Houston City Council Notes, prepared by Emily J Hynds

Agenda

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

Mayor’s Report

• Friday 2/23 is Go Texan Day, ​​a tradition that signals the beginning of rodeo season. The downtown rodeo parade is on Saturday 2/24 beginning at 10am. Mayor Whitmire remarked on what a special and unique tradition Houston’s rodeo season is, particularly in comparison to cities like New York, LA, and Chicago.
• Whitmire plans to attend the Houston Fire Department graduation ceremony tomorrow. He said it is the first time in 8 years that a mayor has attended an HFD graduation ceremony and talked about how important it is to support all first responders.
• There were a ton of people in the chamber today, I’m not 100% sure why (perhaps for the nomination of Elizabeth Brock to the METRO board, but I’ll get to that in a bit). Anyways, Whitmire named Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Leslie Briones, and more. It felt like a highschool pep rally.

Item 3: Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock and the METRO Board

Council confirmed the appointment of Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock to position two of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Of Harris County. Brock is Vice President of Utility Infrastructure Planning and Policy at CenterPoint Energy, is a board member of the Houston First Corporation, and founded Evolve, a nonprofit that promotes the adoption of electric vehicles.

Mayor Whitmire praised Brock, highlighted the importance of the METRO board, and outlined her past experience working in his office, saying, “You worked in my office. You got experience. You learned from my office that constituents are who we work for. And I’ve never been more confident in a decision than I have in making you the chairperson over at Metro.” He also remarked on her Hispanic heritage and saluted her family for their support in her career.

After the vote and some remarks from Council Members, Brock spoke.

• She is honored to be the first female Hispanic person in this role. She spoke en Español which garnered applause from the chamber. Mayor Whitmire said, “You’re bringing tears to people’s eyes. This is the future of Houston.”
• Brock spoke on her history with Evolve and progress in the electric vehicle market. “We [need to] send a signal to the market that Houston isn’t just oil and gas, that Houston also cares about the environment as well.”
• “People care about their time, and time is important. And so if things are easy, people will take advantage of those things. So we want Metro to be not only a support system for those that have to take it, but we want it to be a support system for people who want to take it.”

Public Hearing on a Civility Ordinance in Riverside Terrace

Today’s public hearing regarded a proposed Civility Zone in Riverside Terrace. The Civility Ordinance prohibits lying, sitting, or keeping of personal items on sidewalks from 7am-11pm. A neighborhood that wishes to be included in the Civility Ordinance must petition the City.

Two police officers attempted to make a presentation on the ordinance but Mayor Whitmire interrupted them before they could begin and continued to interrupt them as he peppered them with antagonistic questions. I have never been so annoyed at someone keeping cops from speaking.

• Whitmire asked what the point of the ordinance is and why the whole city shouldn’t be covered under a Civility Ordinance.
  • HPD said that State law says the *entire* sidewalk must be blocked in order for law enforcement to step in. The Civility Ordinance would let HPD make moves for partial blockage.
  • There is apparently some legal precedent in other cities that have tried to enact city-wide ordinances of a similar nature, so Houston is limiting its ordinance to smaller areas that must petition on their own behalf.
• Whitmire kept calling Riverside Terrace “Rivercrest.”
• Whitmire said this ordinance doesn’t actually solve the problem. When he remarked on bogarting the officer’s report time, the lead officer graciously responded, “I yield my time to the community to speak.” Whitmire replied “I probably did you a favor,” and I’m not sure exactly what he meant by that. Maybe he was implying the officer’s report would have been insufficient? Maybe he meant that he saved them the trouble? idk

Next up, some CMs had comments:

• CM Kamin remarked on the efficacy of HPD’s Differential Response Teams (DRTs). She cautioned against penalizing homelessness and advocated for more transitional housing and diversion services. She also deferred to District D Council Member Evans-Shabazz, “given this is a resident-driven petition.”
• CM Peck lauded the Civility Ordinance as a tool that can help homeless people learn about resources available to them.
• CM Evans-Shabazz praised this “community initiative” and said the goal is not to penalize homeless people, but to give HPD the tools they need to engage, educate, and divert people into housing. She said, “data supports that this is a problem in that area,” although she did not share her sources.
• CM Martinez said District I is looking into applying for the Civility Ordinance on Harrisburg along the METRO greenline as a reaction to the Greyhound bus station moving into the area. He, too, argued that this could be the catalyst to get homeless people into the resources they need.
• When CM Davis expressed concern about citations for homeless people, HPD reiterated that they prioritize education and diversion over citations and detention.
• CM Pollard had several pro-Civility Ordinance remarks and concluded with, “If your community wants this and they went out and got all those petitions within a short amount of time, then I think they know their area better than we do.”
• Mayor Whitmire concluded his remarks by saying, “I hope y’all appreciate the dialogue. I mean, I’ve watched council for many years, and I think this has brought about more dialogue and better understanding than previous sessions.” He does this a lot, reference the previous administration and compare it to the way he does or plans to do things.

