Houston City Council Notes, prepared by Emily J Hynds
Agenda
- Public Hearing on the budget (there were no speakers)
- Consent Agenda (items that require a vote, like purchases, resolutions, ordinances, etc.)
- Council Member Pop-Off
- Public Comment
Agenda Items, Selected Works
- Item 11 approved $262K for fencing, locks, and the boarding of windows/doors at Spring Village Apartments in District K. The support doc says “squatters have established residence in the units and have altered wiring to reinstate electricity.” This property was part of a disaster recovery buyout that relocated the previous residents to a not-flood-prone property.
- Item 13 approved $521K for the installation of temporary restroom and shower trailers at the police academy because of construction and renovation projects.
- Item 15 approved $183K for smoke alarms, bed shakers and flashers for the fire department. These alarms are designed for hearing and visually impaired people.
- Item 17 approved an additional $2.3M for the Rapid Rehousing financial assistance program for unhoused people. Items 18 and 19 approved similar administrative costs for homeless programs for $200K and $143K, respectively.
- Item 31 approved extending the contract with JP Morgan Chase for banking services for the Controller’s office. This item is a stop-gap while procurement works on a new contract. CM Thomas asked how often the City looks at which banks to use (this contract was awarded in 2019). Mayor Whitmire said, “You’ve been here four more years longer than I have,” implying she should know the answer.
- Item 32 approved increasing the contract for veterinary services for HPD canines from $458K to $573K.
Council Member Pop-Off
- CM Castex-Tatum plugged the grand opening of the Dr. Shannon Walker Library on Saturday June 1. Dr. Walker will be there.
- CM Martinez plugged his next Coffee with a Council Member event on June 8 and the Families with Pride event on June 1 at Discovery Green.
- CM Alcorn plugged the final budget workshop on Thursday. She advocated for additional revenue sources, saying that lowering costs would not be sufficient to balance the budget. Budget amendments from CMs are due June 5.
- CM Evans-Shabazz asked the Mayor if the City can spray for mosquitos. She plugged a hurricane preparedness workshop on June 3 at Emancipation Park and a US Armed Forces Day this Saturday at 3850 Live Oak.
- CM Castillo plugged a Back to Summer Bash at Moody Park this Saturday June 1.
- CM Davis plugged a town hall on June 3 at the Frank Seals Gym. He offered a Memorial Day remembrance and seemed to sort of shame other CMs for not mentioning Memorial Day enough.
- CM Thomas outlined several infrastructure projects ongoing and upcoming in District F. She listed several initiatives included in her Summer of Safety program: an event on June 11, swim safety events on June 15 and July 13, a fire prevention initiative, and a stray animal sweep.
- CM Pollard:
- Criticized the budget process and the proposed budget’s lack of new funding sources. He complained, again, that Council still has not seen details of the firefighter agreement but will be expected to vote on a budget that includes it. He remarked on the drainage fee lawsuit that could result in a $100M liability, not reflected in the proposed budget.
- Remarking on a rapid transit line from Gulfton to the Galleria, Mayor Whitmire was recently quoted saying, “They’re (Gulfton residents) largely undocumented immigrants. They just want basic services. They don’t want to be part of the Galleria. You think they’re going to be welcome in the Galleria?” Today, Pollard said the Mayor’s comments generalized the diverse Gulfton and Galleria communities. He asked the Mayor to engage with the community itself and him, the person elected to represent the community being discussed. He said, “If we’re not a part of these conversations, then there are no conversations being had that are meaningful.”
- The Mayor responded with vitriol. He referenced conversations with “newly arrived Guatemalans, Hondurians, Salvadorians” who said they don’t need the rapid transit line, they need “basic services” like reliable transit to the Baker Ripley Center. He said his comments were taken out of context. Whitmire accused Pollard of using his comments for political advantage, saying, “There’s a time to campaign and there’s a time to go to work.” Whitmire shared the same two anecdotes he did last week about “reaching into his own pockets” to help storm victims and having his security detail give a ride home to a family. He said, “I will match my record with immigrants with anyone. It’s a calling. I care. If you want to use misrepresentations for your political purposes, have at it. But the public knows better.” He was truly incensed.
Public Comment
I don’t usually report on the public comment portion of the meeting because it usually happens on Tuesday, and I only watch the Wednesday portion of the meeting. On holiday weeks, both session are combined to take place on Wednesday.
- Speaker 1 complained about funding for arts, the upcoming Families with Pride event, and CM Kamin in general.
- Speaker 2 plugged the Fade to Black Arts Festival and asked for Council’s help with funding.
- Speaker 3 commented on METRO plans, including the BRT and MetroNext.
- Speaker 4 started out complaining about a civil rights violation but their comments devolved and it was difficult to make sense of them.
- Speaker 5 complained about conditions at Independence Hall.
- Speaker 6 advocated for the Sunnyside solar farm.
- Speaker 7 was the mother of a cyclist killed on May 24. She outlined uncertainties and peculiarities in her son’s case and accident. Mayor Whitmire referred her to an HPD officer in the chamber and they left together to sort it out.
- Speaker 8 advocated for storm resilience in general and for the resilience hub in Kashmere Gardens to be functional.
- Speaker 9 criticized the City’s response to the recent storms.
- Speaker 10 spoke out on the genocide in Palestine.
- Speaker 11 advocated for the Sunnyside solar farm, particularly using funds from the Solar For All federal grant.
- Speaker 12 criticized FEMA for doing a crappy job distributing disaster supplies, and social ills in general.
- Speaker 13 spoke against the genocide in Palestine.
- Speaker 14 began by criticizing CM Peck (I think) for being on her phone during public comment. She spoke against the genocide in Palestine. She criticized CMs Huffman and Peck for supporting a Republican organization that supports Israel (I did not fact check this).
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
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.
