Known as Greater Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church being located within the City of Houston as a protected landmark.

Item 21 ordinance designating the property municipally known as 828 West 20th Street, and also known as Greater Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church, being located within the city of Houston as a landmark.

Item 22, ordinance designating the property municipality known as 1707 Milford Street, and also known as West Edgemont.

Dream Home being located within the city of Houston as a protected landmark.

Item 23, ordinance designating the property municipality known as 1505 Alamo Street, and also known as Valenti Dison House at 1505 Alamo, being located within the City of Houston as a protected landmark.

Item 24, ordinance designating the property municipally known as 1507 Alamo Street, and also known as Valenti Disson House at 1507 Alamo, being located within the city of Houston as a protected landmark.

Item 25 ordinance designating the property municipally known as 5319 Institute Lane, and also known as the Allen and Hattie Greenhouse, being located within the City of Houston as a landmark.

Item 26, ordinance finding and determining that public convenience and necessity no longer require the continued use of Gallo Drive and Spelman Road.

Item 27.

Ordinance approved and authorized and submission of a grant application for funding to the Texas Water Development Board for the Spring Shadows Drainage and Paving Project.

Item 28, municipal setting designation ordinance prohibiting use of designated groundwater beneath a tract of land containing 3.1271 acres, commonly known as 6505 Foster Street and Zero Foster Street, Houston Harris County, Texas, supporting issuance of a municipal setting designation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality at the request of Hindsight Investments LLC.

Item 29, ordinance appropriating 2,136,859.

Item 30, ordinance approving and authorizing submission of electronic application for grant assistance to U.S.

Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for FY25 Cops Hiring Program Grant for the Chief of the Houston Police Department.

This was tagged by Councilmember Kayman and was Item 36 on the agenda of January 14th, 2026.

This completes the reading of the captions for the agenda of January 21st, 2026.

Stay tuned for the next session of Houston City Council schedule to begin at 9 a.m.

And with that, I wish everyone a blessed and happy hump day.

Council, please come to order.

Chair recognizes Councilman Kamen for the invocation.

Thank you, Mayor.

Good morning, colleagues.

It is my distinct pleasure to bring up uh Bishop Ogletree if he'll join us at the podium.

Uh, who is, as many of you know, the founding pastor of First Metropolitan Church and has long been a pillar of leadership and service in our greater Houston community.

Uh, of course, in addition to his pastoral work, he has served himself in public service on the Scifair ISD Board of Trustees and held leadership roles across numerous civic and faith-based organizations, including the Union Baptist Association and the African American Pastors Fellowship, uh, together with his wife of over 50 years.

Did I get that right?

52.

52.

That's too is important.

Dr.

Evelyn Ogletree.

Uh, he continues to mentor and uplift the next generation through leadership programs, conferences, and a deep commitment to community empowerment.

And with all of that, uh, he still makes his family his number one priority.

Uh, his four children, 13 grandchildren, and every time he talks about them, uh, he doesn't just light up, everyone lights up.

So, Bishop, it's great to have you.

Thank you.

Good morning, Mayor and members of the council.

Uh, let us pray.

Eternal and righteous God, our way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, and light in times of darkness, we call upon you today as we consider the agenda that is set before our mayor and city council.

On this agenda are challenges and concerns that affect thousands of Houstonians.

Give them knowledge and wisdom as they discuss and debate items on this agenda so they may arrive at the best decision.

Let them always have in mind to communicate and collaborate for the common good.

May their decisions today promote progress, prosperity, and peace for the people in our great city.

Remind them that unless you watch over the city, those who watch do so in vain.

So let all that is expressed and decided in this meeting be pleasing in your sight, so that the people of our city will be blessed.

And God, please protect our city from this winter storm that is heading our way, keep our people safe on the streets and in their homes, especially the elderly, people who are disabled, the homeless, and those with meager resources.

May your grace abound today and in the days to come.

It's in your holy and righteous name.

I pray and say amen.

Mayor Whitmeyer.

Present.

Councilmember Peck.

Here.

Councilmember Jackson will be absent.

Councilmember Kaman.

Present.

Councilmember Evan Shabazz.

Councilmember Flickinger will be absent.

Councilmember Thomas.

Here.

Councilmember Huffman.

Present.

Councilmember Castillo?

Here.

Councilmember Martinez?

Here.

Councilmember Pollard?

Councilmember Castax Tatum?

Here.

Councilmember Ramirez?

Here.

Councilmember Davis.

Councilmember Carter.

Councilmember Salinas.

And Councilmember Alcorn.

Need a motion to adopt the minutes of January 13th and 14th.

Cast X Tata move.

Next second.

Motion made in a second.

All in favor, say yes.

Those opposed name.

Motion passes.

Members, uh the mayor's report is much more than that.

It's a alert to all of us, and certainly all Houstonians in the region.

We're going to have a severe winter storm arrive Saturday.

We're monitoring it very carefully.

We started activating our team last weekend.

No one better than Brian Mason.

We're having conference calls.

All the department directors have been asked to have all hands on deck.

Go through equipment, go through plans for their families.

I will be talking to Houstonians later in the week to advise everyone.

Stay off the roads.

Starting Saturday till Tuesday morning, you need to be at home in your residence.

Stay off the road.

We're in contact with HISD and other agencies.

But I'm going to allow Brian to come.

But I'm here to emphasize it is a serious storm.

We're monitoring it by the hour.

All hands on deck.

That means all warming centers will be open Saturday till Tuesday morning.

Twelve warming centers.

Four of them have generators.

I think it's appropriate for me to say we're moving in the right direction.

There were zero warming centers with generators when I was sworn in.

The goal is, and it will be accomplished, that all will have generators at the end of my first term.

So I can't begin to tell you.

Emphasize preparation.

Randy's running all the city's generators at water treatment plant, but we can't control the ice.

And it would appear that ice will either get as far south as Montgomery County, but we have got to be prepared for it.

Brian, I have total confidence with you.

I know we're talking to all our levels of government.

Techstadt is in gear.

Our county partners are also preparing warming centers in the unincorporated area.

But that's a snapshot of what we're facing, and you can go into greater detail.

And thank you.

I know your employees will be prepared to work around the clock.

And uh please please make sure they understand we surely appreciate it.

All Houstonians do.

And we will schedule news conferences to talk to the public.

Fortunately, when I do go talk to the public, they take us serious.

I don't waste press conferences.

So with that said, uh, would you give us a detailed description of what your operations looks like today?

And what it's going forward.

Thank you, Mayor.

And uh council members, so as mayor mentioned, we started communicating with directors actually on Sunday, uh, once we started getting some of the initial weather reports.

Um the weather forecast is dynamic, things are changing.

Um it seems like the front is kind of speeding up as it's coming down.

We thought it was gonna hit a little bit later.

Looks like it's gonna hit a little bit earlier.

Um, usually with forecasts, so we're still at minus 72 hours before the front is going to hit us on a lot of the cold weather.

We usually don't have a lot of confidence in our models until about minus 48 hours.

So tomorrow we'll have a lot better information on the exact timing, uh, how much of the winter precipitation we're gonna get.

Um if you look at some of the forecasts, um, the piney woods, kind of to our north.

Um, as of right now, the forecast indicates that they're gonna really get walloped with a lot of ice.

They could get a half an inch to an inch of ice.

Um, that is catastrophically damaging to critical infrastructure if you get that much ice in your location.

So a lot of that heavy ice is slotted to be up north of us right now.

Um as the last model runs have come in over the last 24 to 36 hours, that ice line is creeping further south.

So initially we thought the line was uh going to stay up in Montgomery County.

The last couple of runs were showing some ice coming in the metro area, and there is the potential for a glazing or a trace of ice to go all the way down to the coast.

So we're gonna be monitoring the weather really closely when it comes to the ice.

Um, but regardless, it's going to be bone-chilling cold.

We're gonna have temperatures in the low 20s, upper teens, we're gonna have wind chills in the low teens, maybe single digits if you're in the north part of the metro area.

It's going to be very, very cold.

Kind of initial timing right now looks like Saturday kind of mid-afternoonish is when would the rural temperatures are going to start to drop.

Um, and that's where we're gonna have the highest probability for some winter precipitation, which would be kind of Saturday afternoon through kind of Sunday afternoon.

Um, how much winter precip we get is to be determined.

After that, it's gonna remain very cold.

We may be 48 hours below freezing, so I don't like to compare weather events to previous weather events, so kind of take this with a little bit of a grain of salt.

But if I had to compare this to something, this is looking more like the winter storm of 2021 than it looks like the winter storm of what we had last year.

You know, last year we had two to four inches of snow.

Um people were able to go outside and play and enjoy the snow.

2021 was bone-chilling cold for 40 to 42 hours below freezing.

We had some ice, we had some roadway challenges.

I'm not saying this is going to be the winter storm of 21, but we should prepare like this is going to be the winter storm of 2021.

So my recommendation to people is prepare your homes now, wrap all your exterior pipes, um, get prepared at home now, go to the grocery store, and people should be prepared for Saturday afternoon at least through Monday morning, potentially into Tuesday morning, you may be at home for that duration.

So do everything you can now to make sure you are prepared.

As the mayor mentioned, we're going to open warming centers.

Um we have them scattered across the city.

Uh the 12 that we did last year will be the same 12 that we did this year.

As the mayor mentioned, we're coordinating with um the county as well, with the different precinct commissioners for them to help augment and open some warming centers in the unincorporated portions of the county.

So working closely with public works, with fire, with police, with all the operational departments, with health department, with uh 311 ARA, BARC, all of our departments to make sure everybody is getting prepared for the winter weather that's definitely on its way.

It's just how bad is it going to be is somewhat of a to be determined right now.

So with that, I will pause.

I'm not sure if anybody has any questions or would like to discuss some things in more detail.

Pollard.

Thank you, Mayor, and good morning to everyone.

Uh Brian, thank you for your presentation.

And this could be for you or the mayor.

Mayor, we um many times after a storm, um hear from residents that they were out there trying to provide essential items, go up to the warming centers, have groups and organizations trying to provide food or assist.

And in an event like this, what should we be advising these groups in these neighborhood orgs when they want to try to help and provide items at the warming centers, but based on the events that we may experience, how should they proceed?

So we're gonna have some additional calls later this week, and will we be able to continue to coordinate with um your chief of staff with y'all's offices?

The main challenge when people want to donate food, we have you know some health department concerns.

So our recommendation would be if you want to donate stuff, and we'll get you guys the proper way to do that.

Please make sure it's pre-packaged food, it's sealed food.

It's not Brian cooking a big pot of spaghetti at home and bringing it up because there's a lot of health concerns that come along with that.

So we'll make sure that we get you guys a good procedure or place that if people want to donate stuff at the Fonde Rec Center or one of those locations that they could bring it up and donate them.

But once again, it's gonna be the real recommendation is going to be pre-packaged, sealed food, not something that you make at home in your kitchen.

And is that something to where they should be and I'll wait to hear from your guidance on this, something by a certain time because you don't want people on the roads you were mentioning to stay in from you know mid-Saturday to maybe mid-Tuesday.

So as the event is occurring, the the advice to these folks when they want to try to transport items back and forth.

The request would be don't get on the road unless you have to.

If you want to donate some stuff, let's try to donate it on Saturday, you know, early afternoon to where we get that those supplies there.