Next up were the public speakers. Five people were pro-Civility Ordinance and three were against. Some highlights:

• Speaker one said, “There are drug-addicted individuals, there are meth heads that are laid out on the sidewalk.” She said, “When do the rights of individuals who are law-abiding homeowners, when are we being heard? It seems to be that we defer quite often to our fellow brothers and sisters that may have some challenges in life, and those of us who are trying to promote business, who are trying to promote wholesome, healthy lifestyles and wholesome, healthy communities seem to not be heard as often.”
• Speaker two complained about the homeless population of Midtown being displaced because of The Ion and the relocation of the Greyhound bus station, claiming they are moving into Riverside Terrace. “We’re concerned about the increase in crime, such as theft, violence. And when you’re observing somebody publicly using the bathroom, it’s just devastating.”
• A representative from Lord of the Streets Episcopal Church warned against unintended consequences, decried displacement, and said there are not enough options for where homeless people are supposed to go. He mentioned Haven for Hope, a program in San Antonio, as a good example Houston could look to.
• One social worker advocated for non-police interventions based in public health.
• A rep from the Texas Civil Rights Project advocated for non-police interventions and permanent supportive housing rather than further criminalizing homelessness.

Item 4: MWBE Drama

• Item 4 approved a $2.2M payment for the renovation of the Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center in District H. CM Pollard took issue with the prime contractor not fulfilling their Minority and Women Business Enterprise goals. Pollard is increasingly frustrated with the City’s inability to address the problem at its root cause.
• CM Castillo agreed that the current “good faith” process isn’t working. The City sets the MWBE goal and trusts the contractor to fulfill it; when they don’t, the City is contractually obligated to pay them anyways.
• CM Kamin asked Whitmire about the administrative process that goes into censuring contractors. Mayor Whitmire agreed to look into it but then said (sassily, I might add), “Are you not allowed to pick up the phone and ask the director yourself?” Then, Kamin and Whitmire talked over each other for a few minutes in borderline shouty voices. Kamin asked Attorney Michel what would happen if everyone voted no on this today. Michel said that the City is legally obligated to pay the vendor, so theoretically there could be a lawsuit, but there would very likely be time and opportunity to resolve the issue with the vendor before it came to that.
• People who voted no: Jackson, Thomas, Martinez, Pollard, Davis, Carter, Plummer
• People who voted yes: Whitmire, Peck, Kamin, Evans-Shabazz, Flickinger, Huffman, Castillo, Ramirez, Alcorn
• Then Mayor Whitmire straight up peer pressured/bullied people to change their vote. He said, “I don’t think that’s fair. After all this discussion, valid issues raised, people that were advocating to go forward because of the sensitivity of the issue went ahead and then voted no. And I don’t think that’s fair representation of how we all feel. So I’m not going to hit the gavel.” CM Davis succumbed to the pressure and switched his vote to yes. There was some discussion about whether people even could change their vote after being recorded, and, frankly, I am still confused about whether this item actually passed or not. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 10 approved $56K for a robot van vehicle for HPD. Robot vans are designed for safe handling and transport of the robots used by the bomb squad.
• Item 11 approved $48K for four radar speed trailers for HPD. CM Huffman praised these trailers and explained that they also collect data to help HPD direct resources.
• Item 17 approved an additional $250K for various construction costs associated with an urban prairie project at a New Hope affordable housing community.
• Item 20 approved an increase in contract value from $1.8M to $8M with a company that provides contract staff for the permit center. CM Flickinger agreed that outsourcing of staff is necessary, but complained there is no non-compete clause, which means employees hired and trained by the City are leaving to work for the staffing companies which the City then hires. Mayor Whitmire agreed this is a short-term solution and complained about this “inherited problem.”
• Item 25 approved $16.5M to begin construction on the Spellman Stormwater Detention Basin along the Fondren Diversion Channel in District K.
• Items 27, 28, and 29 approved the nomination of Thomas Jones to Port Houston Board.
  • CM Ramirez tried to delay the vote one week so the public could have more time to vet Mr. Jones, and although the vote was close (9-7) it failed.
  • Once he was voted in, CM Plummer encouraged Mr. Jones to work with Air Alliance Houston and Healthy Ports Community Coalition.
  • When CM Jackson suggested term limits for port commissioners, Mayor Whitmire interjected, “There is a term limit! Senator Whitmire (referring to himself and his time in the State legislature) passed it!”
• Item 38 approved $16K for silica sand for HPW. CM Kamin tagged this last week over concerns of ethically sourcing sand. There is a thriving black market for sand but CM Kamin is thrilled to report that this sand is sourced locally here in Texas. She did advocate for a policy around ethically sourcing natural resources.

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.rodeohouston.com

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.