Houston City Council Notes, prepared by Emily J Hynds

Agenda

1. Two Public Hearings
2. Consent Agenda (items that require a vote, like purchases, resolutions, ordinances, etc.)
3. Council Member Pop-Off

Two Public Hearings

The first public hearing was on the standards the Parks and Recreation Department uses for its After-School Enrichment Program.

The second public hearing regarded the adoption of a Civility Ordinance in Museum Park. The Civility Ordinance prohibits lying down, 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.

• CM Pollard asked why the Civility Ordinance can’t be adopted City-wide. City Attorney Arturo Michel said because unhoused people need somewhere to go … which seems like a pretty good argument against this ordinance …
• CM Kamin is concerned about criminalizing the unhoused and advocated for more funding to address homelessness. She criticized the presentation of certain data as implying that homeless people are responsible for crime and encouraged a broader conversation on homelessness, even as she deferred to the CM of District D on this vote.
• CM Evans-Shabazz, who represents Museum Park, supports the Civility Ordinance. She said it will help get homeless people the resources they need.
• There were three public speakers and one police officer, all pro-Civility Ordinance.

Items 3 and 4: New Police and Fire Chiefs

Item 3 approved the nomination of Tom Muñoz as Chief of the Houston Fire Department. You probably recognize Chief Muñoz because he was most recently Director of the Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security, which took on an active role during the recent storms.

Item 4 approved the nomination of Noe Diaz as Chief of the Houston Police Department. Chief Diaz was most recently the Chief of Katy’s Police Department and before that had a long career with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Mayor Whitmire and several CMs praised both new Chiefs. Chiefs Muñoz and Diaz made remarks in both English and Español.

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 7 presented the City’s estimated tax rate for 2024, a first step towards approval.
  • CM Alcorn remarked on the steadily declining tax rate over the last decade and pointed to several other Texas cities with higher tax rates. She said Houston is a growing city with growing needs and implied it would behoove us to stop lowering the tax rate.
  • CM Kamin criticized the revenue cap(s).
  • CM Pollard said the revenue caps were voter approved. He criticized property appraisals, saying that it didn’t matter if the tax rate went down if there was no regulation of appraisals rising every year.
• Item 8 approved Houston’s membership renewal to the National League of Cities for $51K. CM Huffman voted no. Item 9 approved Houston’s membership renewal to the United States Conference of Mayors for $50K.
• Item 17 approved $100K on an emergency purchase order of fuel for generators used after Hurricane Beryl.
• Item 23 approved $85K for five Shinobi receivers for HPD, to be used by the Communications Intelligence Unit.
• Item 24 approved $1.6M for emergency repair to a collapsed pipe in District F. CM Kamin supported this item and complained about unaddressed sinkholes in Districts C and G.
• Item 30 approved Houston’s petition to host the 2027 National League of Cities conference.
• Items 35-37 and 39-43 all accepted various grants from the State for a range of programs, including homelessness, illness, and disease prevention and control.
• Items 48-50 all approved demolition-related services for Spring Village Apartments in District K. Eventually the site will be turned into flood retention. CM Castex-Tatum said residents have been “clamoring” for this.
• Item 66 approved $100K for psychological services for the Fire Department. CM Peck supports the item in general but had concerns that the company is based in Austin.

Item 67 – Restrictions on Picketing

Item 67 would have amended the Ordinance related to picketing or demonstrating in front of a residential property, “in order to protect residential privacy and the sense of tranquility and security in the home as well as prevent the targeting of specific residences by picketers and demonstrators.” The main change would prohibit picketing within 200 feet of a dwelling.

• Mayor Whitmire, whose home has been picketed, remarked on the strain such activity causes on neighbors, emphasizing that if it was just him, he wouldn’t mind. He said that his policy not to engage in foreign policy has triggered such action [from protestors of the genocide in Palestine]. Whitmire said, “I’m into picking up garbage, debris, and public safety.” Whitmire remarked on the fear experienced by rabbis, imams, and even university administrators in response to protesters. He criticized the circulation of misinformation around this issue.
• Attorney Michel said the wording of the proposed change does not target any certain type of protester and has constitutional precedent.
• Whitmire proposed the item go to committee for further development. He loves committees!
• CM Pollard pointed to systems already in place, like disorderly conduct rules and the Noise Ordinance. He wants to protect the rights of protesters and work with them to make sure they are heard.
  • Mayor Whitmire said, “I probably would listen to Sandra Day O’Connor’s opinion before I’d go by your constitutional ruling.” A pretty sassy comeback! Whitmire also said that law enforcement doesn’t agree that current policies are enough to discourage these types of protesters.
• CM Davis cautioned about the “thin line between protesting and harassment.” He evoked his veteran status and said it’s important to protect the rights of people on both sides of the debate.
• CM Plummer evoked her familial ties to the Civil Rights Movement and is uncomfortable with restricting the right to protest.
• CM Thomas thinks if this item needs to go to committee, it should have gone there before it ever made it to the agenda. She said, “I will never be on the side of using legislation to limit anyone’s liberties.”
• CM Kamin defended the right to protest and encouraged civil rights groups to be present at committee meetings regarding this item.
• CM Castex-Tatum made a motion to refer this item to the Public Safety Committee, at the behest of the Mayor. CMs Thomas, Pollard, and Plummer voted no. They were outvoted so this item will be going to committee for further review.

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.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/houston-police-fire-chiefs-noe-diaz-tom-munoz-19655973.php

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

Thank you to the volunteers who proofread these notes.
My Patreon is patreon.com/emilytakesnotes.