But we wouldn't want people to be on the roads Sunday night or Monday morning when the conditions are hazardous outside if that ends up being the case.

But we'll definitely give you guys more guidance.

I would say, Councilman, preparation, preparation.

You're gonna have adequate notice, probably be in place by Saturday midday, uh the worst of the conditions will be Saturday afternoon through Tuesday morning, Tuesday mornings, early voting beginning too.

So we have got a challenge at Cashmere Northeast to provide for our citizens' uh safety, but also uh cooperate with the election judges.

So I would just say uh preparation and and as we're experiencing the winter storm, I want everyone to know you have got my phone number, you got Brian's phone number.

You are always welcome to the emergency center.

There's been some bad information uh dealing with past storms, for instance, last winter, I did not know that our fire stations did not have generators.

I can't know everything, obviously.

And so we got busy now and are having generators placed in all of our strategic locations.

But if you're at home and you hear from a constituency, it's too late once we're in the storm or after the storm, say certain area was not covered.

Emails, Texas, in the emergency centers.

We'll be there 724, and we will get adequate water or services there.

Obviously, power is our highest priority.

And uh we had water challenges in previous years due to the generators in public works having not been turned on in recent time.

The diesel froze.

So I guess to emphasize we're all in this together.

Communication is gonna be the key, but I would say preparation, certainly to Houstonians and y'all are very close to your districts of taking care of the pets and plants and seniors and all the things that you need to prepare for, get it in place by Saturday morning.

Uh, the directors are working all hands on deck, and so we're ready and prepared for worse conditions, hoping that we'll get a break.

But from Brian's description with the weather experts, it's going to be a strong Arctic blast coming through Houston.

So preparation, and that's the reason I've got Brian here this morning.

And uh we'd rather be over prepared than to find out that we needed all the shelters.

The homeless, the homeless.

We have got all kinds of plans, metro to get them to the warming centers out of the dangerous temperatures, and uh also emphasizes the continued need for our homeless shelters, which uh we're progressing with.

So anyway, Brian, uh you too, Councilman McPollard.

Yeah, just one you you mentioned it, Mayor, uh but but a little more elaboration on what people can expect from a power standpoint.

So as of right now, when you look at URCOT, and we have been talking with Center Point, the URCOT prediction of supply versus demand, there's pretty they have sufficient margins that they should be able to generate enough power.

The challenge starts to become if some of these areas get a half an inch or an inch of ice further to our north.

Um that does damage to power lines.

And so if power lines are damaged and go down, it's hard to transmit or get the power to us.

So are we anticipating any significant power issues?

No, not right now.

Are we coordinating with Center Point?

Are we preparing our generators?

Absolutely, right?

Um we'll find out more as we get closer.

Uh hopefully the the you know power system up uh holds up to this.

But once again, if we start getting some areas that you know get half an inch or an inch of ice, that is going to cause damage to power, not necessarily in Houston, but further outside where the power is being transmitted to us.

So a lot of that is to be determined, but we are monitoring the power situation, and we're doing everything to make sure we're prepared with our generators at our local facilities to be able to be as self-sufficient as we can.

Thank you, Mayor.

And as a reminder in reference to Winterstorm Ure, which, again, for many of us is forever imprinted uh in our brains from what everyone went through and what we saw.

What made it so bad was the power loss.

That's when we really started to see things uh go downhill very quickly.

So uh I appreciate the update in terms of URCOT.

I appreciate that it isn't necessarily it's gonna be it's gonna be unpleasant here, but it's not the worst of it, right?

It's to the north, but in terms of grid structure, we're dependent on a grid that can be impacted in the north.

And that's not to go to a worst-case scenario, but we want people to be prepared.

Um I just want to reiterate for the public and you know, Chief, you do an incredible job.

All of OEM does an amazing job.

Y'all are there hours before, hours after working around the clock.

Um, but it's the loss of power that can make this thing dangerous.

I I think the the big difference, 2021, if you remember that was uh supply and demand issue.

There was too much demand, so we had to shed load.

We are not expecting this to be a supply and demand issue, right?

This would be more of a damage to infrastructure, power lines are down, so we can't transmit power.

So different may have the same outcome if you're the person without power.

So as of right now, everything looks good with ERCOT.

A lot of it is just gonna depend on where this ice sets up and who gets the heavy portion of this ice and how it impacts the grid.

And uh I know you and I talked a little bit in coordinating with HFD, the drones that we now have, trying to test those out and utilize those for communication, ship service or power go down, internet go down, things like that.

Um Mayor, I know your team is very well connected at the State level.

And is the is the Governor or anyone considering a pre-declaration uh for emergency response, disaster declaration.

I know getting that early can help uh bring the resources in that may be needed.

We're all in touch with the State Emergency Center.

Brian regularly commutes with them.

So they are monitoring uh and pre-positioning assets as we talk.

So TechStot is so essential.

And they have been wonderful partners since I was sworn in.

We're in regular communicational projects, and they will be uh play a major role with this.

I am going to ask Randy in a minute to come talk about his collaboration with TechSo, ICE uh sanding of roads, other overpasses, uh emergency routes.

And uh we'll use every resource at the county state and city level.

Understood.

And it would be again helpful if council could be updated if the State is considering a disaster declaration or anything like that.

Um that would be helpful.

I'm not sure I'm I'm familiar with them doing it ahead of the disaster.

There's requirements, certainly federal requirements for funding.

So we'll uh we'll communicate with them.

Thank you very much.

Uh Councilmember Thomas.

Thank you, Mayor.

Good morning.

Uh Director, it's always good to see you sometimes.

Sometimes I'm looking at the uh warming center footprint that y'all shared out, and I noticed that there are three in the district.

Um however, we don't have a generator at the A-Leaf Neighborhood Center yet.

We're in process.

So is it the commitment that a mobile generator will be provided?

But we're we're evaluating all that.

We're going through, we're looking at previous kind of census data.

How many people are at the previous warming centers, we're prioritizing them.

So we'll know a lot more in the next day or two as far as everything is going to be finalized, but we're definitely working towards making sure all of them have generators.

Sure.

So because it's listed as a designated warm and center, Judson Robinson Library, the ANC and Hagberry Park.

Um just for so we can stay on the same page and I can get protocol out to residents on Friday.

It would be helpful if we can close the loop on that so we can get people ready to direct them.

And and then the second question will be about staffing.

If that is decided, so I can know how to blitz our district volunteer team, so we can we can be on standby to coordinate.

So I appreciate that.

Yes, ma'am.

Um and appreciate being included on the West Side.

Yes, ma'am.

And we'll make sure, you know, once again, once we hit minus 48 hours, that's when we really start to execute the plan.

We'll make sure you guys are aware of all the locations, all the staffing, all the logistics.

Things are just a little bit dynamic right now, but we're definitely preparing to ramp up.

Thank you.

Counselor Ramirez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Brian, for your report and for all that you and your team do at at OEM to get us ready for this storm.

Curious to know, can you uh touch on uh how we're getting the word out to Houstonians whose primary language is not English?

So we normally send alert Houston messaging.

We'll uh we will send that out in both English and Spanish.

Um our website actually translates things into 14 different languages.

So we have, you know, we went through, looked at the common 14 language, the highest spoken uh frequency of languages in the metro area.

Um so right now we're pushing everything out via social media and via website.

Um then we'll start to transition to alert Houston messaging where we proactively push out more messaging.

Those two things uh will obviously be in English and Spanish, and then if they go to our website, they can get it in 12 other languages.

Um then if we have further messaging, the need for a WIA message or some type of wireless emergency alert, those go out in English and Spanish as well.

We're limited on a lot of the capabilities of the system.

A lot of times English and Spanish is just what the systems are able to handle.

That's why we proactively have done our website in 14 languages.

So we can always push people to our website if that's one of their preferred languages.

All right.

Thank you.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Um, Mayor, I had one other question.

As you know, we have been dealing in the district uh and quite frankly, throughout the city with these really uh bad actor housing complexes, multifamily that are in terrible condition.

Um we have received reports in the past.

I'm referring specifically about life at Jackson now, where we had four fires in two months.

When I was on site, residents were saying they didn't have working heat or working air conditioning.

Is there any way to proactively, and we've made this request in writing, um, have inspectors go out to check these units and these properties to make sure that heat is working properly given the severity of this storm.

In the past, we have been told there has to be a 311 report from a resident on the property of a particular unit to have them go in.

But we know how dangerous this can be.

So is there anything that we can do proactively right now when we know that there is a property um where people can be at risk?

Well, I'm very familiar with the challenge, and thank you for bringing it up.

Um during the last uh I guess it was Barrel.

We uh went to Independence Hall on airline where the management had left the facilities.

We had seniors on the third floor that could uh elevators were out.

So it's a very alarming and uh that's the reason we've got proposals to hold the owners accountable uh for the storm.

Uh we will definitely be using Houston Fire to oversee as many of those locations as possible.

If you have any specifically in mind, I think you uh would welcome that submission.

Uh and uh I have all hands on deck.

The health department will be involved, but fire inspectors and uh Brian, we have got the uh state system where we actually uh activate uh system of communications to see who needs special assistance.

Steer programs so yeah, that'll be a that'll be our priority when I mention get the seniors prepared.

Word will go out to these facilities to get prepared as well.

Unfortunately, we have irresponsible uh managers and owners.

So we have to deal with that.

Chief, we'll we'll get those addresses again.

I know I don't want to strain public safety resources, so you know, leveraging housing, leveraging health department um to get in there now before it becomes an emergency.

Uh I really hope we can do that.

Thank you.

And thank you.

And this is why we train, you know, we found out last winter bark has generators, but no one had started them.

So they were not able to use theirs.

And I mentioned a while ago, you know, the criticism about why you have fire stations without generators, because that's what I inherited, and I never would imagine that you have to get in a storm before the fire chief brings it to your attention.

Uh Angela got busy on this.

We got monies, we all voted to put some of the recovery funds into generators.

And I think as Houston goes forward with climate change challenges, uh, we're going to have to focus more and more on uh the ability to have generators, and we do not want it to become the haves have generators and the have nots do not have generators.

We're going to have to be practicing all of our equity, equality with the power availability.

And uh one other item I want to bring up the real hardship of 21 winter storm, we had to end up boiling water.

And I want Randy to come forward and tell us what's changed since then, what precautions.

But it's really about leadership and being prepared and all hands on deck.

Randy, uh public works plays such a vital role, and I know you have been working on it for days.

In fact, you train for months.

Uh give us a status report in terms of roads and uh water distribution.

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

Good morning, Council members.

Uh you know, you are very familiar with the fact that when we have any of these incidents, public works is always engaged.

So, as the mayor said, it's all hands on deck for us and everything that we do.

Really, the two focus points for this particular event are streets, and it's going to be water and water.

I'll I'll break that down into two separate components in a second.

Let me just address streets right away.

Um, as everyone's mentioned already, the most important thing is when the streets get dangerous, you just stay off of them.

That's the best message that we can always give to folks.

That does not mean that we are going to, from an infrastructure standpoint, ignore them.

But we also have to recognize the limitations that are in front of us on what we can do.

In the City of Houston, we are responsible for more than 16,000 lane miles of roadway.

I always put that in perspective.

