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

Mayor’s Report

• Airport Director Jim Szczesniak and other airport people reported on recent Skytrax awards received by Houston’s airports. Skytrax is an international airport rating organization.
  • Hobby Airport received 5 stars and was voted by travelers as the best regional airport. Hobby is the only 5-star airport in North America.
  • Intercontinental Airport received 4 stars. The airport people expressed confidence that once the construction is done, Intercontinental could be on its way to also having 5 stars.
  • The airport people went over updates to IAH and the airport’s art program. The Director explained that Houston airports have more people looking at art than in the Louvre. Houston airports spend a lot of money on art and place it throughout terminals, not just in one designated location. He also praised the art program as an economic engine, especially for local artists.
• Mayor Whitmire thanked the Director, accepted the awards, but emphasized there is still work to be done to make the airports better. He particularly complained about parking.
• Several CMs praised Hobby airport and thanked the airport personnel and staff.

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 1 confirmed 11 appointments and/or reappointments to the Houston Library Foundation Board of Directors.
• Items 2 and 3 would have confirmed four new appointments to the Montrose TIRZ, but they were both pulled and therefore not voted on.
• Item 5 approved costs associated with eminent domain proceedings for land needed to repair two storm sewer outfalls along Buffalo Bayou in District G. CM Huffman remarked that this lawsuit has gone on TOO LONG, causing delays leading to repeat flooding. The support doc says the City’s appraisal of the land is $10.9K and the landowner’s appraisal is $4.9M, a shockingly steep difference. A hearing settled on $207K.
• Item 10 approved $390K for a Threat Intelligence Platform Solution, which “combines analytics with human expertise to unite an unrivaled variety of open source, dark web, technical sources, and original research” to identify cyber threats.
• Item 11 approved a one-year, $774K contract for holiday lighting services in Hermann Square.
• Item 12 approved $80K for two license plate reader camera systems and an associated trailer for HPD.
• Item 13 approved $52K for two spectrometers for HPD. Spectrometers are used to detect explosives, chemicals, and drugs.
• Item 24 supported the development of a 110-unit apartment complex in District J which plans to apply for the 9% affordable housing tax credit from the State. CM Pollard lauded this development as a signal that the cleanup of the Bissonet corridor is paying off.
• Item 27 approved grant applications to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for: $25M in Community Development Block Grants, $9.6M in HOME Investment Partnerships Grants, $13M from Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, and $2.1M in Emergency Solutions Grants. “Funding priorities include affordable home development, supportive services, infrastructure and neighborhood facilities, and economic development.”
• Item 40 extended the contract with the company that provides staffing at the HFD Base Station for one year and an additional $2.2M ($10.1M → $12.4M). This personnel coordinates communication and daily traffic flow “of approximately 500 ambulance transports to a network of approximately 45 hospitals.”
• Items 41 and 42 extended two contracts for janitorial services across City departments for $9.6M and $4.6M respectively.
• Item 54 approved the interlocal agreement with the Memorial Heights TIRZ that authorizes phase two of the Durham/Shepherd rebuild. “The Project will reconstruct Shepherd Drive and Durham Drive and various cross streets (West 11th, West 12th, West 14th at various limits) between West 15th Street and IH-10 westbound frontage road, intersections, addition of bike facilities and pedestrian infrastructure. The Project includes drainage and public utility improvements necessary to satisfy City design standards.”
• Item 79 would have approved a two-year $25M contract with Houston Arts Alliance for “professional civic art and conservation administration services,” but it was referred back to the administration due to concerns raised by CMs Huffman and Peck.

Item 25, the bond for the Firefighter Deal

Item 25 approved the issuance of the bond that will ultimately include $650M for the firefighter’s collective bargaining and back pay settlement agreement. The Controller’s Office has still not certified funds as available for the agreement, so this was painted as a preliminary step. I cannot overemphasize the complexity of this issue and my naivete on all of the ins and outs. I am doing my very best. Use your search engines for more information.

Do I wish they had saved this discussion for a week that did not also include the budget vote? Yes. Did they ask my opinion while making such plans? No.

CMs Pollard and Thomas both put forward amendments that would require this bond to go before the voters as a proposition, likely in November.

