[Government Operations Committee on May 11, 2026.]
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COUNCIL MEMBERS, STAFF MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
I'M FRED FLICKINGER, CHAIR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE.
CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AND WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE, UH, COUNCILWOMAN AMY PECK.
AND THEN WE HAVE STAFF FROM, UH, COUNCILWOMAN TIFFANY THOMAS, COUNCILMAN MARIO CASTILLO, MAYOR PRO TEM MARTHA CASTEX TATUM, AND COUNCILMAN JULIAN JULIAN RAMIREZ.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF, PLEASE HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END OF THE PRESENTATIONS.
IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC COMMENT, THERE IS A SIGN IN SHEET AT THE FRONT OF THE TABLE.
UH, FOR THE FIRST PRESENTATION, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT, SHIVA SINGH, WILL PROVIDE A REVIEW OF ILLEGALLY DUMP TIRES ORDINANCE.
SO I'M GONNA GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE TIRE PERMITTING PROGRAM WITHIN THE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT.
SO, THIS ORDINANCE WAS INITIALLY, UH, EFFECTIVE IN 2016, WAS TO HELP ESTABLISH REGULATIONS AND PROCEDURES FOR THE ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE TRANSPORTATION STORAGE, ACCURATE RECORD KEEPING, AND PROPER DISPOSAL OF NEW USED OR SCRAP TIRES.
TIRE SHOPS CAN NO LONGER USE ANY TRANSPORTER TO DISCARD THEIR TIRES.
THEY MUST BE MET, REGISTERED WITH THE STATE AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
TIRES MUST BE DISPOSED OF APPROPRIATELY.
THE KEY DIFFERENCE IS THE TCQ REGULATION ONLY APPLY TO TIRE GENERATORS OVER 500 TIRES PER YEAR.
CITY OF HOUSTON ORDINANCE APPLIES TO ALL BUSINESSES TO BE ALL BUSINESSES WITHIN THE CITY.
LIMITS ARE TO BE INSPECTED AND PERMITTED.
UM, SO REAL QUICKLY TO GO OVER SOME DEFINITIONS.
A TIRE GENERATOR IS DEFINED AS A FLEET OPERATOR, AN AUTOMOTIVE DISMANTLER, OR A RETAILER, WHOLESALER, MANUFACTURER, RE CAPPER, OR RETREADER OF NEW OR USED TIRES.
TIRE TRANSPORTER IS A PERSON WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CAUSING TIRES TO MOVE ALONG A PUBLIC STREET FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER WITHIN THE CITY.
WE ARE FOLLOWING CHAPTER 39, ARTICLE EIGHT, UH, ENTIRE PERMITING PROCESS.
UH, SO EVERY TIRE GENERATOR IS TO BE PERMITTED ANNUALLY AND INSPECTED.
THIS WOULD INCLUDE REVIEWING THEIR MANIFEST RECORDS, STORAGE AND DISPOSAL PRACTICES.
TIRE TRANSPORTERS ARE PERMITTED AND INSPECTED, AND THEY ARE ISSUED A DECAL THAT SHOULD BE VISIBLE ON THEIR TRUCK AS THEY PERFORM THEIR SERVICES.
WE ARE INCREASING THE AUDIT FREQUENCY AND THE DEPTH OF THE MANIFEST RECORDS KEPT BY BOTH GENERATORS AND TRANSPORTERS THROUGH THIS PROGRAM 'CAUSE OF THE LI THE TCAQ LIMIT OF 500 TIRES PER YEAR.
UH, THE GOAL OF IT IS TO CUT DOWN ON ILLEGAL DUMPING OF TIRES.
TIRE INSPECTOR DUTIES ARE TO CONDUCT INSPECTIONS F PARTICULARLY LOOKING FOR THE PROPER STORAGE AND DISPOSAL DOCUMENTATION IN THAT ENTIRE GENERATORS ARE FOLLOWING GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL PRO, UM, PRACTICES.
THEY ISSUE CITATIONS, LEGAL WARNINGS.
THEY ATTEND COURT WHEN SUBPOENAED PROCESS APPLICATIONS AND PAYMENTS FOR EACH BUSINESS.
MAIL OUT AND ISSUE PERMITS AND DECALS, AND THEY RESPOND TO ANY INQUIRIES FOR A BUSINESS.
FOR A TIRE GENERATOR, THE PERMIT FEE IS APPROXIMATELY $114 FOR A TIRE TRANSPORT, THE PERMIT FEE IS APPROXIMATELY $295 FOR ONE VEHICLE.
A TIRE GENERATOR, UH, SORRY, A TIRE TRANSPORTER CAN HAVE MULTIPLE VEHICLES AND WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 52 50 PER VIEW.
ANNUAL REGISTRATION AND INSPECTIONS ARE A REQUIREMENT OF THE ORDINANCE.
LOOKING AT OUR PERMANENT METRICS, UM, FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR TO DATE, THERE'S ABOUT EIGHT 1800 PLUS PERMITS IN THE
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SYSTEM.UH, ABOUT ALMOST 800 ARE EXPIRED.
SO AS A COMBINATION OF SMALLER BUSINESSES GOING OUT OF BUSINESS, UM, THINGS THAT NEED TO BE RENEWED OR REMOVED, THERE'S ABOUT 2,800 INSPECTIONS PERFORMED ANNUALLY.
TWO THIRDS OF LOCATIONS REQUIRE A RE-INSPECTION FOR COMPLIANCE.
UH, YEAR TO DATE, FIVE CITATIONS HAVE BEEN ISSUED.
THERE'S 612 CLOSED UNPERMITTED OR, UM, SPECIFICALLY ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS FOUND BY THE INSPECTORS IS JUST OVER 600.
SO THE 3 1 1 SR FOR ILLEGAL DUMPING DOES NOT SPECIFICALLY SEPARATE ILLEGAL DUMPING OF TIRES.
SO WE HAD TO GO THROUGH THE RECORDS AND THE COMMENT SECTION OF 3 1 1.
AND MANY OF THESE ARE SELF-REPORTED.
WHAT WE COULD PULL OUT, WE GENERATED A HEAT MAP, UH, TO SEE IF THERE IS SOME KIND OF CLEAR INDICATION THAT ILLEGAL DUMPING OF TIRES DIFFERED FROM ILLEGAL DUMPING IN GENERAL, UH, DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THERE'S A CLEAR INDICATION OF THAT, BUT THAT'S JUST GOING THROUGH THE LIMITATIONS OF HOW WE COLLECT DATA THROUGH THREE ONE RUN RIGHT NOW.
SO, FOR ILLEGAL DUMPING SOLID WASTE IN FY 25 DID A LITTLE OVER 9,500 INSPECTIONS.
80% OF THOSE WERE RESPONSIVE TO 3 1 11.
20% OF THOSE WERE PROACTIVE INSPECTIONS.
AS THE INSPECTORS DROVE AROUND AND SAW SOMETHING, UH, THE BREAKDOWN OF FY 25 NUMBERS, THERE WAS ABOUT 2,600 ILLEGAL DUMPING THAT INVOLVED TIRES.
AND BASED ON THE ESTIMATED WEIGHT THAT WAS HAULED OUT, UH, 29,778 TIRES WERE REMOVED IN FY 25 ALONE.
UH, CALENDAR YEAR THROUGH APRIL, THERE'S ABOUT 1,570 ILLEGAL DUMPING AND WE'RE ESTIMATING ABOUT 14,722 TIRES, UM, HAVE BEEN DISPOSED OF BY SOLID WASTE.
