NORTH DIVISION CAPTAIN WATSON WILL BE THERE AS WELL. AND WE'LL ALSO HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM PUBLIC WORKS IN CASE THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ALL OF THE, UH, GREAT INWOOD, UM, FLOODING MITIGATION PROJECTS AND THE ANTOINE PROJECT AND ALL THE GREAT THINGS WE HAVE GOING ON THERE. SO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ATTEND OUR MEETING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR MARTINEZ. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, FIRST I WANNA JUST SEND A CONGRATULATIONS TO LULAC COUNCIL 60 ON THEIR GROUNDBREAKING TO RESTORE HISTORIC LULAC CLUBHOUSE. UH, THIS TWO STORY STUCCO BUILDING THAT BECAME LULAC COUNCIL 60 HOME WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1907, UH, SERVED JOBS FOR PROGRESS, WHICH IS NOW IN DISTRICT. I, UH, THEY STARTED, THEY BEGAN IN THE CLUBHOUSE IN 1965. IT IS AN IMPORTANT, UH, STEP TO PRESERVING OUR HISTORY. UH, I WANT TO THANK, UH, EVERYONE THAT WAS INVOLVED THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS, ESPECIALLY GRACIE SCIENCE AND RAY VALDEZ FOR THEIR CONTINUED LEADERSHIP. UH, AND THEN LASTLY, UM, JUST WANTED TO SHARE A BIT MORE, UM, ABOUT THE BUDGET. YOU KNOW, WHEN I RAN FOR THIS POSITION, I KNEW IT WAS GONNA TAKE FOCUS AND DETERMINATION TO TACKLE HOUSTON'S REAL CHALLENGES FOR OVER A DECADE. UM, THE CITY HAS FACED ROUGHLY ANYWHERE BETWEEN 120 TO 150 MILLION DEFICIT DECLINING SERVICES AND REVENUE CAPS THAT COST US BILLIONS THAT COULD HAVE STABILIZED DEPARTMENTS. UH, THIS IS NOT A NEW CONVERSATION AND KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD WAS NOT AN OPTION. TOUGH DECISIONS ARE NECESSARY. WE MUST ASK OURSELVES WHAT KIND OF CITY WE WANT BECAUSE BILLIONS IN DEFERRED MAINTENANCE IS NOT SUSTAINABLE. WE CANNOT FIX ON BROKEN. IF WE WANT TO A SAFE, DIVERSE CITY THAT LEADS IN INNOVATION, WE MUST STAY FOCUSED ON OUR FINANCES AND FIXED CORE SERVICES. UH, FIRST, UH, WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, BUDGET SEASON IS UPON US. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE UPCOMING DISCUSSIONS TO CONTINUE TO FIND WAYS TO IMPROVE THE FINANCIAL, UH, SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR P*****K. THANK YOU MAYOR. MAYOR. UM, I WATCHED THE, UM, PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY REGARDING THE, UH, BUDGET ROLLOUT AND, UH, HAD A FEW QUESTIONS. I'LL KIND OF SPRINKLE THESE QUESTIONS OUT THROUGHOUT THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AND TALK TO THE DIRECTORS. UM, BUT I DID HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU. UM, YOU HAD MENTIONED YESTERDAY THAT THE $5 FEE WAS NOT A GARBAGE FEE, IT WAS AN ADMIN FEE. UM, THAT FEE, WILL IT BE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES OR IS IT ACTUALLY GONNA BE FOR GARBAGE COLLECTION AND PICKUP? YOU KNOW, FINANCE IS GONNA MEET THIS AFTERNOON AND GO OVER DETAIL, AND I UNDERSTAND MY STAFF WHO EXPLAINED IT TO THE OTHER MEMBERS OFFERED IT TO YOU. IN FACT, I BELIEVE YOUR STAFF WAS IN THE CHIEF OF STAFF'S MEETING. SO IF IN ALL DUE RESPECT, I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. WE'LL HAVE PLENTY OF HEARINGS, BUT I DON'T THINK NOW IS THE, UH, THE PROPER TIME OF, SO THE, THE COUNCIL MEETING ISN'T THE APPROPRIATE TIME FOR ME TO ASK YOU THE QUESTIONS. I THINK THERE, THERE'LL BE A SERIES OF QUESTIONS. IN FACT, THERE'S GONNA BE TOWN HALL MEETINGS, BUT THE BRIEFINGS TOOK PLACE BEFORE YESTERDAY. AND, UM, FIRST OF, I'LL SEND YOU A COPY OF MY EXPLANATION YESTERDAY. I JUST DON'T WANT TO GO INTO THE DEBATE ON THE BUDGET AT THIS TIME. OH YEAH, I DON'T WANT TO DEBATE. I JUST HAVE SOME SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. IF NO, AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE A DIALOGUE. