Houston city council notes, prepared by Emily J Hynds.

Agenda

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

Mayor’s Report

• The grand opening of the Land Bridge and Prairie project at Memorial Park is this weekend. Saturday is the Biggest Picnic in Texas! They are expecting to have over 20K people there, and I’m just wondering where they are all going to park??
• The next gun buyback event is 2/18 at Deussen Park in Northeast Harris County starting at 8am in the morning. This event is put on by Harris County Commissioners Ellis and Gonzalez, in partnership with the city. People can bring in guns and receive gift cards from $50-$200. No ghost guns allowed.
• Mayor Turner gave an update on the discovery of burial remains in the Lockwood esplanade that runs through Evergreen Cemetery in District B.
  • Evergreen Cemetery was founded in 1890 by freed slaves and is the final resting place for Buffalo soldiers, World War 1 veterans, and many others.
  • In the 40s and 60s, the city built and then expanded Lockwood to run through Evergreen Cemetery, agreeing to relocate bodies to new resting places on either side of the road.
  • While working to expand the University Line this year, METRO discovered the remains of 33 bodies still in the esplanade during their archaeological surveys. Work has stopped and the City is working with METRO, Project RESPECT, CM Jackson, and others to respectfully relocate these people.
  • Mayor Turner stressed that this is a city responsibility and we need to go above and beyond to honor those who are buried there. Turner remarked on the history of infrastructure cutting through communities of color, destroying ways of life and disrupting historical significance. He said “we have an opportunity to step up.”
• A report from the Major Cities (police) Chiefs Association says Houston has seen a major decrease in violent crime. Turner said it’s difficult to overcome the perception that crime is increasing because of media reporting and personal experience, but overall violent crime in Houston is decreasing. He called on everyone to make a collective effort to maintain the trend, because even one homicide is too many.
• Remarking on the Grammys, Mayor Turner said “Houston showed up.” He especially noted Beyonce (who now holds the record for the most Grammys ever), Lyle Lovett, Toby Ngigwe, Robert Glasper, and when it came time to mention Lizzo, he said “It’s about damn time.” 🙂
• Parks and Rec has already begun the lifeguard search! Some of the city pools were closed last summer due to lack of lifeguards. Let’s help everyone beat the heat this summer and get the word out about the need for lifeguards. There is a $500 incentive on top of hourly pay. Call 832-396-7129.
• The 2024 National College Football Championship will be in Houston. Mayor Turner said “I won’t be Mayor at that time, but it came under my watch.”
• The budget process has begun and I am sweating because I feel like it just ended!! The city is transitioning to “outcome-based budgeting” so I’m looking forward to finding out what that means. Mayor Turner sent strategic guidance to all departments which includes the top five priorities: sound financial governance, public safety, complete communities, service and infrastructure, and a resilient Houston. Let the games begin! May the odds be ever in our favor.

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 5 approved $1.6M for books and audio visual materials for the Kendall library, replacing ones damaged during Hurricane Harvey. Paid for by insurance!
• Item 8 approved $216K for some big trucks (like forklifts and pickers) for Houston Public Works. CM Kamin highlighted that several of these vehicles are electric and cheered Fleet Management for making that possible.
• Item 9 approved $160K for a “scientific spectrometer” and IDK what that means but it sounds pretty cool.
• Item 13 approved $49K for a land survey for the new Northwest Regional Library.
• Item 16 approved an almost $2M grant of TIRZ money to the Houston Community Land Trust for the “continuing Operation, Management and Other Activities … related to the provision of affordable housing through the Homebuyer Choice Program.” If you don’t know what the land trust is, I recommend reading about it.
• Item 18 approved a $15M loan to help fund a new 135-unit affordable apartment complex for the Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) in District D.
  • It will “serve as a refuge for approximately 360 survivors fleeing domestic and sexual violence. The facility is designed to keep these individuals safe and supported until their security, emotional and financial needs are stabilized, and permanent housing has been secured. The facility will also include children’s services like daycare, after school care, violence prevention programs and education.”
  • Three HAWC representatives were present and received recognition from CMs Kamin, Evans-Shabazz, and Mayor Turner.
• Item 28 approved $10.5M to partially fund the rehab of Plum Creek in District I, in partnership with the Harris County Flood Control District, which will pay the rest of the cost. CM Gallegos called this a “crucial drainage project.”
• Item 29 approved an “advance funding agreement” with TxDOT for the North Canal High Flow Diversion Channel, which aims to improve flooding along White Oak and Buffalo Bayous north of downtown. CM Cisneros said this is moving forward in part thanks to negotiations with TxDOT on the I45 expansion project and that she “enthusiastically supports” it.