That's the distance from Houston to Tokyo and back.

Um when folks wonder what are you doing to treat the streets, the reality is we are being very selective in what we treat, and we're going to make sure that we hit critical areas so that first responders can get to places they need to go, that uh emergency access to places like hospitals and others are prioritized.

And for the most part, we focus on areas that are going to have a larger challenge where ice accumulates than others.

Those are going to be elevated roadways, bridges, overpasses, and so forth.

There's about 41 of those that we have as part of our standard operating procedures that we always treat when these uh events come into play.

That is our plan in this event as well.

And we typically begin that pretreatment about 24 hours out.

Uh there's not much effectiveness that takes place beyond 24 hours out.

The brine will wear off and so forth.

But we pre-treat all 41 of those areas with a brine solution.

We have available to us 15 trucks that we use to spread sand in certain places.

We have seven brine applicator apparatuses that we're able to affix to other vehicles that we have to go and spread that.

But the reality is that's not a whole lot for a city like ours.

We have to balance that, of course, with the fact that these are not typical events.

So for instance, we don't have any snow plows.

We do get that question typically when a winter storm comes up, how many snow plows you have, the answer is zero.

And if you were to ask me what my forecast for how many we will have in the future is, it probably stays at zero, because that just doesn't make a lot of sense for Houston.

And that goes with the collaboration that we have, Mayor, that you referenced with TextDod.

In the last winter storm, Text Dot was the one that came to our rescue.

They do have snowplows, and they are able to bring those in to help us in some of those critical areas, including in and out of the medical center.

But we will treat those 41 areas and certain other roadways throughout the city with the brine application.

We will be there throughout the entire event.

We will have our crews staged at appropriate locations, just like we have done in the past.

But the most important message, of course, when it comes to the road is when the roads become dangerous, just please stay off of them.

As water is concerned, as we have talked about so much already this morning, our biggest concern is going to be power.

We are confident in our ability to operate our plants.

Our plants are in relatively good condition.

All other normal uh challenges in consideration there, but we are ready to go and we will be staged at our plants and riding them out.

Our big three surface water plants are the ones that we really uh have the biggest focus points on, as well as our repump stations that help move the water across town.

But power is going to be the biggest consideration there.

We have already begun testing and we will begin operating actually the generators at our plants in advance of the storm coming so that we can ensure that there is not going to be an interruption.

In the past, that's typically been what has happened is when it's time to flip the generator on, all of a sudden it doesn't work.

There's a variety of reasons for that, whether it could be the fact that there is a freezing point when it comes to the fuel source or that the equipment itself just isn't working, we are already in the process right now of ensuring that we will be up and running and ready to go.

We also have maintenance crews that will be standing by and riding out to address any challenges that we have.

We hope, of course, that there won't be a grid-wide power problem.

And if there's not, then regular power is going to keep us going and we are going to be fine.

But if there is, we feel really good about the position we are in and being ready to go.

We are going to ask folks, as we always have all across Houston in the past, we ask them not to drip their faucets.

That is a question that constantly comes up.

Why do we ask that?

It has nothing to do with the condition of your particular home.

It actually has to do with the health of the water distribution system at large.

The more people that are dripping, the more water is being used, the more demand there is on that system, and the more difficult it becomes if we incur if we encounter a challenge in one of our plants to address that.

So we like to keep pressures down, and that is by keeping capacity at its maximum and not putting excess demand on there.

We always encourage folks to know where the water cutoff valve in your home is.

Almost every home has some water shutoff valve in there.

The best thing you can do if you are concerned is shut the water off before the storm comes, drain your lines, and you won't have any burst pipes in your home.

If your home doesn't have that, you should know how to shut the water off at your water meter, and you would follow the same sort of process.

If you have issues or questions, you can call 311.

There is also information on the PublicWorks website and on our social media channels that we will be actively pushing out throughout the entirety of the of the event so that folks know how to handle those issues.

Now on the wastewater side, I will just very briefly say, and this is really our biggest challenge in the last storms we had, specifically in Hurricane Burrell.

Power is our Achilles heel there.

We are not as equipped on wastewater as we are on drinking water to ensure continuity of services.

What does that mean?

That means that lift stations, which none of uh our lift stations have uh permanent backup power, we will rotate the generators like we have in the past to pump them down and keep them going.

Again, we hope that's not the case, but if it is, the result of that will be sanitary sewer overflows that we have seen in the past.

So uh those will be on a case-by-case basis as we address it.

We are actively monitoring all of them, making sure that they are functioning and working and pumped down as best they can.

Um but to that point, Mayor, that's where we stand right now.

We will be ready to go, all hands on deck.

Talking about freezing pipes, uh we have been advised that we were most likely.

So wrapping up pipes, getting all the preparation done, plans for your pets, your plants, your seniors, all hands on deck, Houstonians prepared to be at home and in place from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday morning.

And it's a serious matter.

Thank you.

I think you need to thank those engineers I know that sleep on the floor at the water treatment plants and at all your facilities.

Literally, members, they sleep on the floor to monitor the pressures all night long.

And thank you for your leadership.

Councilman Kaman.

Thank you, Mayor.

I too just wanted to echo.

We always thank our law enforcement and public safety folks who work around the clock.

It's an all-hands on deck, but oftentimes, as you so aptly put it, our other city employees don't get the recognition that they deserve.

Public works employees that are sleeping on floors to keep critical life safety services going.

Our GSD employees that station, for example, at West Gray Multiservice Center in case there's problems like the roof leaks or the generators or the janitorial staff that stays at the warming centers to make sure that we're keeping up with health and safety.

Our solid waste workers that are also frontline.

So the list goes on, they're often not recognized, and they're leaving their families to serve the city and keep other people safe.

So we really appreciate them and please pass on our gratitude to everyone that is standing up this evening.

Thank you for that.

Thank you, Councilman Kamen.

I always refer to public works as first responders.

And of course, what really makes this a great city are our city employees.

The leadership team in place, I think is better than anyone can recall in recent time.

Thank you for taking your job so serious.

And uh Brian, you you your confidence and knowledge and experience really matters during times like this.

So thank you.

Councilman Alcorn.

Director, I was glad to hear you say about not dripping the pipes.

That's really important.

And also you said shut your water off if you are really worried.

I felt like during 21 nobody will I mean we shut our water off, and I think it saved us.

And I am glad we're just putting that out.

Um that is what I'm telling people.

If you are really worried about your pipe, shut the water off.

Yeah, thank you for that, Councilmember.

And you know, as the mayor mentioned, we are we are expected to experience a prolonged period below freezing.

Now, your pipes typically are going to be okay until it gets really, really cold.

But we are expecting really, really cold.

And every home uh is a little bit different.

We have a huge variety within the city between new to really pretty old.

And the stuff in particular that's older, the insulation is not as good.

Um the pipes may not be quite as deep.

There may be more exposed pipes on the outside of your house.

So absolutely wrap those up.

We always tell people in these things, the three P's, right?

People, pets, and plants.

Um I love plants, but that's the least of our concerns there of those three.

Focus on on uh you I didn't I said people, pets and plants, I meant pipes.

I mean pipes are my people, so uh so pipes, pets, those those need to be our first two concerns, wrap them, make sure that they are good to go.

Um, this is the time right now, go to the hardware store today to get the things that you need to do.

It's not going to be available on the shelves in a couple days.

I can promise you that we have done this enough.

Thank you, Randy.

Brian, thank you.

And of course, we're in contact with our county partners.

Yes, sir.

State.

All right.

Thank you.

Good luck.

Thank you.

Before we go to the uh consent agenda, I want to ask the Secretary to pull item number two, the NERI matter.

Nothing pained me more than putting it on the agenda two weeks ago.

I'm very familiar, and it publicly said, I don't think Mr.

Neary should get a dollar.

I haven't voted on this contract, which was conducted before I got here.

But legal, public works, and others said it's not a matter of what we want to do.

It's a HUD matter that the entire amount of the contract would be in jeopardy.

Nine million dollars.

HUD routinely says if you don't use the money for its stated purpose, meaning the contract, including the retainage, you are liable for the full amount to be refunded to us.

So with those professionals telling us what is expected, if we want to go forward and have a good working relationship with HUD, we have got to not for future work, not for active contract, but we owe Mr.

Neary 400,000.

And if we don't repay, I was concerned about subcontractors.

So we had to go forward.

Now a number of you have commented.

Can we delay it?

Councilmember Selena is using her legal skills, have tried to see how we could prevent this in the future.

Maybe an ordinance which would specify that retainage will not be returned.

But the problem is the HUD policy and stipulations.

So what I have decided, why don't we confront HUD?

We have a great work in relationship.

The Secretary Turner has been to Houston.

They're working with us on affordable housing, the homeless.

He was a member of the legislature when I was there.

He wants us to do a good job.

So I have got team members talking to his team, and then he and I will talk to let him know that HUD does not want their fingerprints on this matter as well.

And I would like to say I'm guardedly optimistic that a new approach, a pushback by even HUD and a waiver for matters like this.

And then we do our job in procurement and record of these people, and you'll never know everything about your vendors, but just continue to do our due diligence to cut out conflicts and waste and corruption.

So we don't even have to deal with a matter like this in the future.

But I think the best approach right now, Mr.

Secretary, is to refer it back to my office, give us some time to meet and confer with HUD and tell them what is in everyone's best interest.

Mr.

Neary does not deserve even his retainage.

He's a bad actor, and we're doing everything we can to protect taxpayers.

But in this instance, as we say today, our hands are tied.

Council Mr Selinas.

Ma'am?

Councilmember Salinas.

Councilmember Salinas.

Mayor, I just want to thank you for your leadership on this for leveraging your incredible relationships to help the City do the right thing.

I want to commend the legal department for do for providing so many resources to me as we explore this issue together, and I'm really excited to work with your office to hopefully find a proactive solution to ensure that under your watch, this never happens again.

Thank you, Mayor.

I too just wanted to echo appreciation.

I think this is the right move for the City, and I wanted to emphasize our understanding is subs have already been paid under this contract.

This is really about us and a bad actor that has taken advantage of the city and had illegal misconduct with the City of Houston.

So as the public is looking at this, again, we're making sure that our integrity is in check, that we're holding a bad actor accountable to the extent that we are able to, but that all the subs, the people under him that did this work, did get paid for the job that they did.

So that something like this doesn't happen again.

Councilman Castillo.

Thank you, Mayor, and I want to echo the comments that have already been made.

There have been a number of concerns, and I appreciate your willingness to really find a way to do the right thing here and to hold the integrity of the public at top of mind.

You know, these types of issues are concerning, and when we figure out a way to not reward a bad actor that continues to uphold and build trust uh with the public, and I know that's something that you have made an emphasis on with uh waste fraud corruption, and and so hopefully I'm also optimistic as well that the conversations uh with HUD will be fruitful.

Well, thank you.

As we know, Mr.

Nori was convicted and is being held accountable.

We worked with the authorities.

We will continue to work with authorities, investigators when we believe there's been a wrongdoing and a misuse of public funds.

So that said, thank you all for your uh cooperation.

Now we'll go to public session.

Any procedural motions?

If not.

Let's move to our first speaker, Matthew Nixon.

Zachary Henry.

To be followed by Edward Foti me now.

Good morning.