SO, REAL QUICKLY, UM, TALKING TO COMMUNITIES THAT, UM, THERE'S SOME CONFUSION ABOUT WHERE THEY CAN TAKE SOME THINGS.
UM, TIRES CAN BE TAKEN TO ALL OF OUR FACILITIES.
SO THE SIX NEIGHBORHOOD DEPOSITORIES, WHICH ARE BEING REBRANDED, RESIDENTIAL DROP-OFF CENTERS, WILL TAKE TIRES.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE CENTERS, AND ALSO OUR CONSUMER RECYCLING CENTERS WILL ALSO ACCEPT TIRES.
CURRENTLY, SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IS UNDER CONTRACT WITH LIBERTY TIRE RECYCLING.
WE COLLECT THEM AT FACILITIES AND BIWEEKLY.
THEY PICK THEM UP FROM CONTAINERS AND TAKE THEM TO THE RECYCLING FACILITY.
THIS CONTRACT IS ALSO SHARED WITH H-P-W-F-M-D AND HAS.
IN TERMS OF WHERE DO TIRE TRANSPORTERS GO PER TCEQ REGULATIONS, THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DISPOSE OF, UH, THEIR TIRES AT A-T-C-E-Q REGULATED SITE.
THIS IS THE LIST OF ACCOUNT OF ALL THE SITES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO A TIRE CANNOT JUST BE DUMPED IN A LANDFILL.
IT HAS TO BE PROCESSED, MEANING CUT UP INTO PIECES BEFORE IT CAN BE PLACED INTO A LANDFILL.
SO THAT'S WHAT THE PROCESS PROCESSING CENTER IS.
UH, THERE ARE TWO RECYCLING CENTERS IN THE HOUSTON AREA, UM, ONE IN HOUSTON AND ONE IN BAYTOWN, WHERE, WHERE WE HAVE OUR CONTRACT.
AND THERE'S VARIOUS OTHER PROJECTS APPROVED BY THE TCEQ FOR USE OF SCRAP TIRES.
SO I WANTED TO POINT OUT TO, I GUESS, THE RESIDENTS OR ANYONE THAT HAS ANYTHING THAT THEY WANT TO KNOW HOW TO DISPOSE OF IT.
PLEASE ALWAYS CHECK THE HOUSTON SOLID WASTE.ORG WEBSITE, UH, PRESS RELEASES AND THE STATUS OF YOUR CURRENT 3 1 1 SERVICE REQUEST.
YOU CAN CALL THE CUSTOMER SERVICE HOTLINE AND GET AN UPDATE ON IT THERE.
WE ALSO HAVE THE HDX COLLECTS APP FOR ANDROID AND APPLE, OR ON THE SAME WEBSITE.
IF YOU SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE AND GO TO THE MAGNIFYING GLASS, YOU CAN ACTUALLY JUST TYPE IN WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DISPOSE OF AND FIND OUT THE, UH, SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION FOR HOW TO DISPOSE.
SO WITH THAT, UM, ANY QUESTIONS? COUNCILWOMAN PECK.
THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, DO THESE NUMBERS INCLUDE, UM, OUR HOT TEAM COLLECTION PICKUPS OF TIRES, OR IS THIS JUST THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT? THIS IS JUST THE SOLID WASTE DEPARTMENT, BUT THE HOT TEAMS WOULD DISPOSE OF THEIR TIRES AT OUR FACILITIES.
SO THE ESTIMATED TIRES WOULD INCLUDE THE HOT TEAMS. OKAY, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ'S OFFICE.
UM, SO JUST TO CHECK MY UNDERSTANDING, YOU'RE JUST LETTING US KNOW ABOUT THE EXISTING ORDINANCE.
YOU'RE NOT PROPOSING CHANGES OR SOMETHING NEW, IS THAT RIGHT? OR CURRENTLY? NO.
UM, NO, NO PROPOSED CHANGES CURRENTLY.
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OKAY.SO HOW DO WE KNOW HOW MANY OF THESE TIRE GENERATOR BUSINESSES EXIST AND WHERE THEY ARE? SO THE TIRE GENERATOR LIST, IT'S, UM, THERE'S TWO THINGS TO IT.
THERE'S YOUR BIG COMPANIES LIKE NTB OR FIRESTONE, THEY'RE RELATIVELY EASY TO FIND.
UM, THE REASON WHY THERE'S SO MANY NO, WE, WE LISTED AS OUT OF BUSINESS IN OUR RECORDS.
UM, LOTS OF COMPANIES, SMALLER SHOPS COME IN AND OUT OF BUSINESS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
OFTENTIMES WHEN THEY DO AN INSPECTION, THE INSPECTORS WILL FIND OTHER LOCATIONS THAT AREN'T IN OUR RECORDS.
UM, THEY ARE GOOD ACTORS, THEY JUST DIDN'T REALIZE THEY WERE REQUIRED TO HAVE A PERMIT.
UH, SO THEY DO COME INTO COMPLIANCE WHEN THE INSPECTORS CONTACT THEM.
SO IT'S SORT OF LIKE IF WE SEE THEM, WE'LL LET THEM KNOW, BUT WE MAY NOT KNOW SORT OF THE EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF THOSE BUSINESSES.
SO DO YOU HAVE A GUESS, SORT OF WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THOSE BUSINESSES, UM, KNOW ABOUT OR HAVE A PERMIT VERSUS WHAT PERCENTAGE ARE JUST OUT THERE? I, I DO NOT HAVE A GUESS.
UM, I, I JUST KINDA HAVE THE NUMBERS OF WHAT WE FIND ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UM, SOME OF THE IMPROVED PROCESSES IN THE, IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, WE, WE DO KEEP BETTER TRACK OF THE DATA.
UM, SO GOING FORWARD IN, IN TERMS OF PULLING OUT THESE METRICS, UM, WE THINK WE CAN GET BETTER DATA.
UM, SO THE ILLEGAL DUMPING OF TIRES, DO WE HAVE ANY GUESTS, ARE THEY MOSTLY PERMITTED, UH, BUSINESSES OR WE DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE? THEY'RE SORT OF DUMPING? I DO NOT KNOW FOR SURE.
UM, I WOULD SUSPECT THE TIRE GENERATORS AND TRANSPORTATION OF TIRES, THE PERMANENT PROCESS, WE DO WHAT WE CAN.
UH, REALISTICALLY SPEAKING, THE VAST MAJORITY OF LEGAL DUMPING, UM, I WOULD JUST SAY PROBABLY IS UN PERMITTED.
AND HOW MANY, FEEL FREE TO CUT ME OFF IF YOU NEED TO, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, BUT, UM, HOW MANY, UH, PERMIT UH, WORKERS DO WE HAVE SORT OF DOING THE INSPECTIONS AND ALL THAT STUFF? SO, INCLUDING A SUPERVISOR WHO DOES DO INSPECTIONS, WE HAVE FIVE TEAM MEMBERS WHO DO INSPECTIONS.
UM, DO, DO YOU NEED TO CUT ME OFF? GO.
UM, SO THIS IS NOT MY AREA OF EXPERTISE, SO FEEL FREE TO TELL ME.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, BUT THE FEE FOR THE, FOR THE PERMIT, THEN THERE'S PLUS ALSO A FEE FOR IF THEY, UH, BRING THE TIRES TO THE DEPOSITORY OR NO, SO, SO THE DEPOSIT DEPOSITORIES, UM, THEY'RE FOR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS.
