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

The Mayor’s Report

• In July 2022, the Federal Department of Justice opened an investigation into possible civil rights violations in the way the city responds to illegal dumping. This week, the city and the DOJ reached a resolution due in large part to One Clean Houston, Mayor Turner’s plan to address dumping and litter.
• Houston received a $36.9M grant from the federal Railroad Crossing Elimination Program to build underpasses in the East End. Mayor Turner praised CM Gallegos for his railroad-related advocacy.
• There is a gun buyback event on Saturday June 10th from 8am-12pm at NRG Park in the yellow parking lot. A collab with Harris County Precinct One.
• Hire Houston Youth is 3k short of their 20k hiring goal. Mayor Turner credited CM Cisneros’s advocacy and said, “The tree is really bearing a lot of fruit.” He also said, It “doesn’t make any sense for a 17 year old to be robbing or stealing when a 17 year old can get online and get a job and get paid for it and get all the other benefits as well.” Calling out 17 year olds is very specific, he might be referring to the two 17-year-old teens arrested for robbery along the Columbia Tap Trail.
• There is a Texas Women’s Veteran’s Day event on June 12 at 1pm in the Legacy Room at City Hall.
• Mayor Turner encouraged support of Pride Month and plugged the Pride parade on June 24.

Non-Budget Related Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 3 approved $76K for playground equipment for the airports. “The play areas at HOU and IAH have proven to be passenger favorites, this purchase is to maintain the high-level standard expected at the 5-star and 4-star airports.”
• Items 19 – 22 approved the acceptance of various grants for immunization and vaccines, lead paint hazard reduction, and substance abuse prevention.
• Item 23 approved $270K to hire a law firm to help with litigation matters.
• Item 24 approved up to $768K for the law firm that has been helping with legal services related to the consent decree from the EPA. The consent decree is an agreement that Houston will spend $2B to upgrade the sewer system, which often overflows during flood events.
• Item 27 updates an agreement with Solaireholman and Reliant, which work together to provide the city with solar energy produced in Alpine. This amendment cleans up some provisions relating to “forced outages and review of energy shortfalls,” and results in SolaireHolman reimbursing the city $37K for energy shortfalls in the first year of their contract. Going forward, it should be easier for the city to recoup such losses.
• Item 29 approved an interlocal agreement between the city and Harris County for the design and construction of a pedestrian and bike bridge over Brays Bayou in Districts K and C. CM Kamin highlighted and thanked Commissioner Ellis and the Mayor.
• Item 39 approved using $2.3M of the Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Fund (DDSRF) for traffic calming devices across the city. These devices include traffic circles, speed cushions, entrance/exit islands, directional islands and bulb-out islands. Item 40 approved $4M from the same fund for new traffic signals.

Budget

Houston’s fiscal year lasts July through June. The budget is named for the end year of the fiscal season. So, we’re getting ready for fiscal year 2024, aka FY24. The annual budget funds every department (Solid Waste, Public Works, Police, Fire, etc) and many of their programs. Funding for the budget includes tax dollars, state and federal money, investment returns, and more.

I’ll do my best to explain things, but space constraints and my own limited knowledge means I can’t do it all. I kindly direct you to your nearest internet search engine for deeper dives. I’ll begin with the Mayor’s opening remarks.

• This year’s $6.2B budget is $380M higher than last year. Spending increases are driven in part by pay raises to police, fire, and municipal employees.
• In 2016, the city faced three credit liabilities that harmed our credit rating:
  • Municipal employee pensions – the City has since decreased pension debt $8.2B –> $2.2B).
  • Other post-employee benefits (OPEB) – still a concern, but reforms are in the works… including starting this year with a $10M trust to pay it down.
  • And the revenue cap, about which Mayor Turner said… “It is what it is.”
• American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding has been instrumental for programs like One Safe Houston and One Clean Houston, but even without it the budget could have been balanced by using the general fund balance.
• The general fund balance (extra! unaccounted for! money!) is the highest it has been in eight years. This is our very own rainy day fund. The balance is $405M, $220M more than required.
• This is the first year the city has used outcome-based budgeting.
• CM Kubosh asked about Senate Bill 736, which will require the firefighters union and the city to reach a contract agreement through binding arbitration.
  • Mayor Turner praised HFD rank and file but accused their leadership of working against their best interests. He thinks the state is meddling in affairs they have neither knowledge nor expertise in, but ultimately said it’s a budget issue for next year.

Amendments

The budget process is the only time that council members can initiate policy changes on their own using the amendment process. Each council member can propose amendments to the budget which then get voted on by council. It is rare, but it is possible for the mayor to get outvoted. 9 out of 16 CMs put forth 25 amendments in total. Most were withdrawn, but 6 made it to a vote and 5 of them passed.