Um I used to be a at the city back in August.

Um I left my own will, two notice and everything back in August.

Um my last paycheck was never issued to me.

And I went round and around around from ARA to um benefits to payroll, and everybody is basically pointing the fingers at each other.

Uh my last paycheck uh got paid out to me, was overpaid to me because I was already gone in September.

Uh I explained to my previous manager that I got overpaid to the money that they gave to me if they did it back.

And I explained to them they still owed me about $3,000 and my PTO time.

Um I emailed Karen Davidson in ARA, I emailed Amber Taleme and um Payroll, I emailed Lassander Davison and um and benefits, and I'm I'm keeping going around.

I'm just trying to see what I can do to get my last paycheck, my last PTO hours that I have not received yet.

I'm told report that uh Director Cheeks is working on your issue today.

Okay.

And I'm gonna let you talk to my Chief of Staff, Ms.

Wilson.

Okay, to help expedite that review process by Director Cheeks.

Okay.

So thank you for being here.

And this should be something that should be cleared up immediately.

Thank you.

Cynthia, will you visit with Mr.

Next, Edward Fote?

Joe Holson.

To be followed by Crystal Hatchett.

Is this on?

Good morning, uh Mayor and City Council members.

Uh my name is Joe Holson, and I have been a uh homeowner in the Drew Dennis residential neighborhood in Midtown for 25 years, as well as being a current board member to the Sutton Square Community Community Association that represents 339 townhomes.

I am here today to oppose a proposed bakery and coffee shop scheduled to open at 90 dentists.

This is a residential address that is being converted to a commercial property.

It is sits exactly around 40 feet from the front door of my home.

Our concerns include a 7 a.m.

opening time, earning morning deliveries, documented compliance issues, as well as the establishment having zero parking places as required by the city.

This property is located in the middle of a dense residential block.

A 7 a.m.

commercial opening introduces daily noise, traffic, and delivery activity into a neighborhood where residents reasonably can expect quiet morning hours.

Early deliveries, whether by box trucks, vans, or third party services, bring engine oils, engine noise, backup alarms, loading activity, and curb congestion during peak morning hours.

And again, this property has zero on site parking or loading space, forcing all activity onto our narrow residential streets and creating safety risks for children and morning commuters.

Establishment in this setting result in parking congestion, noise disturbances and safety concerns that diminish the quality of life and property values for hundreds of nearby residents.

Equally concerning is process and compliance.

Construction activity has already occurred on this site in a manner inconsistent with Houston building and permitting requirements, including changes made prior to full review and approval.

On November 3rd, 2025, a formal complaint was filed and substantiated by the public works and engineering inspections, noting that structural work was performed without a permit and has continued uninterrupted.

Further, the City of Houston requires parking places for customers, and this establishment again has zero parking.

Allowing operations to proceed under these circumstances sets a troubling precedence.

Now, again, I have previously been here before this council regarding the a neighboring bar where residents were not properly notified, due process concerns and compliance issues were raised, and ongoing neighborhood impacts continue.

Taken together, these cases reflect a pattern of commercial expansion without adequate notice, compliance, or effective safeguards for the residential communities.

This coffee shop does not exist in isolation and represents a growing commercial encroachment that this block was never designed to absorb.

We respectfully request that the City Council advocate against approval of any permit.

Again, thank you for your time.

You start out talking about the coffee shop, and I'm following you, and then you shifted to the cocktail lounge.

So just in general, your area is turning commercial.

It is.

And it all stemmed from a family dispute that owns a large track of property, and that has had now had to sell off the assets to satisfy the airs.

And in doing so, has now brought in this commercial activity.

Yeah.

Well, I'm going to ask permit to take a review of this.

But I don't know what would it advise you on the uh interest in the commercial establishments with no zoning.

Do you have deed restrictions?

No, but at the end of the day, is the city can we met with the PW or the Houston Public Works and Engineering yesterday?

There is zero parking.

And by the city's own review.

We're going to review that.

That would be part of the permitting discussion.

So anyway, good job being here, and we will refer it to the proper departments.

Councilman Cayman.

Thank you.

Joe, thank you for coming in.

I think we have one more resident from the neighborhood as well that we want to hear from, so thank you, ma'am.

Um the mayor started to get to it.

First, you had the um liquor license dispute and that y'all had reached out to our office on, and we were working with y'all on that, and you also reached out to our State Senator, our representative to try to work that angle of it.

That is separate and apart from the new construction.

Correct.

But my understanding, please correct me if I'm wrong, just on our notes.

Um, a structural hold was put on the bakery property in November, but y'all noticed that there's been continued construction.

So the city was already had already put a structural hold on it.

Is that correct or incorrect?

That is my understanding.

Uh, I I know, well, I've done an open records permit or request.

Okay.

And it notes in there that a complaint was filed and an inspector came out.

Okay.

Um so again, we will follow up.

We also have a list of questions that we're going to submit to public works on Yell's behalf, I believe.

Um, but I just wanted, especially our at large to know where things stood in the process, because we have had in instances including apartment complexes that never even got a permit or review at all and started building an apartment complex, but to your understanding, the city had put a hold on the property back in November.

This correct.

A complaint was made.

Uh, it is my understanding complaint.

Well, a complaint was made, and it is my understanding that they had placed a notice of noncompliance, and they continued on.

In fact, they are scheduled to open this week, and there is a red tag on the door that was placed yesterday.

Okay.

So I I appreciate it because again, it can the challenge being we're citing uh we're trying to enforce, but some folks are just blatantly violating our enforcement protocols.

And again, it goes back to the larger issue is if there is no punishment for wrongdoing, then why follow the rules?

Why have rules altogether?

And that is what we are asking.

I mean, the city has put together guidelines for both residential and commercial properties.

All we are asking is please follow those.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Sir.

Councilmember Marriage.

Thank you, Mayor.

And thank you, Mr.

Holson, for being here.

Just so just so I understand the property at 81 Drew.

I am looking at the image on Google Maps.

Is that is that accurate or did they redo the building?

They have uh the 81 Drew for the liquor license.

Right.

They have redone the building.

Okay, and there's no parking.

Uh that has limited parking.

Limited parking.

But the problem there was they did not go through proper TABC notification.

None of the offset property owners were notified.

Okay.

Um the street, there's a grocery at the corner there, Dennis and Genesee.

Does that does that business have on-site parking?

Do you know?

It does not, but it is a like it's been there since 1939.

Uh that's Langford Grocery, a hammer uh a very established community uh hamburger joint.

And unfortunately, that is the owner of this bakery and coffee shop, but they do not have any parking as well.

I see.

And you live across the street just to the west of the city.

I live at 1633 Sutton, which is directly across from Nani Dennis.

And do you have parking on on your part of the property there?

I have I do.

I have a garage as well as there is I I do.

I have a we have a garage.

All right.

And a uh a courtyard that has parking places for the townhomes.

All right.

But limited street parking.

Okay.

Thank you for helping me understand.

No worries, and thank you.

Thank you.

Next.

Crystal Hatchett.

To be followed by Spencer Swearingen.

Good morning, Mayor Whitmeyer and Councilmembers.

My name is Crystal Hatchet, and I live directly behind 90 Dennis Street in the Drew Dennis residential neighborhood.

Over the past several months, I have watched construction take place from my kitchen window.

Much of this work has occurred late into the evening.

Because exterior lighting has not been installed, a pickup truck is being used to illuminate the property with headlights shining directly into my home while the crews work at night.

This disrupt this disruption happens while my family is eating dinner and while my son Max is completing his homework.

Max is a junior at Carnegie Vanguard High School and participates in bi-weekly youth ambassador meetings for the City of Houston with Ms.

Coolar via Zoom, which takes place in our home.

Due to the noise and activity, Max has already been forced to move his meetings upstairs to his bedroom.

This is not just an inconvenience.

It affects his academic focus and his civic responsibilities.

Beyond the personal impact, there are broader neighborhood concerns.

This property sits in the middle of a dense residential block.

The proposed 7 a.m.

opening time introduces early morning noise traffic and deliveries into a neighborhood that reasonably expects quiet hours.

Early deliveries bring engine noise, backup alarms, and carb congestion.

And this site has no on-site parking, like Joe just mentioned, including spaces for deliveries.

It is forcing activity onto narrow residential streets and creating safety risks for children and commuters, including Max, who walks to school every morning.

Equally troubling our compliance issues.

Documenting that structural work was performed without permits, and it's continued uninterrupted every night.

Allowing this establishment to proceed under these conditions sets a very dangerous precedent.

This project does not exist in isolation.

Combined with the nearby Lankworth Lankford's Beer Garden, residents are already experiencing increasing noise levels and commercial encroachment that this neighborhood was never designed to absorb.

We are not asking to block responsible development.

We are asking for enforcement, accountability, and protection of residential quality of life.

And I'm asking for my son so he can do his work in peace.

So thank you for your service and I appreciate your help with this.

Thank you.

Councilman Cayman.

Ms.

Hatchett, I just wanted to thank you so much for coming.

Um we'll continue to work with you all, but I appreciate you taking the time to inform uh you know the rest of council about what's happening in terms of the um lack of enforcement with this.

Uh let's please send our best to Max.

I'm sure he's doing great work uh despite the challenges.

I know you are doing great as a mom.

Thanks.

Yeah.

Thank you.

We're on it.

Thank you.

I appreciate you all so much for your service.

Thank you, ma'am.

Spencer Swearingen.

Brody Washington.

To be followed by Derek Montgomery.

Do I come up right now?

I'm sorry.

What's your name?

Your name?

Uh hello, everyone.

My name is Hello everyone.

My name is Brody Washington.

I have some concerns that have been bugging me for the last five to twenty-five years of my life.

Uh basically.

I'm sorry, I I kind of nervous at the moment.

Uh, sir.

Uh I've been having a lot of issues with any and everything of my life.

Uh basically I've had every single injury of me misdiagnosed every single time I've been put in jail, has been unwrongfully arrestable.

Uh I don't know why I'm shaking.

Let me help.

Uh first of all, we are here to help you.

Yes, sir.

Do you have family?

Yes, sir.

I've been trying to reach out to lawyers and everyone because of how extensive it is, but because it's 25.

Well we'll get to the lawyers in a minute.

Okay.

What about your family?

Do you have relatives here in Houston?

I have family, but I am also I'm going to say it like this.

I am very, very smart.

I have a very, very high IQ.

Sure.

And I know when someone's lying to me and when I can easily obtain a resource that is knowledgeable per military and speak in a different way and have people lie straight to my face saying that I don't have something when I had something and had it wrongfully taken from me.

Sure.

Well, let me ask you this.

So when's the last time you talked to your family?

I still talk to them, but I don't talk to them about the subject just because of how extensive it is.

What if we had someone intervene and try to have a relationship with your family?

Where are you staying there?

Uh I am staying in a home.

I am medically supposed to be at the house I grew up in, which is wrongfully taken from me due to a head injury that didn't affect me at all.

It only affected my eyesight a little bit.

Uh I am that still as smart as I should be.

Um you're staying with another resident?

Family friend that owns a program that I stay inside of for now, which is in very much jeopardy and is kind of irritating me because my phone is in jeopardy as well due to who I am and a lot of you know.

How about do you work?

Not at the moment due to me possibly needing a surgery upon other surgeries due to other things.