UM, I, I KIND OF JUST PUT THAT IN THERE BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS, UM, WITH THEIR TIRES IF THEY HAVE 'EM.
IT, IT, IT IS AN OPTION, BUT THAT IS FOR RESIDENTIAL.
SERVICE ONLY, I GUESS, I'M TRYING TO THINK WHAT'S THE, IS THERE SORT OF A DISINCENTIVE FOR FOLKS, UM, UH, DISPOSING OF THE TIRES IN THE RIGHT WAY WITH THE FEE, WITH THE PERMIT FEE? I'M TRYING TO THINK, IS THERE SOME, YOU KNOW, WAY FOR IT TO US TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO DO IT IN THE RIGHT WAY? I DON'T KNOW THAT, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
AND, UM, I, I THINK IT JUST DOES BOIL DOWN TO THERE IS A COST TO DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY.
UH, ALSO WE HAVE BEEN JOINED WITH A REPRESENTATIVE FROM COUNCILWOMAN CARTER'S OFFICE, UH, COUNCILWOMAN ABBY CAYMAN'S OFFICE AND COUNCILWOMAN MARINETTE HUFFMAN'S OFFICE.
UH, COUPLE QUESTIONS I'VE GOT.
CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH WHAT, WHAT INCURS AT AN INSPECTION? SO IF YOU'VE GOT AN INSPECTOR GOING OUT AND IT'S GOING TO NTB TIRE, WHAT HAPPENS? SO THE INSPECTION PROCESS IS ESSENTIALLY MORE OF A PAPERWORK PROCESS.
THEY WILL WALK THROUGH THE FACILITY TO MAKE SURE TIRES ARE BEING STORED, LOOK LIKE THEY'RE BEING STORED APPROPRIATELY, BUT IT ISN'T DOCUMENTATION.
SO, UM, A TIRE GENERATOR WOULD NEED A MANIFEST TO SHOW OKAY, THEY RECEIVED THE SHIPMENT OF TIRES, UM, IT WAS A CERTAIN NUMBER OF TIRES, UH, RECEIVED, AND IF, UM, A SHIPMENT OF TIRES GO OUT, WHO TRANSPORTED AND THEN HOW MANY TIRES WENT OUT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THEY LOOK FOR IS A MANIFEST, UM, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE SHOP SHOULD MAKE SENSE.
UM, AN NTB PROBABLY GETS WEEKLY DELIVERIES VERSUS SOME OF THE SMALLER PLACES.
UH, IF THERE'RE MANIFESTS DOESN'T SHOW A DELIVERY, SAY FROM OVER A MONTH, UM, THAT MANIFEST ACTUALLY ISN'T ACCEPTED BECAUSE IT'S PROBABLY NOT DOCUMENTED CORRECTLY.
BUT, BUT THE BULK OF THE INSPECTION PROCESS, UH, FOR A TIRE GENERATOR IS PAPERWORK REVIEW.
UM, FOR TRANSPORTERS IT'S VERY SIMILAR.
IT IS MOSTLY A PAPERWORK REVIEW.
UH, ARE THEY, ARE THEY KEEPING PROPER DOCUMENTATION, UM, ACCORDING TO THE INSPECTOR'S JUDGMENT FOR THE SIZE OF THE BUSINESS.
SO, UH, ESSENTIALLY YOU MATCH UP THE TIRES THAT CAME INTO THE SHOP VERSUS THE TIRES THAT EXITED THE SHOP WITH THE TRANSPORTER, MAKING SURE THEY'VE GOT PAPERWORK FOR WHAT CAME IN AND ALSO PAPERWORK FOR WHAT LEFT.
IS THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
AND THOSE NUMBERS SHOULD JIVE FOR THE MOST PART? YEAH, IT, IT SHOULD MAKE SENSE TO THE INSPECTOR WHEN THEY LOOK AT IT.
UM, WHAT ABOUT THE UNPERMITTED LOCATIONS? HOW DO WE GO ABOUT FINDING THOSE?
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THAT'S ONE OF THE, THE ISSUES I GUESS IN THE PAST YEAR WE, WE'VE, WE'VE LOOKED AT OUR NEW DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES.UM, THEY NOW DO HAVE A MAP WITH THEM WHEN THEY GO OUT IN THE FIELD AND IF THERE'S A TIRE SHOP THAT DOESN'T SHOW UP IN OUR RECORDS, THEY WILL LITERALLY JUST GO AFTER THEY COMPLETE THEIR INSPECTION, UH, GO TO THAT LOCATION AND, AND FIND OUT ARE THEY EVEN AWARE OF THE PERMIT REQUIREMENTS.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT EACH COUNCIL DISTRICT COULD DO AS WELL TO LOOK TO SEE, YOU KNOW, IF THEY SEE A TIRE SHOP MATCH IT UP TO SEE IF IT IS ON THE LIST AND IF IT'S NOT CONTACT YOU AND SAY, HEY, I JUST DROVE BY THIS ADDRESS, THERE'S A TIRE SHOP THERE, I DON'T SEE IT ON THE RECORD THAT'S BEING PERMITTED.
POTENTIALLY THAT IS SOMETHING WE CAN SET UP.
UM, ANY LOCATIONS THAT ARE QUESTIONABLE, UH, WE CAN PASS ALONG TO THE INSPECTORS AND THEY'LL CHECK OUR RECORDS AND IF IT DOESN'T MATCH UP, WE'LL ADD IT TO THE LIST OF AREAS TO INVESTIGATE.
AND IF THE, YOU BECOME AWARE OF ONE THAT IS NOT PERMITTED, WHAT DO YOU DO? IT NORMALLY STARTS WITH WHEN, UM, AN INSPECTOR GOES OUT AND CONTACTS THE OWNER OF THE BUSINESS.
UM, LIKE I SAID, THE VAST MAJORITY OF CASES, THEY'RE GOOD ACTORS.
THEY WERE REQUIRED TO HAVE A PERMIT BECAUSE THE TCEQ, UM, THE LIMIT IS AT THE 500 RETIREMENT.
SO THEY'RE NOT AWARE THAT THEY'VE GOTTA BE PERMITTED WITH THE CITY EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE UNDER THE 500 LIMIT? THAT IS CORRECT.
UH, COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ'S OFFICE.
UM, SO THE MAP THAT YOU HAVE OF THE, THE KIND OF HEAT MAP OF WHERE THE DUMPING IS AND WHERE THE CASES ARE, DOES THAT AT ALL CORRESPOND TO SORT OF WHERE THE PERMITTING FOLKS PERMITTED FOLKS ARE LIKE THEY HAVE THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF TIRE GENERATOR BUSINESSES THERE, OR TOTALLY UNRELATED, DIDN'T LOOK FOR THAT CORRELATION SPECIFICALLY? YEAH.
UM, WE'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND, AND TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
UM, OTHER LAST QUESTION YOU HAD ON SLIDE FOUR YOU MENTIONED ABOUT YOU WANNA TRY TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY, UH, OF THE AUDIT AND AUDITS.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU THINK YOUR EXISTING BUDGET IS GONNA HOLD OR WELL, WELL, THAT'S WHAT'S IN THE ORDINANCE.
UM, ONE OF THE INTENTS, BASICALLY WITHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON ORDINANCE, UM, SOME OF THESE LOCATIONS WOULD NEVER BE INSPECTED.