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INQUIRY. I'M CERTAIN THAT YOU GET A BRIEFING FROM THE STAFF FROM ME, AND I BELIEVE YOUR STAFF'S ALREADY HAD ONE, SO IF YOU WANT TO TALK TO YOUR STAFF. YEAH, MY, MY STAFF DID ATTEND A BRIEFING. MY STAFF DID BRIEF ME. AND SO BASED ON THAT BRIEFING, THANK YOU. GO AHEAD A SHOUT OUT IF YOU'D LIKE TO BASED ON THAT BRIEFING. THAT'S WHY I WANT TO ADDRESS YOU AND ASK SOME SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. I'LL BE GLAD TO MEET WITH YOU. I DON'T WANNA TAKE THE TIME OF THE ENTIRE COUNCIL AT THIS TIME. SO YOU WILL MEET WITH ME PERSONALLY. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SURE, SURE. I'LL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU. OKAY. LOOK FORWARD TO IT. ALRIGHT, WELL, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I'LL ASK IN OUR MEETING FOR YOU TO HAVE AN, UM, SOME TIME TO, TO GENERATE SOME ANSWERS IS, IS REALLY AROUND THE FEE, UM, THE $5. SURE. WHY, WHY $5? WILL THE $5, UM, MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO WHERE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE SEEING THEIR TRASH PICKED UP ON TIME AND ROUTINELY, UH, WITH THAT $5, IF NOT, UM, WILL THEY BE AN INCREMENT UP TO, UH, POSSIBLY $25? IF THAT $25 IS THE ACTUAL COST, WHY AREN'T WE EDUCATING AND PUTTING FORTH THAT PROPOSAL FOR THE $25? NOW YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A PROPER, A, UH, OPPORTUNITY AND I THINK YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOUR YEARS LONGER THAN I HAVE. SO I RESPECT YOUR QUESTIONS. I WANT YOU TO GET GOOD ANSWERS. AND, UH, WELL, I WAS JUST PUTTING THE QUESTIONS ON THE RECORD. I KNOW YOU DON'T WANNA ANSWER THEM TODAY. I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. AND SO [03:25:01] I WAS ASKING IF THE $25 IS THE REAL COST, UM, WHY WOULDN'T WE PUT PROS THAT NOW IF THE $25 IS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE EVENTUALLY GET TO, WILL THAT BE ENOUGH AT THAT TIME PERIOD WHEN COST OF SERVICES AND GOODS AND, AND OPERATION MAY, MAY GO UP OVER TIME? UM, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A, A REPORT BY SOME CONSULTANTS THAT LAID OUT OPERATIONS FOR SOLID WASTE AND SPECIFICALLY A FEE. UM, I HAVE NOT SEEN IT. I WAS HOPING THAT YOU COULD GIVE SOME FEEDBACK ON WHEN WE WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THAT REPORT, UH, IN ITS ENTIRETY. UH, AS IT PERTAINS TO THE WATER AND THE WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE KNOW IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. UH, WILL SHIFTING, UH, SOLID WASTE OVER TO PUBLIC WORKS NEGATIVELY IMPACT OUR RESOURCES FOR WATER, FOR WASTEWATER, FOR DRAINAGE, FOR MAINTENANCE. UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS CROSSED MY MIND AS IT PERTAINS TO THE C AS IT PERTAINS TO THE CUS. UH, WE KNOW THAT, UM, THOSE ARE PAID FOR THROUGH BONDS WITH THE BOND HOLDERS, UM, APPROVED SOLID WASTE BEING PUT OVER INTO THE CUS. I KNOW THERE'S SPECIFIC LANGUAGE THAT, THAT'S ALSO A QUESTION FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY. UM, I KNOW WE HAD SPOKE ABOUT IT PREVIOUSLY. UM, ARTURO, IS THERE ANY ISSUES THAT YOU'VE SEEN OR THAT MAY BE FORESEEABLE AS IT RELATES TO SHIFTING, UM, SOLID WASTE OVER INTO PUBLIC WORKS UNDER THE CUS WHEN THERE'S SPECIFIC BOND LANGUAGE THAT, UM, SPEAKS TO WHAT THOSE DOLLARS SHOULD BE GOING TOWARDS? UH, WE DON'T THINK THERE'S AN ISSUE. WE'VE LOOKED AT IT CLOSELY, INCLUDING WITH OUR OUTSIDE CU LONGTIME OUTSIDE CUS COUNCIL, BUT I'LL BE HAPPY TO WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH YOU PRIVATELY. THANK YOU. UH, THERE'S A MYRIAD OF OTHER QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE BASIC ONES. UM, I WILL DIRECT THOSE AS WELL