At-Large Council Member Plummer

• Amendment 4.01: Proposed an equitable distribution of storm drainage funding and street and traffic control projects in the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Plummer explained that the CIP has not been updated since 2010 and does not prioritize the neediest areas.
  • Mayor Turner said that as debt liability goes down, more money will go into the Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Fund (DDSRF) and there is a plan to update the CIP. The proposed budget also includes more money for the Storm Water Action Team (SWAT).
  • CM Martin said this amendment is “excellent” but it is a policy recommendation, not a budgetary amendment. He mentioned the Northeast Action Collective’s advocacy and said their demands have been met. “I hope you walk away from this appreciating that we have listened to your concerns and have addressed these concerns.”
  • CM Kamin remarked on equity and increasing density. She mentioned a forthcoming study that will include a prioritization system.
  • CM Plummer withdrew this amendment as it has been addressed in other areas.

At-Large Council Member Alcorn

• Amendment 5.01: An additional one-time $500K to BARC for adoption trailers and other vehicles. Mayor Turner supported this amendment, CM Martin took issue with it for unclear reasons and voted no, but it still passed.

Council Member Peck / District A

• 6.01: An annually recurring $425K to hire five extra auditors for the controller’s office. Mayor Turner did not support this amendment and said Controller Brown is constantly complaining that “the sky is falling” (financially). This amendment was voted on, but failed.
• 6.02: Proposed that audit reports be presented to the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee within 90 days of their production. Mayor Turner supported this amendment and it passed.
• 6.03: If the general fund balance is higher than projected, this amendment proposed moving 1% of that variance to the budget stabilization fund to help with disaster preparedness. Mayor Turner cautioned against restricting the fund balance more than necessary. CM Peck withdrew this amendment.
• 6.04: Proposed that heavy waste depositories use the htxcollects app to report wait times so that people can plan accordingly. Peck withdrew this amendment but plans to work with Solid Waste on an ordinance.
• 6.05: This amendment would let residents use any biodegradable bag for their yard waste rather than the bags required by the city currently. A short discussion ensued on the crappiness of the city bags and Mayor Turner joked that he is not responsible for those bags, they were chosen before his tenure. Peck withdrew this amendment and referred it to the Quality of Life Committee.
• 6.07: An annually recurring $375K for the Department of Neighborhoods to hire five more code enforcement officers. Mayor Turner pointed out that the city already plans to hire six new officers. Several CMs suggested each district have its own officer, but CM Cisneros objected because some districts are larger than others. Peck withdrew this amendment and referred it to the Regulatory and Neighborhood Affairs Committee.
• 6.08: Proposed that the Houston Public Library partner with Harris County Public Library on digital services. Turner supported this amendment and it passed.
• 6:09: Proposed a sunset review of every department and program, similar to state policy. Mayor Turner argued that outcome-based budgeting already solves this problem. CM Martin said that this is the Council’s job. Peck withdrew.

CM Jackson / District B:

7.01: $20M redirected to local drainage projects prioritizing the most critical areas. Prior to 2001, ditch maintenance was the city’s (not the property owner’s) responsibility. This amendment will provide the remaining funding necessary to reactivate this $40M Public Works program. CM Jackson thanked the Northeast Action Collective for their work on this.

• CM Plummer pointed out flood events are caused by regular rain, not just disasters.
• CM Castex-Tatum said that 3/4 of the city’s open ditches are in the north, so they will receive the most help.
• CM Huffman thanked the Mayor for additional SWAT funding that will be divided evenly amongst all of the districts.
• CM Cisneros thanked the Northeast Action Collective for their effort that will help the whole city. “What’s happening here today is definitely going to be a big help to District H. We’ve heard that 80% of all the ditches are BIPOC communities and that 40% of those are not functioning properly. District H is a ditch district. They’re everywhere.”
• CM Robinson looks forward to having this at the Transportation, Technology, and Infrastructure Committee. “This is, I think, historic and monumental. I’m really excited about the justice that’s being served today.”
• CM Kamin applauded the resident-driven effort that led to this amendment that is changing city policy. “It’s going to impact these neighborhoods that were built poorly to begin with because of where they were and who was living there. And that’s not right.”

After the vote that granted this amendment, huge cheers could be heard from the members of the Northeast Action Collective present in the chamber.

