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

I was late to the meeting today because I was working, so I missed the Mayor’s Report.

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 7 approved $75K for the purchase of aging and respite care support services for the Health Department.
• CM Plummer tagged Item 13, which would have approved $315K for air release valves bought using the “Interlocal Agreement for Cooperative Purchasing with the National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance.” I do not know what any of that means and do not have the time or energy to dig into it today. CM Plummer tagged it because there is no Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) goal for purchases made using co-ops and Plummer wants to talk with the procurement department on a way to fix that.
• Item 15 approved a $4.5M forgivable loan to The Harris Center to help finance the construction of a 24-unit apartment complex for adults experiencing homelessness, people with mental illness, substance use disorder, and other chronic health conditions. The complex will be in District I.
• Item 16 approved an additional $3.3M for renovations at the Bethune Empowerment Center in Acres Homes in District B.
• Item 17 approved up to $3.1M towards the construction of 11 affordable single-family homes in District D.
• Item 20 approved an additional $474K for the operation of the Housing Navigation Center on Jensen Drive in District B. The Navigation Center provides “bridge beds” for 350 people while they await permanent housing. “Bridging” is the term for the period of time between intake at the Navigation Center, assessment, and the move to permanent housing. This funding supports all operations at the Navigation Center, including three meals per day for residents, which are not covered by CARES Act funding.
• Item 21 approved $144K for a program with the UT Health Science Center concerning the effects of asthma on health disparities, using federal grant funding. CM Plummer wants to use data “to try to influence TCEQ [and the] EPA to see how multiple batch plants and metal refineries and all the other things that they put in black and brown communities can assist us with preventing permits from being released.”
• Item 27 approved $250M for Southwest Airlines to expand the West Concourse at Hobby Airport. The expansion will add seven additional gates and accompanying concessions. It’s likely the City will fund an additional $200M in 12-15 months. These costs are recoverable from Southwest Airlines in 2027 through the original use and lease agreements. IDK if I’ll still be doing this in 2027, but if I am, let this serve as a note to myself to check back in on this and see if the City actually does get reimbursed.
• Item 30 approved $1.5M for adult literacy services through the Houston Public Library.
• Items 40 – 47 approved protected landmark status for properties in Districts C, D, and H, including Olivewood Cemetery. CM Gallegos praised Olivewood Cemetery’s new status and advocated for similar attention to Harrisburg-Jackson Cemetery in District I.

Item 53: Money for Legal Representation in the Ongoing Lawsuits Regarding Binding Arbitration for Houston Firefighters

