Houston city council notes, prepared by Emily J Hynds.

Agenda

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

Monthly Financial Report

Controller Brown and Finance Director Jones each gave their respective monthly reports. Two notable things: sales tax income is consistently up and Controller Brown cited something called an “inverted yield curve.” He also raised the alarm of a potential recession coming soon.

CM Martin mentioned that state leadership thinks Houston is not in good financial shape, which he disagrees with. He pointed to recent pension and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) reform, which has significantly reduced the city’s “unfunded liability,” which is money we expect to owe in the future but don’t know how it will be paid for. Controller Brown agreed that Houston’s *current* financial situation is good, but he sounded the alarm (as he often does) on our “structurally unbalanced budget” which has been using one-time federal grant funding to pay for recurring expenses. He asked – “What happens when that money runs out?”

Finance Director Jones explained the conservative approach the city takes with budgeting, even though we have a large surplus fund balance and income (from sales tax, for instance) has been steadily rising. He said, “We’re not sitting back waiting for things to happen to us … we are planning for the future.” He alluded to a forthcoming five-year projection report that will show how the finance department will protect the city’s assets.

CM Pollard pointed to the consistently rising sales tax revenue, which means people in the city are consistently spending money. He suggested this could be the new norm and asked, “How long does this record spending go on before you all shift your mindset?”

Controller Brown pointed to his decades of experience in the financial industry and said none of these upward trends are sustainable, there is always a bust. He thinks people are spending money they saved during the pandemic and using credit, and he expects that spending to slow down this year. He cited “probability theory” and said – “I like to play games where heads you win, tails you win.” He wants to plan for an economic downturn and said, “If we’re wrong, we have extra money.” Director Jones agreed.

When CM Pollard told Brown and Jones they have a different approach to finances than most Houstonians (who are, presumably, spending big), Brown said “ Please keep spending, and we will manage that money [that we get from sales taxes] conservatively.”

CM Kamin said that we are “on borrowed time” when it comes to a big flood and it’s important to reserve a fund balance to help with recovery when it happens. Jones and Brown both agreed. Brown pointed out that FEMA has moved to a reimbursement model rather than a payment-up-front model, which means cities and states must have the funding to pay for recovery when it happens, and then apply for reimbursement after the fact.

CM Kubosh brought up the firefighter pay equity, which is wrapped up in pension reform, but I was unclear what his exact question was and there didn’t seem to be a clear answer, either.

Mayor’s Report

Mayor Turner (and CM Robinson) are in Brazil, so CM Martin ran the meeting.

• There is a “dump day” on 4/29 from 8am-3pm. The McCarty and Blue Ridge landfills will be offering “complimentary” disposal. I’m guessing this means no paperwork to prove your residence is needed?
• There is a career fair on 5/3 at the George R Brown Convention Center.
• May is National Bike Month.

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• HFD spending:
  • Item 3 approved $45K on fire hoses.
  • Item 6 approved $50K on rescue equipment.
  • Item 7 approved $49K for handheld chemical identifiers.
• Item 12 approved $14K for trash can liners and I just love that council members had to vote today to pay for trash bags. It’s a glamorous life.
• Item 16 approved a resolution in support of new senior housing in District D. CMs Evans-Shabazz and Thomas spoke in support.
• Item 18 approved $2.2M in grants for The Harris Center for Mental Health’s The Way Home Program. “Through its Behavioral Health program, The Harris Center will provide clinical support, substance use support, and case management to at least 400 individuals receiving housing services through The Way Home program.”
• Item 21 approved a federal grant application for HFD and Items 22-24 approved state and federal grant applications for HPD. CM Kamin said that 91% of HPD’s budget goes to personnel, so grants like these help get non-personnel goods and service to the public.
• Item 27 approved $5.2M for various pre-construction projects on the African American Library, which sustained damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
• Item 28 approved $2.8M (on top of already funded $9.4M) for a new Solid Waste Department multi-use facility in District H. More funding is needed because of supply-chain issues and the rising cost of goods. Please join me in advocating with the city to GIVE SOLID WASTE MORE RESOURCES LIKE THIS! We are tEaM sOLiD wAsTe! Also build more depositories and have more regular trash pickup please.
• Item 34 approved $61K for repairs along Keegan’s Hike and Bike Trail in District F.

Council Member Pop-Off

• CM Kamin plugged a joint Quality of Life / Public Safety committee meeting today (Wednesday) at 2pm. It will include information about an upcoming BYOB policy to try to curb after-hours operations. The TC Jester Park opening is this Saturday at 10am. The goats will be back at the Arboretum starting May 4th, munching their way through to help clear overgrowth.
• CM Castex-Tatum shared a pet food and tree giveaway this Saturday at Ridgemont Community Center from 9am-11am. There is a community bike ride on 4/30 starting at Blue Ridge Park. She spoke highly of the District K experience with goats clearing out a detention pond. She said it’s cost effective and eco-friendly and hopes the city can adopt the program elsewhere.
• CM Gallegos also plugged the joint QOL / Public Safety committee meeting. The meeting will also discuss recycling at apartment complexes, which is important because our landfills are filling up.
• CM Kubosh wants to make an endowment for the city to act as a rainy day fund.
• CM Thomas is excited about the forthcoming BYOB / after-hours ordinance because she says the west side is inundated with after-hours parties that disturb neighbors. She complained about a food truck park whose trash clogs up the nearby drains and wants a conversation with the vendors and customers about their responsibility. There is a Deed Restriction Workshop on 4/29 from 9:30am-1pm, translations will be available in Spanish and Vietnamese. The Turnaround Job Fair is 4/27 at the Alief Community Center and she made sure to mention you don’t have to live in District F to attend.
• CM Peck plugged her ditch maintenance program, contact her office if you live in District A and need help maintaining the ditches near your home.

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

My name is Emily Hynds and I am a writer, 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.houstontx.gov/turnaround/

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

Thank you to Houston In Action and ACLU TX for supporting these notes.
My Patreon is patreon.com/emilytakesnotes.