BUT THE, THE ANNUAL REINSPECTION FROM THE CITY, UH, WE DON'T COORDINATE WITH THE TCAQ, BUT WE WOULD ASSUME WE'RE NOT REINSPECTING IN THE SAME MONTH.
THE FEES THAT WE CHARGE FOR PERMITTING, DOES THAT COVER THE INSPECTOR'S COST OF THEIR SALARIES? YES, SIR.
THAT'S INTENDED TO COVER THE COST.
SO ESSENTIALLY THE MORE, THE BETTER COMPLIANCE WE HAVE WITH THE REGISTRATION, THAT ALLOWS MORE TIME AND MORE MONEY FOR THE INSPECTORS? YES, SIR.
UM, WHEN I PURCHASE A TIRE, ISN'T THERE AN ENVIRONMENTAL FEE CHARGED WITH THAT TRANSACTION THERE? THERE IS, UM, AS FAR AS I'M AWARE OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON DOES NOT.
BUT THAT SHOULD PAY FOR THE RETAILER'S PROPER DISPOSAL OF THE TIRES, SHOULDN'T IT? THAT IS CORRECT.
SO OBVIOUSLY WITH THE NUMBER OF TIRES THAT WE END UP DUMPED IN THE CITY, THEY'RE POCKETING THAT MONEY NOT HAVING TO PAY ANYTHING OUT TO ACTUALLY DISPOSE IT.
WELL, WITH NO MORE QUESTIONS, I THINK WE'RE GOOD WITH THAT.
ED, IS THERE ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC? I THINK WE'LL DO SPEAKERS ACTUALLY.
SO MOVING ON TO THE SECOND PRESENTATION AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH GUYS.
UM, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS, MARIA ERSHAD WILL PROVIDE UPDATES ON THE SMART LOADING ZONE PROGRAM AND CHAPTER 26.
I'M JUST WAITING FOR THE PRESENTATION TO GET UP.
BUT THANK YOU ALL FOR GIVING TIME TO US TODAY TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE.
I'VE ACTUALLY GOT FOUR PARKING PROGRAMS THAT I'LL BE GIVING YOU UPDATES ABOUT.
UM, SO I SEE THE PRESENTATION IS UP.
UM, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALLOWING US TIME TO PROVIDE YOU, UM, WITH UPDATES ON THESE PROGRAMS. UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO I'VE GOT FOUR, UH, PROGRAMS THAT I'LL BE GIVING YOU UPDATES ON.
WE HAVE THE MOBILE PAYMENT PROGRAM, WE'LL BE TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SMART LOADING ZONES.
I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT RIDE SHARE ZONES, AND THEN SOME UPDATES TO CHAPTER 26 AND CHAPTER 16.
SO LET'S START WITH THE MOBILE PAYMENT PROGRAM.
UH, YOU MAY BE AWARE THAT WE'VE HAD MOBILE, UM, APPS FOR PAID PARKING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON SINCE 2011.
WHAT THE APP DOES IS IT ALLOWS CUSTOMERS TO PAY FOR METERED PARKING WITHOUT HAVING TO
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GO AND, UH, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY TOUCH A METER.UM, SINCE IMPLEMENTATION IN 2011, WE HAVE SEEN MOBILE PAYMENTS, UH, ADOPTION SOAR.
SO ABOUT 50% OF OUR 3 MILLION METER TRANSACTIONS ARE DONE THROUGH MOBILE PAYMENT, UH, UH, THROUGH MOBILE APPS.
UM, IN THE INDUSTRY, AS IN ANY INDUSTRY, WE SEE THINGS CHANGE.
WE SEE TECHNOLOGY, UM, MAKE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR OPERATIONS AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE INDUSTRY AS MORE PEOPLE HAVE ADOPTED MOBILE PAYMENTS TO PAY FOR PARKING, AGENCIES HAVE STARTED LOOKING AT THESE MOBILE PAYMENT APPS IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THEM LIKE A PA METHOD OF PAYMENT LIKE A VISA OR A MASTERCARD.
UM, SO WHY SHOULD THE CITY DICTATE WHAT MOBILE PAYMENT PROVIDER THE CUSTOMER WANTS TO USE? WE DON'T CARE WHICH MOBILE PAYMENT PROVIDER YOU USE, WE JUST WANT YOU TO PAY THE METER.
UM, SO AGENCIES ARE NOW LOOKING AT HOW CAN WE INCLUDE MORE MOBILE PAYMENT, UM, PLATFORMS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
SO THEY HAVE THE OPTION, IT'S NOT THE CITY DICTATING WHAT YOU USE.
SO LAST YEAR IN UH, 2025, WE ISSUED AN RFP, UM, TO GO TO A MULTI-VENDOR SOLUTION.
SO THAT WOULD, INSTEAD OF HAVING ONLY ONE MOBILE PAYMENT PROVIDER, THE RFP ALLOWS US TO SELECT UP TO THREE PLUS.
WE WANNA HAVE A DATA AGGREGATOR ON THE BACKEND BECAUSE EVERY MONTH WE'VE GOTTA RECONCILE THE REVENUE THAT'S COMING IN.
AND INSTEAD OF GOING TO THREE BACKEND, UM, PLATFORMS, WE WANT TO HAVE ONE DATA AGGREGATOR SO THAT WE CAN RECONCILE ALL THE REVENUE EASILY, EASILY.
WE HAD 10 RESPONDENTS, UH, THE TOP THREE VENDORS WERE SELECTED.
THE BENEFITS OF A MULTI-VENDOR ENVIRONMENT, A THE CUSTOMER GETS TO PICK.
SO WHEN THE CUSTOMER GETS TO PICK THE, THE COMPANIES HAVE TO KIND OF MARKET TO TO THE, TO THE CUSTOMER SO THAT THEY COULD GET MARKET SHARE.
UP UNTIL NOW, WE'VE HAD ONE PLATFORM AND MOST OF THE MARKETING HAS BEEN ON THE CITY.
WE'VE GOTTEN TO 50% ADOPTION BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE.
UM, THE VENDOR HAS BEEN HELPFUL, BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE MARKET, IT'S A LITTLE BIT, UM, CHALLENGING TO GET THEM TO DO MORE MARKETING THAN WHAT, THAN WHAT THEY WOULD NORMALLY DO.
UM, THE OTHER BENEFIT IS IT ACCOMMODATES OUT OF TOWN VISITORS.
SO FOLKS WHO WOULD COME IN FROM OUT OF TOWN MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT PROVIDER IN THEIR CITY.
WHEN THEY COME TO OUR CITY, THEY'VE GOTTA DOWNLOAD THIS NEW PLATFORM.
WELL NOW PERHAPS THEY CAN JUST CONTINUE TO USE THE SAME PLATFORM BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE PRETTY COMMON ACROSS, UM, MULTIPLE CITIES THAT THROUGHOUT THE US.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, UM, THE CUSTOMERS HAVE OPTIONS.
WE WANNA GIVE AS MANY OPTIONS TO OUR CUSTOMERS AS POSSIBLE.
'CAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE JUST WANT THEM TO PAY THE METER.
SO I DON'T CARE IF IT'S COIN BUILT, VISA, MASTERCARD, WHICH, UH, MOBILE PAYMENT, UH, APPLICATION YOU WANT TO USE, THAT'S UP TO YOU, THAT'S THE CUSTOMER'S DECISION.
