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

• Mayor Whitmire expressed condolences on the passing of Judge Zinetta Burney.
• Whitmire congratulated the Astros on winning their division and advancing to the playoffs.

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 1 appointed five people to the Houston Forensic Science Center Board. The Mayor and a few CMs thanked them for their service. CM Kamin used the opportunity to thank the HFSC staff and advocated for them to have more resources.
• Item 2 approved the final contract of $354K to remove and upgrade the underground gasoline storage tank at Fire Station 82.
• Item 8 approved $100K for backup fuel in case of emergencies.
• Item 10 approved $90K for the purchase of three Ford hybrid trucks for the Police Department.
• Some Memorial Park Golf Course spending, all from the Parks Golf Special Fund:
  • Item 12, $112K for fertilizer
  • Item 13, $159K for fertilizer
  • Item 14, $95K for fungicide and insecticide
  • Item 15, $213K for grass seed
• Item 23 extended the contracts with 20 organizations that provide aging and caregiver services to seniors through the Harris County Area Agency on Aging.
• Item 28 approved $425K for one year of the Nurse Family Partnership Program. “The program offers registered nurse home visits to low-income, unmarried, and teenage pregnant women with no previous live births. Nurses visit the women once to twice monthly during their pregnancy and for the first two years of their children’s lives. The program teaches positive health-related behaviors, competent care of children, and maternal personal development, including family planning, educational achievement, and economic self-sufficiency.”
• Item 29 approved the transfer of $17M from the City to several TIRZ’s for affordable housing and administrative expenses. CM Thomas supported this item but thinks it could have gone to committee before being voted on.
• Item 30 approved a similar TIRZy transfer of $27M, $20M of which will go to HISD. CM Kamin particularly highlighted this, especially with the upcoming bond, to point out that HISD is receiving cash flow in general.
• Item 41 approved the acceptance of a grant from the EPA for $20M that will support solar farm development in the Fifth Ward. CM Plummer proposed an amendment that will allow for community and council involvement in the process deciding which parcels of land will be included, which was supported by all and passed.

Item 43: Sidewalk Shenanigans

Item 43 would have approved an amendment to the City’s Sidewalk Ordinance, but was referred back to the administration for more development.

• This amendment was proposed by CMs Pollard, Evans-Shabazz, and Thomas using the Prop A provision. The amendment aimed to remove the mandatory sidewalk construction requirement for new single family residential developments, and the fee-in lieu option, in order to address “sidewalks to nowhere.”
• It has been tagged several times over the past several weeks and there has been robust engagement at the public session.
• Today, CM Pollard referred to a memo from Mayor Whitmire that promised a comprehensive sidewalk plan by December. Meanwhile, the Planning and Public Works Departments have approval to waive sidewalk requirements at new single-family developments according to their discretion. CM Pollard is satisfied with this “common sense” solution and looks forward to the Mayor’s plan in December.
  • Even though CM Pollard credited the Mayor, Mayor Whitmire still felt the need to assert his dominance and said, “That’s my perspective in the memo.” It felt like he maybe thought Pollard was taking credit for his work, which did not seem like the case.
• CM Thomas praised this step and advocated for bringing back-door conversations to the public.
• CM Alcorn advocated for sidewalk funding, perhaps in the form of a bond?
• For some reason, CM Evans-Shabazz felt the need to defend her pro-sidewalk position at the expense of bike lanes … once again.
• CM Castillo advocated for taking the engagement to the public rather than asking them to come to Council meetings.

Council Member Pop-Off

Many CMs shared their National Night Out plans and their condolences for the late Judge Burney.

• CM Thomas mentioned a recent visit with HUD’s field office and a program for developers of color which she hopes Mayor Whitmire might support in the future. She outlined plans with HPD to address poker clubs. She advocated for fire prevention safety and plugged the free smoke detector program from HFD. She mentioned the upcoming proposed tax rate change, said she wants to be sensitive to people not wanting higher taxes, but said that services cost money and the two needs must be balanced. She shared information about the forthcoming Faith and Affordable Housing Summit on 10/12, saying that it could help address housing for vulnerable populations besides the homeless, like youth aging out of foster care, domestic violence survivors, elders, etc.
• CM Castex-Tatum said the last day to register to vote is 10/7 and early voting starts 10/21.
• CM Peck plugged a pet-day at Freed Park on 10/13 at 10am, low-cost pet services will be available and registration is required.
• CM Martinez mentioned HOPE negotiations. He plugged a park clean up on 10/28 at Hidalgo Park.
• CM Pollard remarked on the benefits of Prop A because it led to the whole sidewalk ordinance conversation. He plugged two events that need volunteers this Saturday from 9am-12pm: a tree planting event on the 7900 block of Wilcrest and a park restoration event at Braeburn Park.

• CM Alcorn plugged a joint BFA/Arts + Culture Committee meeting on 10/1.
• CM Plummer lamented the recent death of a man at a train crossing and used the opportunity to advocate for train crossing reform in general.
• CM Carter made some “tough on crime” remarks.
• CM Evans-Shabazz plugged a fresh produce mini mart at Trinity Church on Saturday.
• CM Castillo plugged a firearm safety workshop at Moody Park on Monday at 6:30pm, which will reestablish HPD Central’s monthly PIP meetings.
• CM Davis plugged a Town Hall on 10/7 from 6-7:30pm at Fountain of Life Center.
• CM Kamin is excited about River Oaks Theater reopening and encouraged everyone to support. She asked for help getting the Waltrip band to the Sugar Bowl, visit waltripramband.org to help. The rescheduled Families with Pride event is 10/26 from 8:30am-11:30am at Discovery Green. There is a Domestic Violence Awareness Month press conference on 10/1.
• CM Jackson advocated for train crossing reform and the Credible Messengers program.
• CM Ramirez encouraged people to vote for judges in local elections.

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.