How do you support yourself?

Uh I do food stamps and I also work for the programmers uh I mean the uh organization that I'm staying with.

I go up there and help out and dispute food.

Yeah.

What level of school did you complete?

Uh I have school with a high school diploma.

I am looking to get into further military advancements because I am very smart and love military.

You've been in the military?

Uh I I'm a Washington sir.

I'm military 24-7, no matter what.

Okay.

Well, sound to me like you need some assistance.

What would you specifically like?

I want to recommend I need everything you have, sir.

This this is like I can take down Donald Trump or I know that's how extensive this is.

Okay.

How long have you been in the current status that you find yourself?

And what status?

Please specify a little bit.

Status of not communicating with your family, staying with a friend, coming to council.

It is a family friend that they're connected to, but there is a lot of lawsuits entangled with it that is jeopardizing everything because I can clear all of it and it's kind of really making me frustrated because of how messed up it is.

I share your frustration, but we want to help.

This lady over here, Cynthia Wilson is my chief of staff.

I wish you would meet with her.

Let her bring in some professional help.

Yes, sir.

And if I To help you get on the right path back to independence and deal with some of the uh concerns you have.

It's not that I'm not independent, sir.

I had a trust for fund full of 20 quadrillion dollars that was left to me by George and my father that was signed over by uh a family member due to an injury because she took advantage over.

And that may be a good idea.

I think you I think you need some assistance, some counseling and somebody to help you work through some of these frustrations.

If you'll accept it.

Because you can't continue down this path.

For instance, what do you want to be doing this time next year?

I'm supposed to be president right now, sir.

You're what?

I'm supposed to be president right now.

I can overthrow any.

But we want to deal with that.

You don't you shouldn't feel like that.

But if I say a Rudebaker, what Brody Washington White House immediately, you would you and every person in here would know what that means.

Okay.

Well, the council is not in a position to help you this morning except give you some good advice.

Ms.

Wilson is going to make your circumstances a priority.

I have people on the outside that can speak with debt, sir.

If you want me to be frank, I can be frank.

I mean, uh this is beyond like anything that's going on.

Like I'm above every and anything right now.

Her Donald Trump has molested me and raped me four times in my life.

And uh if you think I'm crazy, because you're not going to be able to do that.

You need some assistance.

No, sir.

And we're offering it, and Ms.

Wilson is going to get it for you.

And we're going to get you some professional help to deal with some of the issues that you're discussing.

That's the best we can offer this morning.

But I would really urge you to work with the officials and the professionals that we want to refer to you.

Let me say like that.

You do need some good advice and counseling.

I don't want to come off and be mean because I would like all of your help because I'm related to George Washington and Christopher Columbus, and the way I have been treated my whole life over misdiagnosing everything, a falsifying documentation on a help.

Yes, sir.

Each and every one of us.

Go with Ms.

Wilson and allow her to give you some assistance.

Thanks for being here.

Derek Montgomery.

To be followed by Carol Porter.

Uh good morning to the mayor, everyone on council, uh, everyone in the audience.

My name is Derek Dominique Montgomery.

Uh I have my background in psychology, neuroscience, and mental health.

And today I'm here to advocate for licensed therapists to be at schools in the workforce.

Right now, our schools in Houston have 29.3 percent of schools that only have licensed therapists.

So that's about 70 percent of schools that don't have licensed therapists.

Right now I'm asking, who do our babies talk to?

When our babies are getting bullied, when our babies are dealing with divorce, domestic disputes, incarcerated parents, intergenerational traumas, who do they speak to?

And then when you think about us, who do we talk to?

One percent of Houston jobs have licensed therapists.

So what do we do when we go through grief?

What do we do when we go through infidelity, divorce, things that we go through on an everyday basis?

So I come to you just asking, maybe we have a sit-down.

Maybe we come with superintendents and principals and deans of different schools, and we just try to figure it out together.

Because I feel like for each school, for every 250 to 400 students, we should have at least one licensed therapist.

At a job for every 500 employees, we should have one licensed therapist at least there twice a week.

You know, because it comes to a point where you can't talk to your friends about everything.

And then you can't talk to your kids about everything.

And your kids don't know who to talk to because they can't talk to their friends, too young, don't want to talk to the teacher because they think the teacher is going to call you.

They need someone, and not only do they need someone, we need someone.

And like my grandmother would say, everything starts at home.

And I feel like home starts in the mind, right?

And licensed therapists helps us keep our house clean.

So honestly, I feel like if we can understand where we come from, we can be appreciative of where we're going.

So that's kind of my thoughts.

Counselor Evans Shabazz.

Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, Mr.

Montgomery, for coming forward.

Um I'm a former uh educator and certified counselor in the school system.

But have you had this conversation with the Houston Independent School District or any other school districts?

Because they are the governing body who determined policy and personnel.

Right.

We don't.

I've never had that conversation with them.

I've had a conversation with certain schools.

Um it was a school I was working at before, and I noticed that they needed a psychologist.

Because I was just a basketball coach, but they came to me for everything because of my background.

So it was always, Coach D, this is what I'm going through.

My life had nothing to do with sports.

So I remember sitting down with the dean and also the athletic director, and I was just explaining hey, we need this, and everything always goes back to funding.

You know.

Well, I'm just gonna say my dad was a basketball coach, so he was the father of many of course.

Uh, and so I do understand and thank God for you.

Yes, but certainly the conversation needs to be with the Houston Independent School District.

They have a forum as a public session where you can go in and speak to them.

I believe it's on Thursday evenings, I don't know which week, first week in every month just about.

But you can go on the Houston Independent School District website and find out.

Have that conversation with them.

It is a very important conversation.

Yes, ma'am.

Uh, but you know, and we appreciate it because we do love our students in the schools, but we have no authority over their personnel and policy issues.

Okay.

Thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

I thank you so much for that.

Thank you, Mayor.

Next, Carol Porter.

That's a familiar name.

To be followed by Irandi Trevino.

Oh, Ms.

Porter.

Good morning, Mayor Whitmeyer and members of City Council.

I recently discovered through Maddie Mason of TIP, an organization that deals with at-risk children, that the Acres Home community has the highest community infant mortality and maternal deaths in Harris County.

I couldn't believe it.

I've been working in this city for 40 years and never heard anyone talk about it.

Harris County has the reputation of being the deadliest place to give birth for black women, and is proclaimed the highest black maternity, maternal mortality rate in the country.

Citing a recent report from the Harris County Public Health, the outlet reported that from 2016 to 2020, black women in Harris County experienced the highest pregnancy-related death rate in the nation.

Their mortality rate reached 83.4 deaths per 100,000 live deaths while white women were dying at roughly one-fourth the rate of this number.

To find out that nothing, nothing has changed since the 2016 to 2020 report saddened me deeply.

Making house calls.

Denise Smith, a graduate of Prairie with a master's in public health, and myself are committed to the only method that will work.

Getting personally involved in the lives of mothers and their children.

Over 40 years, I never stopped offering health information to everyone throughout the community.

But my focus has always been mothers and their children.

I'm coming to you this morning to solicit assistance and rallying the leadership, businesses, worship houses, and health entities to commit themselves to help saving the lives of our children.

During the operation of the Kid Care Health Buggy, our program saved Houston's ER a cost of approximately $300,000, according to the then partnership with the University of Texas.

We must stop hospitals from discharging babies under five pounds, which was the standard discharge weight for many, many years.

How many more minutes do I have?

You're right.

Keep going.

Like I said.

Some of our top help and city officials live in Acres Home.

Now, what I want you to do is meet our new health director, who's a medical doctor.

She was sharing information with me last week that Acres Home has the highest incidence of new flu cases.

So I know for a fact Acres Home is on her radar.

She's new, she's smart, she's energetic, always looking for something to do.

So I will get you and Dr.

Tran together immediately.

She needs to hear your testimony, and you'll be amazed with her knowledge and energy.

So I think it's worthwhile.

It's tremendous that you came down here today.

May I share just a couple of stories, or I can't.

You know, I don't need any convincing, but you can share.

I know some council members would like to have a dialogue.

Because this one is important.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

You're most gracious.

Um recently I've come in contact with uh a family that I've adopted.

Twins, fraternal twins.

Six months-old mothers, weighing 10 pounds and 11 pounds, spitting out five different formula prescriptions.

Five.

I recommended goat's milk.

And then I had to listen to it's too expensive.

Wick won't give it to you.

Five formulas.

Six-month-old baby, ten pounds.

I went to the Whole Foods Market, who's been an incredible community partner with Kid Care, and I received some goat's milk.

I took it to the mother.

And to be honest, as a nurse, I just told her straight up.

I cannot tell you what to do, but I'm going to give you what is used all over the world for babies who can't hold the natural formula.

And I gave them to her, and I walked away.

Well, she used it.

For seven days, the babies never vomited once.

And for the first time in six months, they slept five hours.

Everybody slept for five hours.

So now I expect my children to gain some weight because they were on their way out.

I looked at them, I saw them.

But to have an argument that WIC won't pay for it, we've got to change some laws.

The other, she told me, she wanted to get her tubes tied.

The doctor told her she was too young.

Babies out of woodlock?

Too young to have your tubes tied.

So you decided to give her a shot.

And she told me she was sick for over a year.

Her cycle was off.

She was miserable.

Thank you, Ms.

Porter.

That's it.

Part of a solution going forward is better collaboration between Harris Health and the City of Houston.

We also have to be mindful that we don't do anything irrational that we would lose our federal funding.

Harris Health gets 98 million dollars from the U.S.

government.

Chicago has lost 300 million in their health department and laid off scores of employees.

So we have to be focused on the health issues you're mentioning, but we also have to go about collaboration with the county.

Being diplomatic.

Our medical schools, and don't let people get away with saying we've always done it that way.

That don't work in my office.

Thank you for being here, Councilmember Davis.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um just wanted to uplift, I think, without prolonging the time.

The mayor has addressed to you information that you need adequately need, but I just wanted to take the moment and thank you, Ms.

Porter, for coming.

Uh, those of us that know you and know of your work.

Um, this lady has always tackled issues over the years in this city that were directly and mayor you tapped it right in terms of these are the kind of projects that ought to come out of the city, these type of issues that Ms.

Porter historically has done, even with Kid Care years ago, who I worked with her, served on her board advisory during that time.

The history of this lady work really uh is unmatched.

But I want to thank you for coming today and going forward with what the mayor suggested.

We will, I know I will in this office work with you to pursue this because it is necessary and it's something that we need to take serious.

And so I wish you uh the best, and I think you're on the something as the mayor talks all the time about collaboration, which is very, very key.

So we'll just follow that, and uh, we'll be here with you.

Of course, my constituent service guys here, and he'll speak to you before you leave so we can get more and more information.

Thank you.

God bless you.

And I can actually remember when people try to put you out of business.

Absolutely.

Some in some in the media and some uh providers try to put you out of business.

And so all I'd say to them is the strong survives.

The media took us from a million meals a year to just hundreds.

So they did accomplish the goals and objectives, but I believe very soon Kick Care will be spearheading the National Meals on Wheels program for children centered right here in Harris County.

That's my goal in the United States.

Thank you.

Carol, my love, it's good to see you.

Um continuing the fight as you always have.

