Houston City Council notes, prepared by Emily J Hynds.

Agenda

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

Monthly Financial Report

This was the last financial report of the year. Controller Chris Brown mentioned HPD overtime because of public protests. Finance Director Will Jones remarked on the recent annual report, highlighted higher than anticipated sales tax revenue, and applauded the City’s net position, saying it’s the highest it has been in ten years.

Controller Brown has still not certified funds for today’s Item 35, an ordinance that would allow United Airlines to begin revamping IAH’s Terminal B, with an initial $150M investment from the City. The delay is vexing the Mayor and many CMs.

• Controller Brown generally hedged questions and made vague mollifying remarks. He repeatedly claimed that he wasn’t aware of the deal until one month ago, which is not enough time to complete his due diligence.
• CM Martin pressed Controller Brown to clarify what party is responsible if this loan goes into default (the City or United), referencing a report from Brown which agrees it is United. Brown told Council they were focusing too much on details.
• Mayor Turner asked Brown to clearly outline his objections, and here’s what he said (I gotta be honest I don’t know what a lot of this means):
  • We need a feasibility study on the debt repayment
  • The inducement resolution is not finalized
  • Brown wants a disaster prep analysis to prepare for another COVID-19 situation that might cause United to not be able to lease the proposed gates
  • The outcome of SB13 and SB19 are not fully known yet, but they could place restrictions on underwriters for bonds, meaning a smaller pool to draw from
  • Finally, Brown said the timing is just plain bad, being right in the middle of election season. He doesn’t think it’s right to pass such a large item right before a new administration takes office.
• Regarding Brown’s timing objection, Turner scoffed, “I should just go home right now? I guess that’s what you’re saying, that we shouldn’t be working until December 31.”
• CM Martin emphasized the financial health of the City and got pretty worked up, basically yelling while talking about United’s responsibility for the debt liability and wanting to get this deal done before the next council took over. Martin complained about competition with the Denver Airport and made it sound critical that Houston seal this deal.
• CM Castex-Tatum told Controller Brown his motives seemed political. Responding to Brown’s timing complaints, Castex-Tatum pointed out this deal has been in the works for months, with several airings at the Economic Development Committee. She said that the Controller’s due diligence has never taken this long and questioned his motives again.
  • Brown said, “I’ve been here for 20 years. I’ve been through this before. I apologize if many of you are looking at me and saying I’m being difficult. But again, as I leave office, I’m continuing to be the taxpayer’s watchdog. This is a big deal.”
  • In a blatant show of escalation, Castex-Tatum asked the City Attorney what recourse they have if Controller Brown continues to refuse to certify the funds. Attorney Michel said they could file a lawsuit, but it wouldn’t be a quick result.
• Brown kept me laughing by constantly repeating “I appreciate the question” and “I’m happy to continue the discussion.” He was under attack and really stuck to his delay-tactic guns.
• CM Pollard entered the fray with a courtroom style interrogation of Brown, which Brown absolutely called him out on.
• When Brown again complained that this all could have been avoided if he had been included from the start, Mayor Turner put his foot down. He said Brown’s staff was repeatedly briefed and Brown has already had several conversations with Attorney Michel. “Your failure to certify [the funds] is putting this deal at risk and you’re putting the city in an anti competitive position when it relates to other United hubs. And, quite frankly, your failure to certify is creating irreparable damage to this city.”
• CM Kamin complained about Terminal B and said the City has been working on this deal for seven months. She criticized the Controller’s office, who has 54 employees, for not making use of their resources to vet this item beforehand. She told Brown that she hates that this will be the legacy he leaves office with. Brown defended his staff and deflected blame to Attorney Michel for not getting material to him in a timely manner. Many shots were fired today!
• As the debate wound down, CM Thomas pointed out that Controller Brown has never had trouble certifying funds for contractors who didn’t meet their MWBE (minority and women owned business enterprises) goals or conducted other bad business practices. “I would have loved to see that type of energy when we’re talking about the equity of MWBEs at the table.”

Item 31: Water Bill Relief

To combat unusually high water bills and the often complicated process of challenging them, Houston Public Works (HPW) Director Carol Haddock and Deputy Director of Accounts Lisa Garrison presented on an Ordinance update. High water bills are often due to a leak, but not always. The City has the ability to work with customers to adjust their bills, but the processes are outdated.

Proposed changes:

• Remove limitation on the amount of “leak adjustments” customers can make within a year.
• Provide 100% reimbursement if the leak is fixed within the first billing cycle, 75% in the second billing cycle, and 50% from the third billing cycle on.
• 100% credit on excess wastewater charges. This is based on the idea that a customer water leak usually doesn’t go back through the sewage system.
• For those with inexplicably large bills (no leaks detected after investigation) HPW will reduce them to 125%-150% of their average historical use.
• Soften eligibility requirements for customers needing assistance.
• Provide a less expensive option for water meters that aren’t currently in use, like on a vacant lot. The City is required to keep water available in case it’s needed, which incurs a monthly base charge and wastewater charge. Previously, customers were required to hire a plumber to remove the meter and cap the line, which could cost up to $1500. Now the City will offer to “lock” the meter for $150.
• $0.50 rebate per bill for switching to paperless billing.
• Codify current HPW policy of not back billing more than three months.