SO THESE CONTRACTS WILL BE COMING TO CITY COUNCIL THIS JUNE FOR, UH, APPROVAL.
UH, THE CUS THESE ARE NO COST TO THE CITY.
THE CUSTOMER PAYS A TRANSACTION FEE JUST LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN PAYING A TRANSACTION FEE SINCE 2011.
UH, THE CITY WILL COLLECT THE PARKING METER REVENUES FROM THE VENDORS.
THE VENDORS WILL INSTALL NEW SIGNS AND METER DECALS AT NO COST TO THE CITY.
WE ANTICIPATE A GO LIVE OF MAY OF, I'M SORRY, WINTER OF 2026.
UM, AND SO WE DO, UH, RECOMMEND AND ASK THAT WHEN THE, THESE CONTRACTS COME TO CITY COUNCIL IN JUNE THAT YOU DO APPROVE THEM.
SO, STAYING WITH THE CURBSIDE, WE WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT A PILOT THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS NOW.
UM, CITIES HAVE BEEN USING SMART LOADING ZONES TO MANAGE GROWING PRESSURE FROM DELIVERY VEHICLES AND CURBSIDE CONGESTION FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS.
A SMART LOADING ZONE IS USUALLY A CURB SPACE MONITORED OR MANAGED WITH SENSORS, CAMERAS, APPS, DYNAMIC PRICING, AND SOMETIMES RESERVATIONS.
SO DELIVERY VEHICLES CAN LOAD AND UNLOAD, UM, MORE EFFICIENTLY.
BENEFITS OF EFFICIENT LOADING AND UNLOADING INCLUDES A REDUCTION IN DOUBLE PARKING.
UM, WHEN DOUBLE PARKING IS REDUCED, YOU HAVE MORE OPEN LANES OF, UH, VEHICLE TRAFFIC TO GET THROUGH.
I, I, I'M GUESSING, I KNOW I'VE SAT BEHIND A DELIVERY VEHICLE THAT'S IN A MOVING LANE OF TRAFFIC BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET TO THE CURB SPACE.
AND THAT CREATES CONGESTION, UM, ON THE REST OF THE ROAD.
UM, IT SUPPORTS E-COMMERCE GROWTH.
WE ALL KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMERCIAL LOADING ZONES WERE DEVELOPED IN 2005.
THAT WAS WELL BEFORE WE HAD SUCH ADVANCES IN E-COMMERCE.
WE NEED DELIVERY ZONES THAT ACCOMMODATE THE CURRENT PRACTICE.
UH, COMMERCIAL LOADING ZONES ARE KIND OF A LITTLE BIT ARCHAIC, SO WE WANNA PILOT THESE 19 ZONES.
UM, IT WILL PROVIDE INCREASED SAFETY, WHAT THE ILLEGAL PARKING IN THE, IN THE MOVING LANE OF TRAFFIC CAN POSE A SAFETY HAZARD TO, UH, BICYCLISTS, PEDESTRIANS, UH, UH, EMERGENCY ACCESS.
AND, UH, WHEN YOU MAKE SURE THAT CURB SPACE IS AVAILABLE FOR DELIVERY VEHICLES, YOU CAN MITIGATE THOSE CONFLICTS.
UM, ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF SMART LOADING ZONES IS EFFICIENT USE OF
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THE CURB SPACE.IT IS A LIMITED ASSET THAT THE CITY HAS.
WE HAVE LIMITED AMOUNT OF CURB SPACE.
THERE'S NOT AN UNLIMITED AMOUNT.
SO WE WANNA BE ABLE TO CONTROL THAT AND USE IT EFFICIENTLY.
UH, THESE SMART LOADING ZONES WILL ALSO GENERATE DATA.
SO THE DATA WILL HELP US KNOW HOW LONG OUR CAR STAYING THERE, HOW QUICKLY ARE THEY COMING AND GOING, HOW MANY ARE BEING USED, WHAT IS THE DEMAND AT THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION.
UM, IT WILL ALSO PROVIDE DATA THAT CAN BE USED FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF STREET DESIGN SO THAT YOU'LL SEE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE, WITH THE LOADING AND UNLOADING.
AND THEN FINALLY, SMART LOADING ZONES.
YOU WANT DELIVERY VEHICLES TO GET IN AND OUT AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE.
AND THAT IS THE GOAL OF THE SMART, UH, LOADING ZONE PROJECT.
SO IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW HOW IT WORKS.
SO WE'VE PARTNERED WITH THE COMPANY TO PILOT 19 SMART LOADING ZONES.
THESE ARE PRIMARILY IN DOWNTOWN, BUT WE HAVE A HANDFUL IN MIDTOWN.
UH, THE ZONES WILL HAVE CAMERAS TO READ THE THE LICENSE PLATES AND IT WILL TRACK THE TIME BY THE MINUTE THAT THE PLATE IS IN THAT ZONE.
CUSTOMERS WILL BE DIRECTED TO SIGN UP FOR, UH, REGISTRATION.
THE SIGNS AT EACH ZONE WILL HAVE QR CODES THAT THEY CAN GO AND SIGN UP FOR THE PARKING.
UM, THEY WILL BE CHARGED BY THE MINUTE IN THESE ZONES.
AND IT IS LIKE OUR COMMERCIAL ZONES WHERE IT IS A HIGHER PRICE BECAUSE WE DO WANT CARS TO COME AND GO QUICKLY.
THE ZONES WILL OPERATE MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, 7:00 AM TO 6:00 PM AND WE'LL HAVE DYNAMIC RATES, UM, IN PLACE TO, UM, ENCOURAGE THE EFFICIENT LOADING.
SO THE SYSTEM IS REALLY SIMILAR TO TOLLING.
ONCE YOU CREATE ACCOUNT AND REGISTER, WHEN YOUR PLATE GOES INTO THAT ZONE, IT STARTS CHARGING YOU BY THE MINUTE.
WHEN YOU LEAVE, IT'S ALL CHARGES STOP.
NOW, WE DO EXPECT THAT SOME FOLKS WILL NOT REGISTER THEIR VEHICLE.
SO FOR THOSE FOLKS, UM, WE WILL BE MAILING PARKING INVOICES.
SO THEY WILL BE, THEY WILL BE TIMED.
SO IF MY CAR IS PARKED THERE FOR SEVEN MINUTES, I WILL GET A PARKING INVOICE SAYING I PARKED FOR SEVEN MINUTES.
HERE IS THE FEE THAT MARIA NEEDS TO PAY NOW.
AND THERE WILL BE AN ADMIN FEE ATTACHED TO THAT BECAUSE NOW WE'VE GOTTA LOOK UP WHO THE VEHICLE OWNER IS.
WE HAVE TO SEND A LETTER AND, UH, GET THEM TO HOPEFULLY REGISTER SO THAT THEY DON'T MAKE THE SAME, UM, THAT, THAT DON'T REPEAT THE SAME THING AGAIN.
UM, SO AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, OUR COMMERCIAL LOADING ZONES HAVE BEEN IN PLACE SINCE 2005.
WE HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT PERMITS THAT WE SELL FOR COMMERCIAL LOADING, UM, ZONES.
AND THESE ALLOW THE VEHICLES TO PARK FOR A A SPECIFIC AMOUNT OF TIME, AND IT RANGES FROM TWO HOURS TO 30 MINUTES DEPENDING ON WHAT KIND OF PERMIT THEY PURCHASE.