Uh you are a fighter for the community and for those babies and for those mothers.

And you know, the maternal mortality rates, especially for black women, um, it it's horrifying, it's unacceptable.

And uh it's when we talk about the implications of state legislation and the impact it has had on women's health.

We have to do more.

Uh and it is falling on cities, it is falling on counties to pick up um the cost and the burden when laws are directly correlated with maternal health and mortality.

Uh when women are showing up at hospitals, hospitals need to believe women when they say something is wrong.

Hospitals need to act to protect the life of mothers of children.

And I don't know why we're talking about Chicago.

Umor, you've represented Acres Homes for over 50 years, and I'm so glad that we continue to discuss the importance of communities that need to be lifted up.

But the city health department programs do what they can, and we need to do more.

The county health departments uh fund maternal and post and prenatal wellness programs as well that women need access to.

But we have also seen federal funding cuts to the health department.

We have seen the cuts to health department staff and life-saving programs.

So there's a chain reaction from the federal level and to the state level when it comes to women's health, especially black and brown women who have higher rates of not just mortality, but mental health implications and a whole host of other things, because it has been neglected for far too long.

So thank you for coming.

Thank you for speaking out.

But I also want to call out um the discriminatory nature of laws that are being passed that are directly costing the lives of women.

And that's why we need to tap into foundations.

Yes.

Because kid care fed children without without one dime of government money, and if my husband and I could do it, we could do it.

How much do you because you're asking for business support and philanthropic support?

Do you mind saying, and if not, that's okay.

How much uh you need to raise to continue the program or something.

Well, I haven't put it down uh numerically, but what I wanted was to come before the mayor and let them know if he didn't know about the health buggy program, having been successful.

And when the University of Texas said we saved $300,000 in ER course, we can do it again if I have the backing of this us there uh committee, but we need to tap into foundations.

We don't really need the government funds.

Like I said, if my husband and I could do it, what could we do here?

We don't need the government, we need foundational support.

Thank you.

Councillor Evan Shabbos, ma'am.

Ms.

Porter.

Thank you, Mayor.

And and thank you, Ms.

I'm so sorry.

No, no, no.

You're sorry.

I there's a crown laid up in heaven for you.

Because you have been an angel.

And you know when I did briefly part of your story about how you saw kids digging in the trash at McDonald's, and you knew that that was unacceptable.

And you took that on as a as a as your life's mission to help others.

Certainly I I I wish you the best and whatever, you know, channels you need to get to.

I hope that God will open those doors because you have been awesome.

And I it's just a pleasure for me to look at you.

You know, if I can help somebody as I pass along this way, it's certainly your mantra.

And so thank you so very much for coming.

Without my husband, there would have been no kid care.

Thank you again.

And you're hard.

We know it's always a good woman behind the man.

Absolutely.

I agree.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next, Erandy Trevino.

To be followed by Steve Williams.

How long do I have?

Okay.

Thank you.

Okay.

Awesome.

Thank you so much.

Um, good morning.

My name is Eranditho.

I'm the executive director of the Raices Collab Project, a nonprofit organization based out of Southeast Houston.

We were born as a response to the oppressive realities that many communities face in our state and especially in our communities here in Houston.

As you all probably know, Houston has the highest rates of extreme poverty of any major city across the nation.

And now uh those issues are compounded by the fact that we're also seeing the highest rates of ICE arrests of any city, of any city in the entire nation as well.

And so we have heard from the administration that basically Houston is acting in a way that would shield us in some way from these ICE arrests and or at least from violent ICE arrests, and yet that's not what's happening.

Last time I was here, I spoke about concerns that not only would these arrests or the presence of masked ice agents be a danger to undocumented people, but it would become a danger to U.S.

citizens as well.

And in the weeks after that, unfortunately, we've seen that that is in fact the case.

Unfortunately, we we all have heard of Renee Good, who has been shot dead in Minneapolis, but we don't have to look so far to see how concerning these things are.

Because even in our backyard this year, just less than a week ago, a 16-year-old was held in a chokehold by an ICE agent.

Not only that, his phone was stolen by these ICE agents.

That's just very inappropriate.

And when that report was filed with the police department, or when an attempt to file that report was made, um, the police basically responded by saying, what are we supposed to do to a federal agent?

We can't do anything to a federal agent.

But the police is supposed to be there to protect the people of Houston.

That's what HPD is there for.

And I know that a lot of black and brown communities and communities of low income have had historical, I mean, you can look at it in the textbooks.

We've had historical issues with uh with enforcement um agencies.

There are there are reasons why we have concerns when it comes to enforcement agencies, and yet HPD is like angels compared to ICE agents, masked ICE agents who can don't even have to identify themselves.

It is such a danger.

Not only that, again, going back to my previous point of a couple of months ago.

It leaves it to where anyone can put on a mask and show up and say I am an ICE agent, and that has also happened.

And so I ask of you to please take into account the danger that it puts people who look like me, who perhaps did do it, say, quote unquote the right way, who have papers, who are U.S.

citizens, um, and need to be protected as well.

Let me thank you for being here.

We share your frustrations.

And I wish we weren't going through this.

I said this last January.

I feel the fear in the community, and I think we need to stick together.

It's just a horrible situation that appears some days totally out of control.

I can assure you in Houston.

We're taking the proper steps to reach out to the community.

Community engagement.

We've had some really responsible leadership from council members.

My office has been in the community, engaging with civic leaders.

And we're going to continue to reach out.

There's no reason for anyone, anyone, to fear HPD.

I'm with them.

They do not care about your immigration status.

Unfortunately, state law requires them to forward information.

I heard an incident the other day.

They were researching the individuals, background and name, and there were three or four with the same name.

One of them on the list might have been the individual that he had engaged.

The report I got was he told the individual.

Go about your way.

There's several folks listed under your name.

I've been with them after our club raids.

It would appear some might be undocumented when looking at IDs.

So I can't make it any more clear that the City of Houston is doing everything we can to assure people if you are being violated.

Call HPD.

Our chief is doing a smart job.

And yes, I could shout out against ICE or others, but it just hasn't worked in other communities.

So I'm going to continue to follow the law, do our job of enforcing state laws, city ordinances, and we're going to be compassionate.

Our department uses language skills to communicate.

And I think some, some activists, some special interest would like to see turmoil here.

But it's just not going to happen if we continue to be responsible, compassionate, communicate, and welcome people like you to City Council.

And that is a guarantee by me.

Councilman Martinez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you for continuing to lift up this conversation.

I think we can both agree that this is super complex and sensitive on several fronts.

The the struggle that we continue to see, of course, is how do how do we move in a way where we can make sure that community continue to trust local law enforcement, which we desperate desperately need to be focused on because as folks stop calling, then we really start seeing other dangers happen.

The other one is how do we how do we start communicating in a in a very thoughtful uh intentional manner?

Um I've been having conversations where uh there's been several and maybe folks don't know exactly because they're taking pictures from hundreds of yards away and just asking, hey, is this HPD or ICE confirming that, making sure that it is HPD, it's an operation and making sure that we're communicating in a way where we're not igniting that extra fear that we already know is out in the community.

Um I I thank you for continuing to lift this conversation up.

Everyone around this horseshoe needs to be as informed as possible so that way we're able to do the best that we can.

Um I will say that I've been having a lot of conversations with the mayor.

Um I appreciate the work that he is doing as well.

Um I'm looking forward to in February.

Um we'll share more details as we get closer, but in February, having to know your rights, uh we'll have even more of an open dialogue and conversation and discuss you know what some of the truths and realities are that are difficult to have a conversation on, but also how should we be continuing to move forward in this time and space that we're in at the moment.

Um public safety is a priority for Houstonians, and so I'm gonna continue to focus on how we build that trust.

My hope is that you, along with other folks that um share this concern can help us focus on how do we build that trust so that way we can keep folks safe.

Um thank you for for coming.

Thank you for making sure that folks are on this horseshoe continue to stay focused on what's right, um, and for your courage and support to our undocumented community because they are hurting and they are suffering.

Um we'll keep you updated on those things and again just um Gina reach out to us and and to this administration as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Pollard.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you for coming forward.

Um I can tell you my district faces this every single day.

Um I represent Southwest Houston, the Gulfed in Sharpstown area.

There are many undocumented people who have been there for years.

Um harm to society.

Many of them have contributed to the city in a positive way.

Um I think everyone up here wants to advocate for having a secure border and for people to do things the lawful way and for us to have a society that is productive and has people who are here who are productive.

Um, but we don't want to be a city where individuals who are here who have contributed to society and who are making a positive impact are being hesitant to move, being fearful and apprehensive to even go about their daily routine who are being approached uh in unlawful manners, I would say.

Um, and we have to find a way in which the city can be much more strategic in assisting Houstonians who are uh faced with these challenges.

I can tell you from my standpoint that it doesn't matter if it's the Federal agent that is conducting um some type of stop or engagement, if it's unlawful, then our our officers have to do what is necessary to protect those who reside here in Houston.

We're seeing many videos that are sent to my office and others where federal agents are going about doing things the unlawful way.

And just because you're a federal agent does not give you the right to go about doing things the unlawful way, and that's where we need local protections.

And I can tell you that although our city is not on TV every day with you know what some may consider turmoil, it's still happening continuously here in the city because I get the videos.

I I see these things that uh the all these cameras that are here, they never for whatever reason show what's happening here in Houston.

They rarely show these incidences that are happening on a daily basis here in Houston.

And so we have to protect Houstonians.

And regardless of what your status may be, um I think it's important for the community to hear that and that we just don't quietly sit by and allow for the infiltration of a lot of bad actors to do things to residents who live in the city of Houston that just aren't legal, right?

And people can have the know your rights seminars.

I've had several of them.

I think people know their rights, but they are going through have to go through now this legal battle of of sometimes here locally uh and then sometimes at the federal level of even having to um go through the process of um court, go through the process of detainment, go through the process of arrest, and it is causing a lot of hurt and it's tearing families apart.

And so uh this city is not immune to what's happening.

Uh it's just not being highlighted like it is in other areas.

And so I do thank you for coming forward and and speaking on behalf of many of the people who cannot come and speak for themselves.

Councilman Evan Schabaz.

Thank you, Mayor, and and thank you for coming.

Once I heard Mayor Pro Tem say, heavy is the head that wears the crown.

So, Mayor, I don't know if people understand the immense responsibility stress and the difficult decisions that we all have to make.

But certainly I want to make a suggestion that I'm I'm told that a lot of these stops and calls are because of minor traffic stops.

Perhaps we need to look at what rises to the level of stopping someone for a minor traffic stop.

If you don't stop them, then you are not charged with asking them for their ID and checking to see if they're on a warrant.

It's a warrant issued for them, which you know sometimes uh results in ICE.

So maybe we need to look at that, because some of these minor traffic stops could be handled just like they do with the toll authority.

Uh they send you a ticket and tell you that you don't have this, so you should have that warning or something.

But you know, we don't want to uh, you know, not follow the law, but certainly, and we do want to protect our citizens, but certainly, and we're not trying to house any criminals or whatever, but certainly we need to look at what rises to the level of even stopping people uh for these minor infractions that rise to that level.

So that's something we could probably look at.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um it's a complex issue that I've dealt with for years as chairman of criminal justice.