• CM Pollard took issue with the lack of transparency from the administration, claiming that the details of the negotiation were never shared with Council. He painted this as a “battle of experts” and repeatedly referenced a claim from the Controller’s Office that the City’s liability should be between $110M – $380M. Given the ultimate settlement of $650M, Pollard asked for justification and for the administration to show their work, as it were. Pollard touted his expertise in negotiations. He complained that this settlement will take 30 years to pay off and that they owe it to the future generation to carefully consider. He believes something of this magnitude should be sent to the voters.

• CM Thomas advocated for voters, saying, “Good governance means, although [Houstonians] have sent us here to this elected body, it does not mean they have absolved their right to participate in the future of this great city,” and, “We have a responsibility to make sure that our city remains financially stable and nimble.”
• There was much discussion around whether this bond could even go to an election due to legality, timing, and speculation on what the firefighter’s union might and might not do. City Attorney Michel’s opinion: delaying approval of the bond in order to send it to the ballot in November would trigger a series of actions that would inevitably lead to the case returning to the courts, increased legal fees, and a potential larger liability for the City.
• Mayor Whitmire and CM Pollard sparred over Pollard’s requests for “the math.” Whitmire said, “They started high, we started low,” implying it really is just as simple as that.
• Mayor Whitmire (a little derisively) asked what else we should send to the voters … the whole budget?? This made me laugh because I would absolutely *love* that. Whitmire insisted that officials are elected to make big, difficult decisions like this on behalf of the people.
• Mayor Whitmire repeatedly framed this as a public safety issue. He said, “The best way we can get ready for hurricane season is have adequate first responders, starting with firefighters.” He listed ailments at HFD due to lack of funding and said the public recognizes the need to make this issue right, especially after eight years of neglect [from the previous administration].
• Attorney Michel said the proposed amendments should be ruled out of order because they are illegal according to Houston’s City Charter. Much of this was over my head, even with the ensuing discussion. Several CMs struggled with the concept as well, making me feel better.
• CM Thomas contrasted the rising cost of living with how the City is not offering any extra sources of revenue for the upcoming budget while simultaneously skyrocketing costs, in part through this firefighter’s deal. She said that everyone around the horseshoe campaigned on City finances, but accused some of absolving themselves of that responsibility now that they are in office. She praised the heroic work of first responders, who often view their work as a calling, and said, “You can’t pay for that,” (implying because the work is too meaningful, so great, etc). The worth of that work is not what is on the table, the financial stability of the City is what is on the table. She made a passionate defense, seemed to recognize defeat, and called for a vote.
• But not everyone else was done talking! Not by a long shot…
• CM Castex-Tatum was supportive of council approval for firefighter pay increases going forward but felt the $650M in back pay should go to the voters. She asked some clarifying questions about scenarios if they sent it to the ballot, namely if the firefighter’s union could agree to delay the lawsuit until a vote, and Attorney Michel was like, yea they could but they very likely won’t.
• Mayor Whitmire reiterated that it is Council’s job to make these tough, and yes, expensive decisions on behalf of the people of Houston. He agreed with Attorney Michel that the firefighter’s union is ready to go to trial if this deal is not approved.
• CM Pollard said, “We’re voting blind. This is supposed to be collective bargaining. We don’t know what we tried to bargain with. Sometimes I feel like I’m living in the Twilight Zone here,” and, “This is math … So my biggest thing is, if you want me to vote on this and you want my support, it would be great to tell me how we got there. It’s not about morale and all these intangibles. This is numbers. This is business. You all are businessmen and women who are elected to do the business of the city of an almost $7 billion services corporation. And you’re not going to ask for the numbers? … And how did we get those numbers? How is it justified? Where’s the calculations?”
  • Mayor Whitmire said, “What if I told you $400M? Would that make you feel good?” And Pollard said, “If that is the accurate number. I don’t want just a random number.” Whitmire said it’s a ballpark figure.
• CM Alcorn advocated for using the general fund to pay down part of the $650M. Whitmire rejected this and made vague references to big plans he has to increase City revenue.
• A few times, Mayor Whitmire complained about the timing of these discussions, at one point asking, “Where was this discussion last year, eight years ago? It wasn’t allowed!” He was basically yelling at this point.
• CM Pollard made one final impassioned speech criticizing the City’s negotiations and lack of transparency. Mayor Whitmire accused Pollard of insulting Council Members and the negotiation process.
• Finally, a vote! This item passed. CMs Thomas, Huffman, and Pollard voted no.

I will cover the budget vote, amendments, and all related discussions in a separate post.

One thing everyone could agree on today was skipping the pop-off section.