SO FOR OUR PERMITEES THAT HAVE THESE PERMITS, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IN THE SMART LOADING ZONES IS GIVE THEM THAT TIME.
SO IF MARIA HAS A COMMERCIAL A PERMIT, I'LL HAVE TWO HOURS IN THE SMART LOADING ZONE.
I'M NOT GONNA BE CHARGED BY THE MINUTE.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE OUR CUSTOMERS WHO ARE ALREADY IN COMPLIANCE WITH OUR, OUR LOADING AND UNLOADING ZONES, THAT THEY ARE NOT HAVING TO DEAL WITH TWO SEPARATE PROGRAMS WHEN WE DO THE SMART LOADING AND UNLOADING ZONE.
SO THEY WILL, SO MARIO WOULD GET TWO HOURS IN THAT ZONE, AND THEN IF I OVERSTAY THAT, THEN I WOULD START GETTING CHARGED BY THE MINUTE AND NEED TO REGISTER WITH A PROGRAM.
UH, WE ARE COMMUNICATING WITH ALL OF OUR, UH, PERMITEES SO THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROGRAM AND TO LET THEM KNOW WHERE THE LOCATIONS ARE.
SO THIS IS A MAP OF THE DOWNTOWN LOCATIONS.
WE WILL HAVE A WEBSITE, UM, THAT WILL BE READY JUST PRETTY SOON WHERE WE'LL HAVE THIS MAP LOADED.
WE'LL HAVE FAQS, IT'LL DIRECT CUSTOMERS TO THE REGISTRATION PAGE FOR, UM, REGISTERING FOR THE SMART LOADING ZONES.
UM, BUT I ALSO WANTED TO ADDRESS PRIVACY WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE I DO KNOW, UM, THAT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WILL BE A CONCERN FOR PEOPLE.
SO, UM, THE SYSTEM IS GONNA STORE LICENSE PLATE, UM, INFORMATION SOLELY TO AUTOMATE THE PARKING PAYMENT AND COMPLIANCE PROCESS.
SO ANY OTHER DATA THAT IS, THAT IS AVAILABLE, LIKE, UM, PEOPLE WALKING BY OR WHATNOT, THAT IS GOING TO BE DE-IDENTIFIED.
IT'S GOING TO BE KIND OF SIMILAR TO WHAT WE ALREADY DO IN PARKING, WHERE WE ARE USING THE LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEMS TO DRIVE DOWN STREETS.
WE'RE COLLECTING VEHICLE DATA.
IT GETS PURGED AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME UNLESS THERE IS SOME KIND OF ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
A PAYMENT, A, A TICKET, A BOOT.
UM, THE, THE, THE, THE INFORMATION THAT IS COLLECTED IS NEVER SH SOLD OR SHARED WITH ANYONE.
THIS IS THE PROPRIETARY TO THE CITY AND THE VENDOR, UH, IS CLEAR ON ALL THAT.
UM, AND WHAT THIS DATA IS GONNA SHOW US AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT, WHY WE WANT THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO THIS DATA IS AGAIN, TO LOOK AT THAT CURBSIDE AND TRACK THE TURNOVERS.
HOW, HOW THE, THE VEHICLE TURNOVER, HOW LONG ARE PEOPLE STAYING, HOW QUICKLY ARE THEY GOING? HOW MANY CARS ARE PARKING IN THAT SPACE? DO WE SEE A REDUCTION IN DOUBLE PARKING? ARE WE MITIGATING ANY OF THE CHALLENGES IN THAT LOADING ZONE AREA? UM, OUR PLAN IS TO GO LIVE, UM, ON JUNE 2ND, 2026 WITH THE SMART LOADING ZONES.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DEPLOYING THE TECHNOLOGY
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AND COMMUNICATING WITH STAKEHOLDERS.UM, IF OUR PILOT PROVES SUCCESSFUL, IF WE SEE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ENCOURAGE TURNOVER AND WE SEE REDUCTIONS IN THE SAFETY ISSUES, WE WILL, UH, LOOK AT A LONGER TERM AGREEMENT WITH THE VENDOR AND COME BACK TO CITY COUNCIL, UM, FOR THAT AFTER 18 MONTHS.
SO THE THIRD PROGRAM I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IS RIDE SHARE.
AND, UH, THIS IS AGAIN, ANOTHER FORM OF TRANSPORTATION THAT'S, UH, THAT'S CREATING SOME CHALLENGES AT OUR CURBSIDE.
UM, WE ALREADY KNOW THAT THERE ARE CHALLENGES WITH RIDESHARE AROUND THE MAIN STREET CORRIDOR.
UM, PARTICULARLY IN THE NIGHTTIME HOURS.
IT'S NOT SO MUCH A DAYTIME ISSUE.
THE SMART LOADING ZONES IS ADDRESSING OUR DAYTIME ISSUES.
UH, THE RIDESHARE IS NIGHTTIME.
SO, UM, WHAT HAPPENS IS THE RIDESHARES COME AND THEY PICK UP AND DROP OFF FROM WHEREVER THE CUSTOMER DROPS THE PIN.
AND THAT COULD BE VERY PROBLEMATIC, PARTICULARLY AS WE GEAR UP FOR MAIN STREET TO BECOME A PEDESTRIAN ONLY CORRIDOR.
UH, RIGHT NOW WE, WELL, RIGHT NOW A LOT OF IT'S ALREADY SHUT DOWN, BUT WHAT WE SAW IN THE PAST WAS THAT RIDESHARES WOULD TURN ONTO MAIN STREET BLOCK, THE STREET LEADING TO SOME OF THE INTERSECTING STREETS BEING BLOCKED, SOMETIMES EVEN PREVENTING THE LIGHT RAIL FROM MOVING.
SO WE ARE LOOKING AT HOW CAN WE MITIGATE THOSE CHALLENGES BECAUSE IT POSES SAFETY RISKS AGAIN, TO, IT CREATES CONGESTION AND IT CREATES CONFLICTS FOR PEDESTRIANS.
SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T GET TO MY RIDE SHARE, MY RIDE SHARE CAN'T GET TO ME 'CAUSE THERE'S TRAFFIC.
SO MAYBE I'LL RUN TO THE THIRD LANE OF TRAFFIC TO JUMP INTO THAT RIDE SHARE OR MAYBE I WILL JAYWALK ACROSS.
IT CREATES A, A WHOLE HOST OF CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MITIGATE.
SO BY, UH, IMPLEMENTING THE DEDICATED RIDE SHARE ZONES, WE CAN DIRECT THE RIDE SHARE VEHICLES ON WHERE TO GO AND TO STAY AWAY FROM THE AREAS WHERE WE KNOW THERE IS CONGESTION, UM, GOING ON.
SO TODAY WE HAVE FOUR ZONES DESIGNATED, UM, TO ADDRESS.
WE ARE RIGHT NOW FOCUSED ON LOOKING AT THE MAIN STREET CORRIDOR THAT IS GOING TO BE, THAT IS PEDESTRIAN ONLY FROM COMMERCE TO ABOUT TEXAS.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE ANY RIDE SHARE THAT IS GOING TO THOSE, UH, BUSINESSES IN THAT AREA.