We wanted to put it in the Sandra Bland Act, Garnett and I, because she was pulled over because of an out-of-state plate, and it just led to a tragedy.

The neighborhoods want neighborhood protection.

You find human traffic victims.

You find kidnapped victims.

I could go on and on the cases that have been shown in the arrests and accountability due to a traffic stop.

So it's a trade-off.

Yes, you could prevent police from pulling people over for a non-threatening traffic violation.

It will have an impact on the crime rate.

It's irrefutable.

Uh when you get on the highways here and uh San Antonio, DPS will tell you it's a traffic violation that allows them to see a car full of drugs or kidnapped victims or human traffic victims.

So it's a tough one.

People want traffic enforcement.

Some of the surges we do are some of the most popular things we do.

People know in recent years, there is no accountability for running a red light.

People ask for cameras to be brought back.

Stop signing.

So it's a discussion we need to have.

I've had it for years, just like police chase us.

I can't stand a police chase.

You know.

Uh student sitting at a red light at 34th and Antoine, plowed into by someone running.

Innocent sitting at a red light.

So justice is a complex issue.

Then you bring immigration into it, something that none of us anticipated.

And it was presented as securing the border, catching criminals like the evil people that raped and murdered Jocelyn, undocumented.

It's a tough one.

And I personally think and know that we're handling it correctly.

Anyone that has videos, the question would be what do you do with them?

HBD didn't receive them.

I didn't receive them.

So we can't politicize this.

It's not working in other cities.

It's bringing harm to the people that we claim we are concerned about.

We're doing exactly only what the law requires.

And there are consequences of not following the law.

I have got a city to look out for.

I promise you, this police chief, this mayor, this department is sensitive to the neighbors that we patrol in.

And it grieves me.

And the tragedy in Minneapolis is horrible.

And we're doing everything we can to prevent those incidents in Houston.

And it's working.

Will there be instances that we don't approve of?

Yes.

If they violate the law, we want to know about it.

But there's a reason we are not on the national news.

It is because we're doing it the responsible way.

And I'm sorry that you have to be here.

You need to probably be with your children at work, at home.

I hear you.

I empathize with you.

But we have to be smart.

We can't politicize it.

It will get us nowhere except harm the people we care about.

And I have personal relationships with undocumented people.

Close friendships.

I know I used to try to organize the nannies at Heights in Sixth Street Park.

I would go there to see my grandkids during a break, and I see enough nannies who I know are undocumented through conversations.

I'll say, hell, y'all need to start a union because the most precious possession in the families, homes are given to undocumented to care for.

So I know the face that we're concerned about, but screaming and hollering is not going to solve the solution.

It's community engagement, having the best police department in the nation.

Over half of our HPD officers are Hispanic language skills.

They spend four hours trying to help a young man.

We've all seen it.

So thank you for being here.

I know it's tough.

It's emotional, and we all just want it to end.

But I've got to deal with it responsibly, and most Houstonians believe I have.

Most Hispanic Houstonians know.

I have a long record of working with the undocumented, the DREAM Act, working with farm workers, working with Houstonians.

So if I if I had could do something myself, I would do it.

And more, what I can do is keep everyone communicating, trusting HPD, not politicizing it, and getting the job done.

Thank you for being here, Councilmember Salinas, who I want to thank you for your leadership in this area.

Thank you, Mayor.

I just want to thank you for being here.

And I want you to know that we see you.

And we see the Houstonians that are hurting.

And know that so many of us in this horseshoe care so dearly about this community.

And that we are going to do everything in our power within the confines of the law to protect that community.

But know that we see you.

We are not.

We are here to be your partner in this.

And I share your frustration.

I share your anger, and I share your sadness that we live in a country right now where this is occurring.

But know that we are here to stand with you.

I will be at the protest with you.

I will stand up with you, and I am hopeful and confident that so many of us will work together to make sure that the city does the right thing.

But keep coming, keep speaking out, and know that we stand with you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Cayman.

I want to thank you for coming to be a voice for those that can't come and speak right now because they are too afraid and have been forced into the shadows.

I don't know why we're calling out other cities, other cities that have not politicized this.

Something has been forced on them.

The due process and civil rights violations that have been rampant in their cities, to where, for example, in Minneapolis, police officers stood together yesterday to talk about the violations against their own officers and the danger to local law enforcement when this happens.

So I'm hearing from council members in other cities.

Many of us work at the National League of Cities.

We have friends around other horseshoes whose cities have been forced to activate their EOCs, emergency centers, because of what's happening, but that is not the fault of citizens of those cities.

And this is not the fault of the citizens of Houston either.

Councilmember Evans Shabaz, I wholeheartedly agree with you.

I hope we can look at how, yes, traffic enforcement is absolutely critical.

And I have maintained from day one.

Local law enforcement's job is public safety to hold those accountable who pose a public safety risk regardless of immigration status.

We are not immigration enforcement.

That is not our job, and we do not have the resources for that.

But should we be stopping somebody for failing to signal on a Houston street if they pose no other safety risk right now?

Speeding running a red light, again, that's a different story, and I defer to the uh the experts in law enforcement to use their judgment about who is actually posing a public safety risk, but minimizing unnecessary interaction that would force HPD to do something they don't want to do is something that needs to be uh not only looked at.

There's only so much time we can keep looking at things and examining things when Houstonians are being impacted right now.

So I want to thank you again for continuing to uh to speak up, to speak out, to force this conversation, because I don't see inappropriate action on the part of Houstonians or protesters.

Time and time again, Houston has always shown the world how it's done by coming together peacefully to advocate.

But that doesn't mean you remain silent in the face of egregious civil rights violations that are happening right now.

So again, thank you.

Uh we stand with you, and we stand with our communities that are being so impacted right now.

To member Ramirez.

Thank you, Mayor.

And Ms.

Travino, thank you for being here.

I want to follow up on something my colleague, Councilmember Evans Shabazz said about relatively minor traffic stops and how HPD handle those handles those.

A number of council members have interest in this particular topic.

I've I've talked to several, and I think uh the time would be right to discuss this in a committee setting, possibly the public safety committee, where we would have presentations from HPD and allow members of the public to come and weigh in on uh how these uh minor traffic violations are handled.

Uh this was a topic of discussion at an event I held uh one evening last week.

Questions were asked, can citations be mailed?

Is this something that technology can be used to address?

And these are these are important questions, especially uh during these times, and so I would urge that we have a committee meeting where we can uh talk about this, ask questions, and allow the public to weigh in.

On the matter of HPD and what it can do to protect Eustonians, um I I share the officers' frustration that officers' hands are largely tied when it comes to these types of enforcement actions because uh it is virtually impossible to hold a federal agent accountable in a state court, and our officers investigate uh state offenses and their the cases they they put together and bring or brought in state court.

But any time you try to charge a federal agent, that case gets removed to federal court, and the standards are very, very high to hold anyone accountable for anything.

And so I'm I'm sure that's why the officer told you that.

It is frustrating to hear, but uh that that's a reality.

So thank you for being here.

Thank you, ma'am for being here.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.

Next Steve Williams.

Jacob Newsom.

Jacob today.

To be followed by Joseph Omari.

Good morning, City Council members and uh major with Mara.

Uh I think um pondering about the unfortunate events.

I think um the family says uh you were upset I was in Austin.

Uh during uh Turner being the major, he wanted everything to be free.

Uh he wanted to abuse uh time.

He wanted to support him with Primarica investments.

We told him no.

When I went to Austin on San Antonio, me Cindy from Antrage, she told us that we needed to charge for our time.

Um I got into a modeling agency.

He continually was offending me as well as uh the African American brothers.

Uh most recently they are saying that they want to uh kill or harm Joaquin, Mario, Arturo, because they are has patent.

Your time has expired.

Who are trying to be peaceful, but they are not willing to cooperate with us on uh I know he's upset because of what happened with Turner, but we we we told you guys to stop fighting and you don't listen.

Thank you.

Joseph Amari.

Uh uh, Mr.

Bimple, I guess I might need to get a uh one-minute extension uh if you allow me to extend their time at the end of time.

I know it get through with this bill, but anyway.

Uh but last 20 30 years, Science Chuck American uh construction work had done a very good job of building and redeveloping Houston Texas.

Especially in downtown area.

I'm the designer.

Boom.

That goes back to my uh black uh black national day with the sound of Black Madonna and Penn at Dr.

Church.

Uh the problem is we should have the hire, we should have high American citizens that do the construction work in Houston Texas like we've done before.

Central Central America, South America government should create the construction project in their own countries, but they could have their own uh projects in their own country.

But that's the capital church management deliver that don't want us to have good jobs, business and careers and social programs in our own country.

My people built America from the northeast, south, and west from sun up to sun down before and after slavery.

The day for eight to fourteen dollar hour, they would build your city for the next 230 years, just like South and Central America.

Does work.

Thank you.

This completes the list of speakers.

Okay.

Consent.

Agenda.

Under the accept work category, is there a motion for item one?

Caspect Tata move.

Motion is made and second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed naight.

Motion passes.

Under the purchase and tablet purchase and tabulation of bids category.

Is there a motion for items three, four, and five?

Cast X tater move.

Motions made in the second.

All in favor say yes, those opposed nay.

Motion passes.

Under the resolutions category, item six has been removed for separate consideration.

Item seven needs a vote.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed nay.

Motion passed.

Under the ordinances category, since your list was distributed, all items have been received.

Items 14, 16, and 27 have been removed for separate consideration.

Is there a vote on the balance?

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

Items removed for separate consideration.

Is there a motion for item six?

Cast extate to move.

Second.

Councilor and Cayman.

Six.

No.

All righty.

All in favor say yes.

Motion made in the second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed night.

Motion passes.

Item 14 is an ordinance.

Just need a vote.

Councilman Maris.

Tiger Councilman Foley.

I'll remove it if you if you want to speak on it.

Sounds good.

Speaker, it's been tagged.

I'll speak if that's all right.

So this is the first of five TURS budgets on this agenda.

I think we had four last week.

And we don't have it.

My understanding is economic development received it last summer.

And we don't know what it says.

So I would urge them to do whatever is necessary to let us have the benefit of this expensive study so that we can use it to evaluate our votes.

I'm not going to hold up any of these votes.

But it does concern me that we haven't received anything telling us what was found by Ernst and Young.

Thank you.

That's all.

Items have been tagged.

Next item.

Item 16 is an ordinance.

Just need a vote.

Councilmember Kayman.

Coachman K.

Sir.

I'll remove my tag.

Councilman Kamen.

Thank you, Mayor.

This is for our Southwest TURS, and I appreciate all the work that they are doing.

I will speak more on this when it comes back to Council.

One of the things, Mayor, that we've been really advocating for with our TURS is a lot of it focuses on the economic corridors of these TERS because that's what brings in the investment.

At the same time, in the Southwest area, area that has been hit very hard by repetitive flooding.

We are asking our TERS to start partnering with us for more neighborhood investments as well.

And the Southwest TURS, I want to thank the chair and the board for working with us to do a budget, a study, engineering study for one of those neighborhoods that is hit hardest by repetitive flooding.

We have that study.

It will cost about five million plus to do that neighborhood.

And that's just one neighborhood.

But I raised this one because of the partnerships and opportunities with our TURS, but it's also not included in the project moving forward is not included in the projected budget for the forthcoming years.