Director Haddock explained how the system works:

• There is an actual water meter with a dial that measures the water that goes from City pipes into private property pipes when we turn on faucets, run the washing machine, etc. Then there is a remote read device (RRD) which is a piece of tech with a little computer chip that transmits the meter reading to HPW.
• HPW has more than 500,000 monthly water bills, 99% of which are correct. However, there are ~125K RRDs not transmitting. HPW tries to send someone to do a manual reading of those meters, but when that’s not possible, customers are billed an average of their use over the last year.
• RRDs were installed city wide in the late 2000’s and have a 10-15 year lifespan. HPW is currently undergoing another city wide replacement initiative to be completed in 2030. This should have been completed sooner but the pandemic caused supply chain issues.
• The new incentivized time periods for reimbursement start from when the customer becomes aware of a problem, so Director Haddock encouraged people to set up alerts on houstonwater.org so you know ASAP if there’s a problem with your bill.
• Instructions for how to sign up for alerts are on your paper or electronic bill, which will allow you, the customer, to track usage in detail. Anyone with a currently functioning RRD can sign up for these alerts, it doesn’t have to be a new one. So if you are in charge of the water where you live – go check it out! houstonwater.org

• CM Castex-Tatum complained about RRD lifespans and asked what recourse the City has with the manufacturer. Director Haddock said that 10-15 years is industry standard and likened them to other tech like phones and laptops with similar lifespans. Plus, RRDs are exposed to harsh elements constantly.
  • Castex-Tatum said we should push back on RRD manufacturers to lengthen their lifespan, implying the City has influence over the industry. Director Haddock was like, sure, we can pressure the manufacturers, that is how progress happens – but really 10-15 years is standard and that’s just how it is.
• CM Thomas introduced her remarks by saying she was hopefully last (spoiler alert, dear reader, she was not). She described this ordinance as a “sigh of relief.” She asked for an easy-to-share and easy-to-digest guide of the new changes and how to sign up for alerts.
• CM Martin complained that this ordinance is reactive rather than proactive. He sounded angry and raised-voicey, again. Director Haddock outlined the ways in which these proposed changes will, in fact, prevent problems. I observed an obvious disconnect in Martin’s understanding of the ordinance and reality, not sure what was going on there. At one point Haddock told him, “I believe that you’re living the experience that exists prior to passing these changes,” which is such a nice way of saying — you are wrong and you don’t understand what’s going on. Director Haddock is truly one of my favorite people in this administration.
• CM Evans-Shabazz clarified that City water main leaks do not affect residential water bills.
• After over an hour of discussion, CM Kubosh tagged this item, placing it on hold for one more week, which the Mayor clearly thought was ludicrous. There were many loud groans and complaints from others. Kubosh said he didn’t have enough time to review the material and could not be persuaded to change his mind. Other CMs literally boo’d him out loud. That was fun.

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 13 authorized a $2.4M payment to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for annual public health service fees.
• Item 15 approved the $55M 2024 budget for The Harris County 911 Emergency Call Center. It’s an interlocal endeavor so needs to be approved by both bodies. The county will reimburse the City ~$19.5M for positions they provide.
• Items 21 and 22 approved the purchase of vehicles for the police department, totaling $2.7M. Item 24 approved $1.7M for aircraft engine parts, overhauls, and repair services for the police department.
• Item 33 amended the Code of Ordinances to remove a fee for new streetlights. Previously, if a resident requested a new streetlight, they were required to pay a $200 fee. The removal of this barrier to entry will hopefully allow more lighting to go up in the City. CMs Thomas, Peck, Huffman, Kamin, Jackson, Evans-Shabazz, and Castex-Tatum all vocally supported, issuing varying statements that equate lighting with public safety. CM Evans-Shabazz said, “Light dispels darkness.”
• Item 47 approved the transfer of maintenance of Freed Park in District A to the County. The County owns the park but the onus of maintenance remained with the City. CM Peck remarked on the parks many needs and thanked Harris County Commissioner Briones for their commitment to park upgrades.
• Item 71 approved the 2024 Holiday schedule for City Council. CM Kamin tagged this last week to investigate the possibility of adding Election Day as a holiday, which she described as “celebrating our democracy and allowing all of our employees the opportunity to participate and taking a stand as a city for our democratic process.” Mayor Turner agreed that would be cool, but had some reasons why it needs to wait and Kamin ultimately agreed. CM Martin really took issue with this, raising his voice again, proclaiming loudly that the two hours the City gives people to go vote is plenty. H’okay.

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
http://www.houstonwater.org
https://houstonlanding.org/houston-city-council-to-consider-plan-to-stop-charging-residents-for-new-streetlights/

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

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