Item 21 – The Solid Waste Saga

Item 21 approved an $8M / 3 year contract with an outside vendor to assist with heavy trash and junk waste removal paid for by ARPA funding. A lengthy discussion on our troubled solid waste situation ensued.

• Mayor Turner hopes this will relieve some of the pressure Solid Waste has been under. He emphasized individual responsibility and said we all need to do our part and dispose of waste properly. He encouraged us to snitch on people we see illegally dumping. He complained that people are dumping in the same repeat spots “as if they have some concierge service,” which made me LOL because that is literally what the Solid Waste Department is. We pay taxes and fees so that our trash gets picked up at the curb and we don’t have to take it anywhere.
• CM Kubosh referenced a state fund that pays people to turn in tires, and Mayor Turner says the state hasn’t allocated that money and is instead just sitting on it.
• CM Pollard wants to put more cameras near dumping hot spots and put culprits on blast. Mayor Turner said they are finalizing a contract for city-wide cameras now.
• CM Cisneros wants all cameras at illegal dumpsites to have infrared technology so they can see at night, because those images “stand up in court.”
• Mayor Turner is working on a comprehensive trash plan similar to One Safe Houston. I hope it’s called One Clean Houston.
• CM Gallegos asked to use ARPA funding to build more city depositories to make it easier for us to get rid of our waste, and to expand the already existing ones. Mayor Turner said he is willing to dedicate ARPA funding to this. This is not the first time Gallegos has asked for this, and it’s not the first time Mayor Turner has said he is open to it.
• CM Alcorn asked for a report on total annual spending on Solid Waste, including these outside vendors, so that we can appropriately budget for next year. I wrote THANK YOU in my notes, and yes it was in all caps.
• CM Plummer wants us to look at WHY people are dumping. Again, thank you. She said it feels like the current situation is a hamster wheel and said we should ask dumpers why they are doing it so we can address those issues.
  • Mayor Turner’s reasons why people illegally dump:
    • To cut costs
    • Because it’s easy
    • Because they think they won’t get caught
    • Because they don’t value the community
  • He noted that most dumping happens in under-resourced communities and that the city has historically participated in devaluing these communities. He said, “as my mom would say, we need to reverse that curse,” and “people don’t trash where they love.”
  • CM Plummer pushed back on “individual responsibility” and advocated for addressing root causes of the problem.
• CM Castex-Tatum suggested we need to hold contractors and landscapers accountable by asking them what their plan is ahead of time.
• CM Cisneros has noticed the areas around city depositories become dump sites because people get there and the lines are too long or they are unexpectedly closed.
• Mayor Turner concluded the conversation by saying they are seeking ideas on how to tackle the problem, encouraging businesses to keep their areas litter free, and looking forward to One Clean Houston (unofficial name).

Council Member Pop-Off

• CM Thomas congratulated Houston artists at the Grammys. She plugged the Reading With a Rapper literacy program. She complained about homeless encampments on the west side and asked for help. West Houston Assistance Ministry is low on supplies and she suggested thinking of them when donating items.
• CM Plummer highlighted terrible conditions at Timber Ridge Apartments, exacerbated by a fire last week. She advocated for a robust apartment inspection reform ordinance with enforceable penalties, and asked for help. Mayor Turner referred her to the Apartment Strike Force team, which she has already made use of. Plummer said “the only time that something happens is when something happens,” a perfect summary for just … so much.
  • Timber Ridge apartments were in the news last summer, when the strike force was formed. Here’s a quote from Mayor Turner around that time on the 30 day warning period for complexes under violation – “That 30 days goes out the window and we’ll go straight to the courthouse.” That was seven months ago.
• CM Peck criticized the lack of communication from the city after a water main leak caused many District A residents to lose water early this week. She advocated for Alert Houston to be used in such cases.
• CM Jackson went to Meow Wulf in Las Vegas last week and looks forward to Meow Wulf in District B coming soon, especially the jobs, opportunities for local artists, and family fun Meow Wulf will provide. There is a Be Successful Jobs Initiative event this Saturday at the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center. Lots of businesses will be on hand to hire on the spot.
• CM Kamin highlighted two gender issues: an HISD rule that requires athletes to submit information on their menstrual cycles and a 5th circuit ruling that prohibits courts from removing firearms from people who have a restraining order against them in a domestic violence situation, which she called “insane.”
• CM Pollard asked for the public to engage with some transit projects in District J: the Bissonnet redevelopment, the Harwin reconstruction, and the METRO Gulfton corridor. 

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.

While compiling these notes I used the following sources:

https://houston.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/
https://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/houston-guns-harris-county-17766926.php
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/houston-historic-black-cemetery-fifth-ward-remains-17767522.php
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/houston-crackdown-apartments/285-47b3eba5-fb4b-4a21-8db5-314eb290273b

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.