AND THE BUSINESSES WE'RE MORE FOCUSED ON ARE THE NIGHTTIME ECONOMY BUSINESSES, BARS, NIGHTCLUBS, RESTAURANTS, UM, THESE ARE THE ONES, ESPECIALLY AT 2:30 AM I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE TALKED TO HPD, BUT THEY COULD CREATE A WHOLE HOST OF ISSUES.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO LIKE AN AIRPORT WHEN YOU, YOU'RE IN BAGGAGE CLAIM, YOU MIGHT CALL FOR YOUR, UH, RIDE SHARE AND THE APP WILL DIRECT YOU TO GO TO TO, TO THE PARKING GARAGE, MAYBE GO TO THE THIRD FLOOR OR GO TO SECTION A OR TO WHICH DOOR IT WILL GUIDE YOU.
BUT NOW WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE CURBSIDE.
SO WE'VE GOT THESE FOUR ZONES AND OUR GOAL IS TO BE LIVE BY THE END OF MAY.
SO THAT IF WE NEED TO MAKE ANY TWEAKS OR ADJUSTMENTS TO THESE ZONES, WE CAN DO THAT BEFORE THE FIFA ACTIVITIES GO INTO FULL FORCE.
THESE ZONES WILL BE ACTIVE MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY FROM 6:00 PM UNTIL 3:00 AM NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO HERE IS A MAP OF THE FOUR ZONES.
THEY'RE PRIMARILY ON TRAVIS WITH ONE ON COMMERCE.
WE ARE COORDINATING WITH THE RIDESHARE COMPANIES TO GEOFENCE THE, THE BUSINESSES, THE ESTABLISHMENTS THAT ARE CREATING THE CONGESTION.
SO WE ARE GEOFENCING, BARS, RESTAURANTS, AND NIGHTCLUBS.
WE DO NOT WANT TO INCLUDE RESIDENTIAL OR HOTEL.
THOSE ARE NOT THE, THE RIDE SHARE ISSUES THAT ARE CREATING CONFLICTS HERE.
IT IS THE, THE OTHER BUSINESSES THAT DRIVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT TRAFFIC AT DIFFERENT HOURS.
AND THEN THE, THE MASS EXODUS AT 3:00 AM ON A FRIDAY NIGHT, ANYWHERE FROM TWO TO 3:00 AM CREATES A LOT OF ISSUES.
SO, UM, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS BALANCE THE NEEDS OF THE CURBSIDE ALONG WITH, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT SAFETY, UH, FOR OUR PEDESTRIANS AND MITIGATING CONGESTION.
SO, UH, THE THREE PROJECTS THAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT HAVE A PRETTY BIG IMPACT ON THE PUBLIC AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE AWARE THAT WE ARE ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS IN THESE CONVERSATIONS.
AND WE HAVE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS, UH, FOR THE MOBILE PAYMENT PROGRAM.
THIS WON'T LAUNCH UNTIL LATER THIS YEAR, BUT THE VENDORS WILL HAVE STREET TEAMS OUT THERE TO HELP TO THE NEW SYSTEM.
THEY WILL ALSO HAVE NEW SIGNS, NEW DECALS.
WE'LL HAVE MARKETING PROGRAMS TO EDUCATE OUR CUSTOMERS.
OF COURSE, WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE A WEBPAGE FOR EACH OF OUR PROGRAMS THAT CUSTOMERS CAN GO TO.
UM, FOR THE SMART LOADING ZONES AND THE RIDE SHARE ZONES, WE ARE VISITING ALL THE ADJACENT BUSINESSES IN THE AREA.
SO IF THERE IS A SMART LOADING ZONE, UM, ON TRAVIS, WE ARE GONNA TALK TO ALL THE BUSINESSES AROUND THERE THAT ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT LOADING ZONE THAT PROBABLY GET DELIVERIES FROM THAT LOADING ZONE BECAUSE WE WANT THEM TO BE AWARE OF IT.
WE ARE ALSO MAKING, UH, WE ARE ENGAGING, UM,
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WE HAVE CONTACTS WITH UPS FEDEX, WE HAVE OUR COMMERCIAL ZONE PERMITTEES.SO WE'RE GONNA COMMUNICATE WITH ALL OF THEM TO LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THE SMART LOADING ZONES WHERE THEY'RE AT.
UM, AND WE ARE ALSO, UH, WE HAVE BEEN UPDATING THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT FOR ALL OF OUR PLANS REGARDING THE SMART LOADING ZONES AND THE RIDESHARE ZONES.
THE RIDESHARE ZONES ALSO WILL, WE WILL COMMUNICATE WITH THE, UH, SURROUNDING BUSINESSES AND LIKE I MENTIONED, WE ARE ALREADY IN TOUCH WITH AND WORKING WITH THE RIDESHARE COMPANIES TO GET THE GEOFENCING IN PLACE.
ALRIGHT, SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO LASTLY, WE ARE WORKING ON SOME UPDATES TO CHAPTER 26 AND CHAPTER 16.
THE PRIMARY PURPOSE WAS TO ADDRESS, UH, FINDINGS THAT STEMMED FROM A, A CONTROLLER'S AUDIT OF THE WASHINGTON PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT.
UM, SO WE, WE MADE THOSE UPDATES AND THEN WE ALSO TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE TIME TO GET THE ORDINANCE, UH, UPDATED REGARDING SOME ITEMS FOR TECHNOLOGY, SOME, UH, JOB TITLES AND JUST OTHER HOUSEKEEPING MEASURES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE, UH, KEEPING OUR CODE.
IT IS A LIVING DOCUMENT, WE WANT TO KEEP IT UP TO DATE.
AND, UH, WE TOOK THIS, UH, ISSUE WITH THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE UPDATING OUR CODE.
UH, THE ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS ARE BEING FINALIZED RIGHT NOW.
THESE WILL BE SHARED ONLINE, UH, FOR PUBLIC FEEDBACK.
WE ANTICIPATE THAT THESE MAY COME TO CITY COUNCIL IN JUNE FOR, UH, APPROVAL AND WE ARE RECOMMENDING THAT CITY COUNCIL DO APPROVE THESE ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS.
AND WITH THAT NEXT SLIDE, I THINK WE'RE AT THE END.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE THOSE.
NOW, UH, REAL QUICK, WE'VE ALSO BEEN JOINED, UH, IN CHAMBERS HERE, UH, FROM SALLY ALCORN'S OFFICE AND ALSO ONLINE FROM COUNCILWOMAN ALEJANDRO SALINAS'S OFFICE.
UH, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ? HELLO.
UM, THE THREE BULLET POINTS ABOUT THE WASHINGTON PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT, SO THE AUDIT, CLARIFYING DISPOSITION OF REVENUE AND THE HURDLE, COULD YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE WHAT THOSE ARE ABOUT? SURE.
SO IN THE ORDINANCE NOW, THE WASHINGTON PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT ORDINANCE WAS, UH, APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL IN I THINK 2012 OR 13, SOMEWHERE THEREABOUTS.
AND IT WAS THE FIRST PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT THAT THE CITY HAD, UM, MOVED FORWARD ON.
SO AT THE TIME, BECAUSE IT WAS THE NOW A PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT, WHAT THAT DOES IS IT TAKES THE NET METER REVENUE AND IT SHARES IT WITH THAT DISTRICT FOR PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME EVER THAT THE CITY WAS LOOKING AT SHARING METER REVENUE WITH A DISTRICT TO FUND THOSE KINDS OF PROJECTS.
SO ONE OF THE, UM, ITEMS IN THE ORDINANCE AT THE TIME WAS TO PUT IN A, A PROJECT HURDLE.