Council Member Kamin / District C:

• 8.01: One-time cost of $60K to provide menstrual products inside the restrooms of city buildings. The Health Department already plans to do this, so Kamin withdrew.
• 8.02: One-time $240K cost for a Gun Violence Injury dashboard run by the health department, using data from all emergency departments (and not just HPD). Lots of dissent on this one.
  • CM Martin questioned the objective, thinks police and EMS are too busy to upload data, and is worried about HIPAA. “No way you’ll get this done.“
  • CM Kamin responded that the departments will not be uploading data, the dashboard is a system that works with existing data and will aid in gun violence prevention. She encouraged everyone to defer to public health experts.
  • CM Knox accused this amendment of using the medical health field to work around the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms).
  • CM Martin wanted it to go to the Public Safety Committee. Kamin firmly said “NO. The study has been done. This is what these studies showed is needed.”
  • CM Cisneros said this amendment admires the problem rather than takes action.
  • Although Mayor Turner supported the amendment, he asked Kamin to withdraw & send it to committee, and she agreed, with the caveat it will be addressed within 90 days.
• 8.03: A one-time $600K transfer to the forensic science center as a stop-gap measure until grant funding comes through in the fall. This amendment passed.

Council Member Martin / District E

• 10.01: A fee increase at the Memorial Park (public) golf course, due to the course’s elite status and increased maintenance costs. CMs Kamin and Gallegos advocated for the course to remain affordable for the public; Martin withdrew and referred it to the Quality of Life committee.

Council Member Gallegos / District I

• 14.02: $410K in ARPA funding to expand a railroad monitoring project, increasing monitor sites from 18 → 35. Gallegos said the data from this project likely helped the city win a $36.9M grant from the Federal Railroad Crossing Elimination Program.
  • Mayor Turner said that we can’t use ARPA money for this but wants to look at other funding options. Gallegos withdrew this amendment and referred it to the Transportation, Technology, and Infrastructure Committee.
• 14.03: Proposed a fee for new developments to pay for new trash containers, which cost the city $26.20 each. Mayor Turner said this requires an ordinance, and Gallegos said, “OK let’s do the ordinance,” (implying right now), which got some laughs. Gallegos withdrew this amendment and referred it to the Quality of Life Committee.
• 14.04: The establishment of an enterprise fund for Solid Waste. Gallegos spoke on the desperate situation in the Solid Waste department: overworked employees, late service, service cancellation, inability to address illegal dumping, and more. He cited the “broken glass theory” that garbage encourages crime.
  • CM Alcorn said this is an example of outcome-based budgeting: Solid Waste is not meeting goals and needs more money, but this needs an ordinance and can’t be solved today. Solid Waste currently service an average 1300 homes per day, when it should only be 700-900. “We’re working these guys to death.”
  • Gallegos withdrew and referred this to the Quality of Life Committee.

Amendments that passed:

• Amendment 5.01 (Alcorn): $500K for BARC
• Amendment 6.02 (Peck): Audit reports shall be presented to the BFA Committee within 90 days of their production.
• Amendment 6.08 (Peck): Houston Public Library will partner with Harris County Public Library on digital services.
• Amendment 7.01 (Jackson): $20M to reactivate the ditch maintenance program.
• Amendment 8.03 (Kamin): $600K for the Houston Forensic Science Center.

The Budget Vote

With the proposed amendments squared, it was time to move on to the budget as amended.

• CM Kubosh was concerned that the budget did not provide for the potential outcome of SB736 and would not support it.
  • Mayor Turner said he wished Kubosh would change his mind, but he feels the budget is the strongest it has been in eight years. Turner said credit agencies will like this budget and SB736 is an issue for the next administration to deal with.
• CM Kamin highlighted how much money the revenue cap has cost the city: $340M this year, up to $1.8M since its inception in 2015.
• CM Martin waxed poetic about this “bittersweet” moment of his last budget vote on council. He foretold a budget deficit in FY26 and implored future administrations to heed his warning.
• The budget for Fiscal Year 2024 passed. CMs Knox and Kubosh voted no.

Council Member Pop-Off

• CM Castex-Tatum warned against shooting off guns during fourth of July celebrations. Crimestoppers is offering rewards and HPD will be out and about.
• CM Alcorn praised this year’s budget season and said, “I weirdly love the budget process.” Same!
• CM Plummer plugged a grants workshop with Houston Arts Alliance this Saturday June 10th. “Let’s get this money.”
• CM Peck remarked on last Friday’s recycling service cancellation and suggested the city hire outside contractors for holiday weeks because it is a consistent problem.
• CM Kamin plugged the Families with Pride Event on June 24th at Levy Park.
• CM Evan-Shabazz gave an update on the attacks on the Columbia Tap Trail – please look this up and be safe if you plan to ride the trail.

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.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/houston-east-end-trains-underpasses-18132707.php
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/houston-budget-passes-city-council-pay-raises-18139741.php
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/city-of-houston/2023/05/24/452667/whitmire-backed-bill-requiring-arbitration-between-houston-and-its-firefighters-on-verge-of-becoming-state-law/

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.