TO THE DIRECTOR TODAY AT THE COMMITTEE MEETING. UM, BUT I DO THINK THESE ARE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK. THESE ARE QUESTIONS THAT THE RESIDENTS ARE REACHING OUT TO US WANTING TO UNDERSTAND, AND, UM, SO I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THE DISCUSSION WITH YOU AND HAVING THAT ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR ALCORN. THANK YOU. AND TO THAT END, WE'LL BE MEETING TODAY AT TWO O'CLOCK. SO LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE FINANCE DIRECTOR AND SHE'LL LAY OUT THE FIVE-YEAR FORECAST AND THE BUDGET AND LOOK FORWARD TO BUDGET SEASON 23 BUDGET WORKSHOPS. AND IT'S, THERE'S ALREADY A LINK UP THAT YOU CAN GO AND SUBMIT QUESTIONS IN WRITING. THAT'S REALLY THE BEST WAY TO DO IT. I KNOW IT'S A HASSLE, BUT LIKE, IF YOU SUBMIT 'EM IN WRITING, YOU CAN STILL ASK 'EM OUT LOUD AT THE COMMITTEE HEARINGS, BUT THEY GET A LITTLE BIT OF A HEADS UP ON WHAT YOU'RE GONNA BE ASKING ABOUT, AND YOU SOMETIMES GET THE ANSWERS. THERE'S SO MANY MEETINGS AND THEY'RE BACK TO BACK, SO WE CAN'T LIKE ASK EVERY SINGLE QUESTION, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'VE EVER DREAMED OF. SO A LOT OF THEM, I, I THINK SHAREPOINT'S KIND OF UNDERUSED. SO USE SHAREPOINT TO THE BEST YOU CAN. I'M NOT TELLING YOU WHAT YOU DO, BUT IF YOU CAN USE SHAREPOINT, PLEASE USE SHAREPOINT. UM, IT'S GREAT. AND, UH, I WANNA THANK, UM, EVERYBODY FOR PUSHING OUT MY BUDGET SURVEY. YOU KNOW, MAYOR, THIS IS A TOUGH JOB BECAUSE WHEN I READ THE COMMENTS I HAVE LIKE UP TO 700 OR SO, A LOT OF PEOPLE READ COMMENTS. I MEAN, THEY ARE ALL OVER THE MAP. AND I'LL READ YOU, I'M GONNA READ SOME EVERY WEEK WHILE WE'RE DOING THE BUDGET. YOU'VE GOT SOMEBODY SAYING, UM, THE CITY NEEDS MORE MONEY NOW. I AM WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR A BETTER CITY TO, TO BE FOLLOWED BY SOMEBODY ELSE SAYING, DO NOT RAISE PROPERTY TAXES AGGRESSIVELY. THINK LIKE A BUSINESS. YOUR JOB IS NOT TO SPEND ALL YOUR REVENUE, BUT RATHER TO EFFICIENTLY OR TO BE MORE EFFICIENT WITH THE MONEY YOU COMMANDER FROM YOUR RESIDENTS. UM, YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE SAYING GARBAGE SERVICES ARE, ARE ALWAYS GETTING BEAT UP, BUT THEY ARE GOOD CREWS WORKING VERY HARD WITH THE DENSITY GROWTH. THEY ARE THREADING THE NEEDLE TO SAFELY PICK UP AROUND EVERY CORNER. KUDOS TO THE COH TEAMS FOR GOING FROM ZERO TO HERO ON GARBAGE. THANK YOU CONSTITUENT. THAT WAS NICE. UM, WE'VE GOT, OUR PARK IS MUCH BETTER NOW THAT PRECINCT FOUR HAS TAKEN OVER MAINTENANCE. I'D LIKE TO SEE THE SPLASH PADS AROUND TOWN REVISITED WITH PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. THEY WERE SO GREAT, BUT THEY NEED A REFRESH AND IN SOME PLACES THEY'RE BECOMING DANGEROUS. UH, LIBRARIES PLEASE CONTINUE TO FUND OUR LIBRARIES AND KEEP THEM OPEN AS LONG DURING THE DAY AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS AN INVALUABLE SERVICE TO RESIDENTS, UH, HAVE EACH HEAD DEPARTMENT LOOK TO REDUCE COST AND HEAD COUNT AS APPROPRIATE. MOVE TO MORE PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCEMENTS USING TECHNOLOGY. SOME ARE PRETTY MEAN. I'M NOT GONNA READ THOSE . UM, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD INSIGHT AND WHAT IT REALLY TELLS ME IS JUST HOW BIG THIS CITY IS AND HOW DIVERSE THE OPINIONS ARE. SO IT'S A REALLY TOUGH JOB. WE HAVE TO KIND OF DO THE BEST WE CAN TO BALANCE [03:30:02] THE NEEDS AND THE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF OPINIONS AND PERSPECTIVES OF EVERY SINGLE HOUSTONIAN. SO LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES ON, ON A, A FUN MONTH AHEAD. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. THAT'S ALL. WE STAY ON ADJOURN. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.