SO THE PROJECT HURDLE WAS SET AT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
AND WHAT THAT MEANT WAS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE CITY'S DOING A PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT.
WE DON'T WANT THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO JUST START INITIATING PROJECTS WHEN WE DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S GONNA BE ENOUGH MONEY TO SHARE BACK WITH THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THOSE PROJECT.
SO THE ORDINANCE HAD A $100,000 PROJECT HURDLE.
SO THE, THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAD TO HAVE A HUNDRED THOUSAND IN METER REVENUE IN THE BANK.
THAT WAS THEIR SHARE BEFORE IT COULD BE SPENT OR APPROVED, EVEN ANY PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
SO THAT WAS A ONE-TIME HURDLE.
WHEN THE AUDIT WAS DONE, THE WAY THE LANGUAGE WAS WRITTEN, THERE WAS AN INTERPRETATION THAT IT COULD BE FOR EACH PROJECT THAT THERE HAD TO BE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR EACH PROJECT, WHICH WAS NEVER THE INTENT.
THE INTENT WAS WE WANNA MAKE SURE THERE'S SOME MONEY IN THE BANK BEFORE ANYONE APPROVES ANY PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS HERE, BECAUSE THE CITY DOESN'T WANT TO BE BEHOLDEN TO SPENDING MONEY ON PROJECTS THAT WE DON'T HAVE.
THE SECOND THING WAS THE, UM, CITATION REVENUE.
SO IN THE AUDIT, THE CITATION REVENUE IS ADDRESSED.
PARKING CITATION REVENUE IS ADDRESSED IN THE ORDINANCE, BUT IT IS NOT SHARED WITH THE PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT.
THEY ONLY GET A NET SHARE OF THE METER REVENUES, CITATION REVENUES STAYS WITH THE CITY.
THAT IS NOT SOMETHING, IT IS NOT GOOD POLICY TO SHARE CITATION REVENUE 'CAUSE THAT'S WHERE YOU GET INTO ENCOURAGING ISSUANCE OF CITATIONS AND, AND QUOTAS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE, THAT IS SOMETHING WE DEFINITELY NEVER INTENDED, THAT PARKING CITATION REVENUE WOULD BE SHARED WITH THE PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT.
THE WAY THE ORDINANCE WAS READ, IT WAS INTERPRETED THAT WE NEEDED TO CONSIDER CITATION REVENUE, UM, IN, IN REACHING THAT MAX THRESHOLD OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
AND AGAIN, THAT WAS NEVER THE INTENT.
AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, ORDINANCE CAN BE INTERPRETED IN CERTAIN WAYS.
AND SO AT THE END OF THIS AUDIT, WE, YOU KNOW, OUR RESPONSE TO THESE FINDINGS WAS, AND THE, THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE AGREED ON IT WAS THAT WE WOULD
[00:40:01]
ADDRESS, UM, THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE TO REFLECT THE INTENT.SO THERE IS NO AMBIGUITY ABOUT THESE PARTICULAR ITEMS. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IT'S A LONG ANSWER FOR A SHORT QUESTION.
IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND NEXT WE WILL HAVE HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS AND I BELIEVE IT'S CHRIS BUTLER, CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER.
I'M THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER FOR HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS AND I'M JOINED TODAY BY DEPUTY DIRECTOR MS. GINA GUILLORY WITH UTILITY BUILDING.
I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE ON BEHALF OF DIRECTOR RANDY MACKEY.
UH, SO GINA AND I ARE GOING TO STAND IN HIS GAP AND PRESENT THIS PRESENTATION.
SO TODAY WE'RE GONNA UPDATE ON THE MAYOR'S WATER BILL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, WHAT PROMPTED THE PLAN, THE IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS, THE ONGOING CHALLENGES, AND THE NEXT STEPS.
SO IN 2024, MAYOR WHEREBY INSTITUTED THE WATER BILL IMPROVEMENT PLAN THAT WAS DEVELOPED TO FOLLOW, UH, FOLLOWING A RULE OF REVIEW OF ISSUES AFFECTING BILLING, CONSISTENCY AND CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE.
AS SOME OF YOU GUYS REMEMBER, WE HAD ISSUES WITH WATER BILLS WITH METERS NOT REGISTERING PROPERLY.
SO WE IMPLEMENTED A PLAN OF HOW TO ADDRESS ALL THE CONCERNS THAT WE HAD.
SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE SAW WAS WE HAD AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO MOST OF THE METERS THAT WERE INSTALLED WERE 20 PLUS YEARS OLD, SO THEY WERE NOT READING ACCURATELY.
AND SO SINCE THEY WERE NOT READING ACCURATELY, THEY FAILED, UH, REMOTE READ DEVICES FAILED TO ACTUALLY TELL THE, THE SYSTEM WHAT THE ACTUAL CONSUMER WAS ACTUALLY USING.
SO WE HAD LIMITED MANUAL READ CAPACITY, THE BILLS THAT FOLLOWED THE ESTIMATED BILLS, FOLLOWED BY ACTUAL USAGE OF CORRECTIONS AND THE CUSTOMER CONFUSION AROUND HIGHER THAN EXPECTED BILLS.
SO, UH, INDIVIDUALS HAD BILLS THAT SOMETIMES DOUBLED OR TRIPLE WHAT THEY WERE NORMALLY USED TO, PARTIALLY DUE BECAUSE OF AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO THERE WAS A LOT OF CUSTOMER CONFUSION ABOUT WHAT ACTUALLY THEIR, THEIR BILLS WERE.
SO THIS WATER BILL IMPROVEMENT PLAN WAS TO CORRECT SOME OF THOSE ISSUES.
SO AS I MENTIONED, WE HAD THE, UH, UH, AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO IF YOU LOOK ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THIS GRAPH, YOU HAVE THE RE MEETING READING DEVICE INSTALLATION.
SO THE BLUE LINE IS WHAT THE ACTUAL PLAN WAS, AND THE ORANGE IS ACTUAL.
SO YOU SEE IN FY 24, THE PLAN WAS TO REPLACE 51,000 AND WE ACTUALLY DID 30,000 8 26.
SO THE AVERAGE MONTHLY DEMAND FOR YOUR MANUAL MEETING READS, IF YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, AS OF FY 24 IS OVER 128,000.
SO BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS AGING INFRASTRUCTURE, WE'RE REQUIRED TO GO OUT THERE AND MANUALLY READ MORE DEVICES.
SO THE PLAN IS TO GET THAT NEW INFRASTRUCTURE INSTALLED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF MANUAL READS THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO.
HERE YOU SEE A GRAPH OF THE EFFECT OF THE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
UH, THE RISING DEMAND FOR MANUAL METER READING HIGHLIGHTS A KEY CONSEQUENCE OF AGING METER READING INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS GRAPH SHOWS DEMAND FOR MANUAL METER READING CONTINUE TO TREND UP UNTIL MARCH OF 2024.
SO ONCE AGAIN, THE WATER BILL IMPROVEMENT PLAN RESULTS.
IF YOU LOOK ON THE LEFT SIDE, THE READING DEVICE INSULATION AS OF FY LET'S, LET'S GO WITH FY 25 FIRST.
YOU HAD A PLAN OF 80,000 DEVICES THAT NEEDED TO BE INSTALLED AND WE EXCEEDED THAT BY 101,000.
AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT FY 26, THE PLAN WAS 60,000.
AND CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT ABOUT 40.