Houston city council notes, prepared by Emily J Hynds.

Agenda

1. Public Hearing
2. Mayor’s Report
3. Consent Agenda (items that require a vote, like purchases, resolutions, ordinances, etc)
4. Council Member Pop-Off

A Public Hearing

Today’s public hearing went over proposed updates to “portions of the City’s development code, Chapter 42, to create more opportunities for walkability, affordability and equity.”

Propsed amendments address four main areas:

• residential buffering standards (the space between single-family and multi-resident complexes)
• Garage screening and lighting standards (to prevent car headlights and garage lighting from bothering adjacent residential lots)
• Wall or pole mounted light fixtures standards (to prevent commercial lights from shining into residential homes)
• Dumpster screening standards (Hide your dumpsters! Unsightly things!)

Three speakers commented after the presentation, all involved with the process to update the code, all in favor. CM Pollard wants to make sure the rules are flexible because one size doesn’t fit all. CM Thomas pointed out that public engagement in this process was high.

The Mayor’s Report

To help ring in the new year, Mayor Turner invited Police Chief Finner to present on crime in 2022. Chief Finner praised the 34 cadet classes over the past 7 years, which produced 2,020 new officers. He thanked council for approving a $10K signing bonus for cadets, praised HPDs competitive pay, and emphasized the importance of officer wellness. Chief Finner said there is always still work to be done, but violent crime numbers in Houston are trending in the right direction.

Assistant Chief Martin took over to go over numbers in detail.

• Non-violent crime is driving most of Houston’s crime increase. Most of the violent crime categories are down.
• Much of the theft in Houston is of items from cars. Chief Martin implored people not to leave things in their cars, especially guns, and plugged the “Lock it up safe” program. Theft of vehicle parts, such as catalytic converters, is also still a big problem.
• In every district, overall violent crime is down. The violent crime category that is consistently up is kidnapping, which Chief Martin said is due in large part to custody/domestic issues.

Chief Finner concluded their presentation by going over 2023 priorities: One Safe Houston, recruitment and retention, technology, mobility, mental health, officer wellness, and community partnerships.

• When talking about technology, Finner specifically mentioned License Plate Readers (LPR cameras) and ShotSpotter, which you may recognize!
• I was hoping he would expand on “mobility” but he did not so idk what he means by that.
• On community partnerships, Finner wants to prioritize youth programs. He plans to begin going to lunch periods at junior and high schools, “nothing formal, just shaking some hands and talking to kids, affecting their hearts and their minds.”

Mayor Turner said the start of 2022 was rough, but things started to turn around when One Safe Houston was implemented. Chief Finner agreed and looks forward to more of the same strategy (and funding). Turner said “we value police” and encouraged enrollment in the police force. He advocated for some of the state budget surplus ($33B) to be spent across the state for “community mental health,” and later added he would like to see some state funding for technology as well.

Almost every Council Member thanked Chief Finner and HPD, and had questions.

• CM Kamin asked how much violent crime involves guns, how many guns were stolen out of cars, etc. She warned against the danger of focusing on percentages rather than actual numbers.
• When CM Robinson shared that his vehicle was stolen Saturday and asked what more HPD needs to combat this type of crime, Finner said he wants more cameras everywhere, including private property. Finner also advocated for help addressing the backlog of cases and more capacity at county jail.
• CM Thomas asked for an update on the effectiveness of LPRs (license plate reading cameras), since she used district funds to pay for them. Chief Finner again advocated for more cameras everywhere and said “you will see a safer city.” Thomas pointed to today’s agenda item 13 ($324K on a domestic violence program) and said it was a small number and shows where our priorities are.

• CM Cisneros was the only council member to vaguely reference that the best way to prevent crime is to make sure people “have what they need to be successful.” She emphasized supporting young people because that’s where the most “bang for your buck is.” She complained that gang leaders recently rounded up in a joint FBI/local effort are either out on bond or about to be released. Finner unspecifically said “we got your back.”
• CM Castex-Tatum encouraged everyone to attend PIP meetings. PIP stands for Positive Interaction Program and aims to create a healthy relationship between citizens and police officers through monthly meetings.
• CM Martin thanked the gentlemen and “gentle ladies” of HPD, which literally made me lol. He complained that no cadets from the recent class were sent to his district, and Chief Martin explained that there are no training stations in District E. CM Peck made a similar complaint later on, even while noting that District A is one of the safest.
• CM Plummer asked about crime stats for apartment complexes with and without the Blue Star designation. The Blue Star Multi-Housing Program requires apartment complexes to have lighting / cameras / fencing and for management to attend an 8 hour class. Plummer asked clarifying questions about how hate crimes are classified and whether these include crimes against the LGBTQ+ community (they do). When she asked if the apartment complex strike force has been useful, Finner said it’s very good at getting media involved which puts apartment complex owners “on notice.” She also brought up the efficacy of CIRTS and MCOTs, which Finner agreed are very effective (and expensive). I regrettably do not have time to elaborate on CIRTs and MCOTs but I highly recommend looking them up and advocating for their funding.
• CM Gallegos compared the number of police officers Houston has ( ~5,100 officers for 640 square miles) to Chicago ( ~11,000 officers for 235 square miles).

