Houston City Council Notes, prepared by Emily J Hynds

Agenda

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

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 1 approved the confirmation of four people to the Houston Spaceport Development Corporation, one of which was CM Flickinger’s mother, Marie Flickinger. Airports Director Jim Szczesniak was also appointed and gave a brief update on construction at IAH when prompted by the Mayor. (It’s ongoing, in case you couldn’t tell.)
• Item 3 approved $6.3M for equipment and supplies for HFD.
• Item 4 approved $8.2M for Ford parts, repairs, and services for the fleet. Item 5 approved $1.6M for 27 Ford trucks for the fleet.
• Item 6 approved $162K for a Bio-Rad Wastewater Surveillance System, used to detect diseases including COVID-19.
• Item 7 approved $113K for the emergency purchase of fencing, locks, and the boarding up of windows and doors at the Monticello Square Apartments in District J, “after reports that squatters had established residence in the units.”
• Item 8 approved $1.3M for video streaming services for the library.
• Item 12 approved $407K for the emergency purchase on July 11 of three trailer-mounted generators because of Hurricane Beryl. “These units were able to assist with electrical needs for critical wastewater facilities, including restoring equipment to full functionality.”
• Item 15 extended the agreement with Career and Recovery Resources (CRR) to continue their work “providing rapid rehousing case management and housing navigation services.” No further funding is needed, they just need more time to fulfill the current contract. CM Thomas praised CRR and pointed to other work they do, including help with debris pick up. CM Martinez agreed and praised CRR for their work with second chance communities. He plugged their upcoming fundraiser golf tournament. CM Evans-Shabazz echoed these positive sentiments.
• Item 17 would have approved the application to a $20M grant from the EPA for solar programs in the Greater Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens communities, but it was tagged by CMs Plummer and Ramirez. CM Ramirez only said he wanted more information. CMs Plummer and Kamin both recommended this go to committee before the application.
• Item 22 extended a contract for an additional $67K for the company that manages jury summons for the Municipal Courts Department. CM Plummer voted no because the company has not fulfilled their Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) requirements.
• Item 25 approved $1.5M for a new scheduling system for HPD.
• Item 34 would have appropriated $4.4M from the Water & Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund for waterline work along Westheimer, but CM Kamin tagged it. She plans to meet with City departments and METRO. She encouraged the public to engage as well.
• Item 35 appropriated $1.7M out of the Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Capital Fund (DDSRF) for a study on the repaving of Antoine Drive in Districts A and C. CMs Kamin and Peck tagged it last week. Today, CM Peck reiterated her feedback that Antoine should remain four lanes (not enlarged to six), but said she was ready to support the item. CM Kamin cited a previous survey that showed 90.8% of the people polled wanted it to remain four lanes. She complained about additional studies costing the City money. She reminded the Mayor that she has requested information on other studies and construction projects that have been paused since his tenure began.
  • Mayor Whitmire said, “The delays are not delays for the purpose of delay. They’re good governance to not only listen to the immediate neighborhood, but the transit system is used by many. So this was just to do it right and to review the numbers, unlike the first numbers that were done in Covid.” Whitmire claimed there was miscommunication between CM Kamin and his administration regarding projects on pause, and generally acted dismissive towards her.
• Item 36 related to a new sidewalk ordinance and was tagged today by CM Thomas. It was tagged last week by CMs Pollard and Evans-Shabazz.

Council Member Pop-Off

• CM Thomas plugged free smoke detectors provided by the Fire Department, especially after two recent fires in District F. National Night Out is 10/1. She outlined some issues with a food park and thanked HPW for coming to the table to help with a resolution. She plugged a Faith and Affordable Housing Summit in October. She also had to shush her colleagues during her remarks, asking them to “allow me the courtesy.”
• CM Castex-Tatum encouraged local businesses to get on the vendor list for the World Cup in two years.
• CM Peck thanked the Mayor for his reluctance to raise the property tax rate. She said it’s important for the City to keep the tax rate low especially as other entities raise theirs.
• CM Martinez advocated for a higher property tax rate. He said that even though other entities might raise them, the City doesn’t have access to that revenue to pay for City services. He encouraged “honest conversations with folks” who are often willing to take on a higher tax burden if it means better City services. He plugged a family friendly bike ride on 9/22 starting at 9am at Mason Park.
• CM Alcorn advocated for raising the property tax rate, saying needs far outweigh the City’s current means and that no amount of auditing will discover ways to cut enough to balance the budget.
• CM Carter commended the police for a recent investigation and said, “Providing our officers with what they need to keep our citizens safe, that’s job one.”
• CM Evans-Shabazz encouraged the public to attend a TxDOT meeting on Thursday 9/19 at the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy that will go over Segment 3A of the NHHIP / I45 expansion.
• CM Flickinger plugged a town hall this Saturday in Kingwood. He literally did not give any more information than that. Regarding the tax rate, he wants to limit property tax appraisals and promote business in the City to broaden the tax base (by increasing the amount the City brings in via sales tax, I presume).
• CM Kamin mentioned the Deer Park pipeline fire that has been ongoing since 10am on Monday. She advocated for requiring Tier 2 level reporting (would require industry to more clearly report on what is burning off after disasters), something the City can push for at the next legislative session. She also plugged the Thursday TxDOT meeting. There is a Domestic Violence Awareness Month press conference on 10/1. The Shepherd/Durham project is moving forward and she warned people of lane changes and general construction.
• CM Huffman plugged a “Conversation on Crime” on 10/23.

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