• I recommend some light homework if you are unfamiliar with … gestures broadly … all of this. There are some links in the final slide / resources section.
• Some history: Proposition B is a city charter amendment approved by voters in 2018 that requires Houston to pay firefighters “substantially similar” to police officers of similar ranks. The City and the fire union have been arguing in court ever since. Recently passed Senate Bill 736 requires Houston to enter into collective bargaining with the fire union, which could fast track an agreement. The union asserts that SB736 should retroactively affect the seven years since Proposition B in 2018, and the City disagrees. Today’s Item 53 increased the contract amount with the legal firm (Denton Navarro Rocha Bernal & Zech, P.C) currently representing the City in Houston Professional Fire Fighters’ Association, local 341, plaintiff vs. City of Houston, Texas, defendant.
• City Attorney Arturo Michel gave an overview so laden with legalese I had to read the transcript several times to make any sense of it. Houston has agreed to collective bargaining with the fire union for forthcoming budgets, but disagrees with the unions assertion that SB736 should be retroactive. He emphasized the City’s financial responsibility to taxpayers and city employees, implying that retroactive collective bargaining could be financially devastating. He asserted the City’s right to pay for effective and expert legal representation in any matter, pointing out that the fire union is doing the same. Michel said that if council does not extend this funding, the City’s legal department will be under extreme duress and the impacts will be felt in other areas of legal need.
• CM Kubosh pointed out that SB736 was overwhelmingly supported in the Texas legislature, even by representatives from Houston. He said, “I know the city needs representation, I just don’t like it.”
• Mayor Turner said, “The authors of Senate Bill 736 never argued that this bill should be applied retroactively.” Turner remarked on the three 6% pay increases firefighters have received over the last three years and reiterated that Houston is the defendant in this lawsuit. He pointed out that firefighters are willingly paying for their union’s legal defense from their own paychecks and said the City is effectively asking to do the same – to seek expert legal representation.
• CM Pollard understands the union’s point of view, but said, “Regardless if this item passes or not, the litigation still moves forward. This item does not have anything to do with whether the matter itself will be heard. It just has to do with – are we paying for the legal services that the legal department feels they need.” Speaking to the frustration of a years-long drawn out court case, Pollard said, “When people talk about having litigation with the City, this is what comes with the territory. It can get messy, it can get drawn out, it can be long, it can be frustrating, but each side gets to choose their representation.” This is one of those nice times it feels good to have a few lawyers on Council who can offer perspective and break things down for us lay people.
• CM Kamin confirmed the City is moving forward with collective bargaining for FY24. She also emphasized that the City is the defendant in this case, it is the fire union that is suing the City. When Kamin questioned Attorney Michel on how the legal department could be affected should this item not pass, Michel said, “We’re stretched pretty thin … I have looked up the size of the legal departments in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. They have at least 125 lawyers, more than we do, and in some instances, double or triple. So we are stretched pretty thin. We would have to make significant changes.”
• CM Gallegos called out state legislators from Houston who did not contact him to ask his opinion on SB736. He lamented the already tight city budget that cannot adequately maintain infrastructure and get trash picked up on time.
• CM Martin reiterated that SB736 makes no mention of retroactive enforcement.
• Finally, Item 53 passed. CMs Kubosh and Plummer voted no.

Council Member Pop-Off

• Mayor Turner pointedly decried campaign promises that are difficult to keep once you’re actually in office. Next week’s meetings are consolidated because of Labor Day.
• CM Kamin solemnly remarked on the shooting on 8/27 of three black people in Jacksonville. “I can’t not say something when people are gunned down and murdered simply because of their race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, identity. Because it’s a reflection on our country and it’s a reflection on our democracy, or the lack thereof.” Remarking on Monday’s shooting at the University of North Carolina, Kamin quoted from the front page of The Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s student newspaper, which displayed a string of text messages from UNC students during the shooting.
• CM Pollard thanked CM Kamin for her remarks and added, “People only target you when they feel like you are a threat.” He praised the clean up of the Bissonnet corridor and said the turnaround has been remarkable.
• CM Evans-Shabazz alleged that the new HISD open door policy violates fire code.
• CM Martin warned against using the fund balance for retroactive firefighter payments and praised this admin’s pension reform because, “We could have been Detroit.”
• CM Castex-Tatum echoed CM Kamin’s sentiments on the shootings and praised the Bissonnet clean up, saying, “Trash begets trash.”
• CM Gallegos made a very campaign-y speech about Houston’s 187th birthday.
• CM Robinson wished a happy birthday to City Secretary Pat Jefferson Daniel and CM Cisneros, respectively.
• CM Thomas requested help with a section of Town Park where street vendors have no regard for code, permits, or public safety. She said, “It’s a flea market on the street,” producing litter, garbage in the bayou, and traffic concerns. She remarked on the anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey and on the resilience and camaraderie of New Orleans and Houston.
• CM Plummer plugged a COCO / Air Alliance meeting on September 16 at 10am at Riverhouse Houston discussing an upcoming concrete crushing facility permit request in Kashmere Gardens.

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://houwatch.com
https://www.dailytarheel.com/
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-firefighter-pay-parity-Mayor-Turner-16989378.php
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/tag/proposition-b/

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.