• CM Jackson praised Chief Finner’s emphasis on community partnerships and highlighted the Credible Messengers program, which pairs a young person involved in the criminal justice system with a mentor who has similar experience. She also complained that convenience stores are crime hot spots.
• CM Pollard plugged the Police Enlightenment and Collective Education (PEACE) program which offers optional classes on meditation, yoga, sound therapy and mindfulness. He mentioned the District J Patrol and said it’s “popular.” He asked for help combating prostitution along the Bissonnet Corridor in Westwood. He wants the police transparency dashboard to be kept up to date and suggested an engagement campaign to make sure people know about it.
• CM Kamin said the next Public Safety and Homeland Security meeting on 1/19/23 will include updates on the transparency dashboard and cite and release. She praised HPD for reporting hate crimes to the FBI even though the state of Texas does not require it. She also said we should advocate for Harris County court expansion to help with the backlog.
• CM Gallegos asked Chief Martin how many guns were stolen out of vehicles in 2022 (it’s 4,140) and suggested all of the media organizations present should include this number in their reporting. I am not a media organization, but CM Gallegos please take note – I am doing my part!!
• CM Thomas asked if there will be another gun buyback event and Mayor Turner said yes, before March.
• Mayor Turner concluded this ~crime section~ of the meeting by bringing up illegal dumping, placing emphasis on perpetrators. He said if something is illegal, you shouldn’t be doing it. Once again taking no responsibility for all of the ways this city makes it difficult to get rid of our waste!! Harrumph. I might die on this hill. Turner thanked Chief Finner and said there was no doubt in his mind that Finner was “the right person at the right time” (to tackle the crime wave in Houston). Turner said “these have been challenging times” and asked everyone never to forget those “who paid the ultimate price.”

Item 11 – Houston Libraries are now Fine Free!!

Item 11 approved an ordinance for the Houston Public Library to become a fine free library. HPL will no longer assess late fees for people who return their items after their due date.

• “Historically, public libraries have assessed late fines to encourage library users to return library materials on time. However, studies have consistently revealed that overdue fines do not encourage library users to return books on time, but rather have the opposite effect.” Owing a fine keeps people from using the library, especially in low-income neighborhoods. The rate of library use will go up, the amount of people visiting the library will go up, and the number of books returned will go up. Heck. Yes.
• People will still be responsible for the cost of lost or damaged books.
• CM Peck was the only Negative Nancy and expressed doubt this would have the intended consequences. She asked that this initiative come back to committee before the end of the year for evaluation before continuing. She used this opportunity to complain about lack of library access for some residents in District A, which seemed very dissonant to me.
• CMs Castex-Tatum and Thomas both defended this item. CM Thomas shared a story about the library sending her overdue fines to debt collection (!) which impacted her credit score (!!) and she is able to laugh about it now but it was a very good anecdote to advocate for the removal of these fines. (!!!)

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 10 approved $2.2M “for the purchase of ammunition and accessories for the Houston Police Department.” The ammunition will be used to train police cadets, for proficiency training for current officers, state firearms qualification, and it “will also be used for self-protection.” City council approved spending money on ammunition today that will likely kill people, which gave me pause. But not them! No discussion at all.
• Item 13 approved a $324K grant to Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council to support “mobile trauma support specialists, benefitting households experiencing homelessness that are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or human trafficking.” As CM Thomas said earlier, $324K is not a lot of money for a program that has a huge and life changing impact on members of this very vulnerable community, not to mention cRiMe. I’m glad to see this funding, and grateful to CM Thomas for pointing out the funding disparity, but even this initiative is still incredibly downstream.
• Items 14-17 approve funding for programs that address homelessness, totaling $2.6M.
• Item 18 approved giving $1M to Texas Southern University Center for Transformative Health. Mayor Turner described this as seed money for an initiative that will continue to address health disparities in minority communities. He said this program was started during the pandemic, and pointed to the cancer cluster in Kashmere Gardens as further evidence of its necessity.

Who took these notes? And what resources did they use?

My name is Emily Hynds and I am a small business owner, producer of the monthly storytelling series Grown-up Storytime, and lifelong Houstonian. I am not a journalist or government official. I am a local government enthusiast who believes meaningful change starts at home. These notes are presented from my point of view and with my framing, and are not comprehensive. Your notes will certainly be different, and I would love to read them if you attend.

I watched this City Council meeting via HTV: https://www.houstontx.gov/htv/

You can find your City Council Member and their contact info at: http://www.houstontx.gov/council/whoismycm.html

My Patreon is patreon.com/emilytakesnotes.