So we're working with economic development.

I do appreciate Jennifer and Gwen, David, as well as our TURS for partnering, but I want to lift up the need to move more of these infrastructure projects forward within our TURS.

And there are being terrific partners in this, but I say this for the record so that we make sure that we can find ways to move forward with some of these projects.

So I'll speak more to it.

But since it's being tagged, if there are opportunities to have further discussion throughout the week, that would be terrific.

Items tag.

Next.

Item 27 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

Thank you, Mayor.

I just want to thank you for this item.

This authorizes public works to submit the application and accept the grant money of $5 million for the spring shadows drainage and paving project.

This project will provide flooding mitigation relief to approximately 7,300 residents.

We're definitely not over the finish line with this project in terms of engineering, but it's um great to have that additional funding for this project.

I know that they have had to redo it several times because this is a bit tricky when it comes to engineering.

Um thank you, Mayor, also for making this project a priority.

Very good.

Thank you.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed nay.

Motion passed.

Item 30 is an ordinance.

Just need a vote.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

This completes the items on the agenda.

Very good.

Councilmember Evan Shabazz.

Thank you, Mayor.

Pop off.

Thank you.

Um I just wanted to highlight the YMCA legends breakfast.

I was unable to attend uh because of the parade, but they celebrated the 15th anniversary and kicked off Martin Luther King Day of Service.

And I certainly want to thank the YMCA of Greater Houston and the Houston Texans for their continued commitment to community leadership development and opportunity.

The work happening at the Houston Texans YMCA, right in the heart of District D continues to be a model for how service mentorship and partnership can change lives.

Looking ahead, I want to note an upcoming event later this week on Friday, January the 23rd.

I will attend the Houston City College, State of the College 2026.

Where leaders from across our region will come together to discuss workforce development, higher education, and the future opportunity in Houston with the focus on bridging the skills gap for current future jobs.

This conversation is especially important for the communities we serve.

And finally, I want to take a moment to welcome CC Cecilia Scott as my new director of strategic engagement.

CC brings a strong background in relationship building strategy and community connection.

And I am excited to have her join our team.

And it also happens to be CC's birthday today.

So I told her that I would be welcoming her into her district D leadership.

And that that's my gift to her.

And so certainly I am again I am elated.

And if you see her somewhere, please share to greet her with uh happy birthday.

And I'm grateful to have her and we look forward to the impact.

She will make alongside our residents and partners and our one and uh and my other wonderful staff.

So thank you, Mayor.

This concludes what's going on in the district of destination.

Councilmember Castillo.

Thank you, Mayor.

This past Saturday, uh myself and staff members participated in the tacos and trash cleanup with the first ward civic council.

Um I want to thank them for organizing that.

It was part of our uh monthly service project series, and that's what we started our year off with.

I also want to thank Metro.

Uh we encountered a shelter that had a big pile of illegal dumping next to it.

They had someone out there later that day to clean it up, and they're always responsive and willing to uh go out of their way to help to uh improve you know the conditions folks are are waiting for the buses in and and provide a safe and clean experience.

So I want to thank them for that and uh the first Ward Civic Council for hosting that tacos and trash cleanup.

This Saturday was going to be uh the next town hall in District H that is going to be postponed due to the weather.

So um details on that will come later, but I do want to encourage everyone if you're not signed up for the City of Houston emergency alerts, do that now.

Uh sign up for the District H newsletter.

We will be sharing out information and resources uh about the upcoming weather and also uh warming centers and Z trips to get rise to the warming centers and all the details that come along with that as we uh prepare for the upcoming freeze.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Davis.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um I just want to uh thank all.

It would be remiss of me not to thank all of Houston for their tremendous response to the Martin Luther King parade this year.

Uh it was just phenomenal, and it was now by record the largest parade in the state of Texas.

Uh and again, let me just reiterate.

I know many have said it.

Thank you, Mayor, again for your support and effort in that, and thank the Houstonians for coming out.

It showed that this city can come together.

Uh, we talked so much about what divides us, but never much about what unifies us.

So it was phenomenal.

But on the heels of that, I also want to thank Ricardo of the Mayor's Office of Special Events.

He, in my opinion, and his team is a rock star because they really put in a great effort.

This was not a small task by no stretch of the imagination.

And so I want to thank Ricardo, uh director of Mo's as well as his entire team for helping Houston to look good and to perform.

It went on the first.

We looked for some hiccups, but uh the report is that it went very well.

It was not, and that is a good sign, and so I'm certainly grateful for that.

Also, uh just want to make sure that everyone knows in February we will be having our first official town hall meeting of year 2026.

All to be invited will be at Metropolitan on West Gray.

Yes, and we looking forward to it.

Uh our team and I are already geared up, and we're going to do what we always do, go in with others, and we also are going to feed, make sure people have something uh to digest.

So thank you all, and uh be safe and be careful.

And and thank you for your leadership and uh bringing all the parties together.

And if anyone hasn't ever been to MLK Boulevard on Martin Luther King's birthday, it's my second year in a row to leave the parades and go out at 610, going south on MAK Boulevard down to Belfort.

It's uh it's a beautiful site of kind of an impromptu parade.

Probably not permitted with food, music, uh vehicles, horses, blocks upon blocks, HBD providing security, and uh it's just a sight to behold how people come together on a beautiful day.

Uh I get frustrated when I go because I look into the neighborhood, the neighborhoods that have had uh illegal dumping and other city services uh neglect for many years, which we're moving in the right direction.

But uh everybody, every Houston you ought to see one celebration in that particular sunny side community.

They were glad to see us.

Uh Councilmember Kamen.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um I want to emphasize for C D 18 residents, including myself.

Early voting has begun in uh the special with the inclement weather that's on the way.

Usually people will early vote over the weekend, so it's important to get out now uh to cast your ballots ahead of the storm uh because you will have this weekend necessarily to do that.

Um I want to assure district residents that uh we are not only continuing to monitor the what in the weather uh in the incoming freeze, uh we have been reaching out as we always do to our neighborhood leaders, our community organizations that we partner with, um, many who are our eyes and ears in neighborhoods, and that will flag issues for us as they arise.

Our office uh will be stood up uh for emergency activation along with the City of Houston.

Uh so our staff will be on hand checking emails.

Please, if you have a problem, email District C at Houston TX.gov.

Uh if it is an emergency, of course, call 911.

Make sure you are reporting um, whether it's uh signal outages or water line breaks to 311.

Um but we will be standing up as we always do, uh, and I want to thank our partners, including the tool bank.

Uh many of our district offices partner with the Houston Tool Bank uh for resources in emergencies.

Uh so we'll we will be on standby as well should the need arise.

Again, please reach out to our office.

We will be monitoring uh throughout the weekend and uh everyone stay warm, stay safe, uh, and stay off the roads this weekend when it gets icy.

Councilmember Mayors.

Thank you, Mayor.

I want to highlight three uh events from last week, last Wednesday night, in conjunction with Councilmember Alcorn and my chief of staff, Leah Wolffall, we had a grounds for dialogue event where we brought people from across the political spectrum to discuss in a civil manner uh two important topics that are in the in the public mind right now, including uh immigration deportation policies and policies regarding traffic stops.

So a great number of ideas were were shared and a good time was had by all.

On Friday, I had the privilege of taking part in a panel discussion along with my colleague, Councilmember Kamen, put on by the Government Affairs Committee of the American Council of Engineering Companies, or ACEC.

I had a good discussion of one of the things we talked about were the transparency amendments that uh I sponsored and uh got help with from my colleagues that came out of committee, I believe it was last month.

Um then finally on Sunday I had the privilege of delivering remarks at an introduction and celebration of the new Rothco Chapel President, Imam Abdullah Antepley, uh which was a beautiful beautiful event and look forward to uh dealing more with uh uh President Ontepley and uh even having him before council.

So I would encourage all Houstonians to take this weather event this weekend very seriously.

And I would urge uh residents to prepare as if you were gonna be without power and water for three days.

And if you are able to do that, then uh you will probably be prepared.

But as the mayor said, uh we should stay off the roads so that we don't create a burden on our already challenged first responders.

That is the key, not making their jobs more difficult, as well as keeping yourself safe.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Tiffany Thomas, Chair, Council.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um, it is showtime on the West side, as noted in the Mayor's report.

Um, we are actively um in discussion with our partners to activate our District F uh disaster plan.

Uh the good news is uh that we have resources already staged in response.

Um our partners include Wham, Ailey Fias D, Church of Thou Walls, Eldridge, Agape, Christian Fellowship, our District F volunteer and translation team.

You will receive official correspondence from our office on Friday, January 23rd.

Um, and we hope to have you on standby.

And as a note, um, if you did not pay attention to earlier to council, um, there is a request for us to have a mobile generator on the west side, as we do not have um any public facilities uh with a generator.

So I'm looking forward to having that confirmation as well, and we'll keep you posted.

Continue to follow us on social media uh and um our website and reach out to the office as well.

I want to highlight we have 3138 Ashlock Drive is scheduled for a dangerous building hearing on February 4th.

This is another step to get us to the finish line of this um home that has extensive damage from fire and structural concerns, and we've been working with this community for up to almost two years to get this through the process as you know it's arduous, and we have been talking about dangerous buildings all throughout this horseshoe over the last uh three months.

So if you are a resident of um Ashton Village, please uh make it your priority to participate in person and or virtual resident testimonial makes a difference.

Shout out to the public works department and Don for working with our office providing meaningful updates as well.

Um TURS item was tagged, but I hope to come back uh and talk about um the investments as an uh part of that investment in this budget.

Um in the next 90 days, we are investing a million dollars out of our tours to replace the sidewalk on Dairy Ashra between Bel Air and Beechnut, which is significant because this is in front of Hagberry Park, and we have a $15 million detention project that is scheduled to roll out um at the top of March.

Um so we are investing in infrastructure, and this million dollar infrastructure actually was a request from our A Leaf AARP two years ago.

Seniors had talked about uh the limited mobility there, and so I was able to deliver for them, and I'm excited that in the next 90 days this will be complete.

And then also another uh celebratory announcement.

We have an $800,000 concrete replantal panel replacement on Dairy Ashford from West Timer to Richmond.

So if you ride uh West Timer, Richmond and West Park, you know uh that we need a lot of attention there.

The attention is coming.

Uh direct protocol around the detour and the construction will be sent to all of the area neighborhoods, Ashton Village, Ashton Park, Midw HPD West Side, um, and then this the area apartment, so everyone will know on what to do between that time and it should be completed by March 6th.

So lots of construction activity, mobility improvements happening on the West side as we prepare for the winter ex uh winter um uh occurrence.

Please stay tuned to my office at District F at Houston TX.gov, 832-39302.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, yesterday we kicked off the start of the abatement and demolition process of the vacant apartment complex at Gestner and Westview.

Um that process will take three to six months, and we're really excited about what's to come at that um at that location.

We are doing a hundred acre feet of flooding mitigation and a new police station and new fire station.

Thank you, Mayor, so much for your support on this.

It was a long time coming, and you were able to push this project through.

So thank you so much for everything.

Thank you.

Uh Councilman Alcorn.

I'll pass.

Pass, pass, pass.

Anyone else?

If not, we stand adjourn.

Thank you.