I recognize the Mayor Pro Tim for the invocation.

Thank you, Mayor.

On behalf of Councilmember Thomas colleagues, today we are joined by Reverend Lindsay Kirkpatrick, who serves as the senior pastor of First Houston United Methodist Church.

Reverend Kirkpatrick first joined First Houston UMC in July and brings 17 years of ministry experience, including 11 years as pastor of Asbury UMC in Pasadena, Texas.

She has provided leadership to the Texas Annual Conference as chair of the missions committee, as a member of the conference delegation, and as a representative at nationwide gatherings.

Pastor Kirkpatrick is passionate about making space for new and growing disciples and find their home in God and for public square ministry, where the church collaborates with nonprofits, industry partners, and city leaders to multiply its impact.

Reverend Kirkpatrick, if you are here, you can join us at the microphone.

Thank you so much for joining us today, and we are ready to hear from you.

Mayor and City Council, thank you so much for this opportunity.

Let's pray.

Almighty God, we thank you for the opportunity to serve.

As Nelson Henderson said, the true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

We thank you for the privilege of making lasting contributions that improve the lives of Houstonians.

And we ask that you enable us to act out a heart of servant leadership.

We ask that when we see and hear one another, we would be looking for the divine spark within each person, listening for wisdom to come from any source.

We pray a blessing on babies born in Houston today for their safety and provision.

We pray for children walking the streets home from school.

We pray for mothers and fathers trying to find a way to make it.

And we pray that our city would be a haven for the good for all within its limits, and that we would have the courage to make it so.

So may today's meeting be guided by the principles of compassion and justice.

May we be productive and helpful to those who need it most.

In the words of John Wesley, may we do all the good we can by all the means we can in all the ways we can and all the places we can at all the times we can to all the people we can as long as ever we can.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you, ma'am.

Stand for the pledge, please.

Mr.

Secretary, would you please call the roll?

Mayor Whitmeyer.

President.

Councilmember Peck.

Here.

Councilmember Jackson will be absent.

Councilmember Kamen will be absent.

Councilmember Evan Shabazz will be absent.

Councilmember Flickinger.

Here.

Councilmember Thomas will be absent.

Councilmember Hoffman.

Present.

Councilmember Castillo?

Here.

Councilmember Martinez.

Councilmember Pollard?

Here.

Councilmember Castax Tatum?

Here.

Councilmember Ramirez?

Here.

Councilmember Davis.

Councilmember Carter.

Councilmember Salinas.

Present.

And Councilmember Alcorn.

Here.

Need a motion to delay the adoption of minutes.

Cast X Tatum move.

Next second.

Motion made and second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion.

Passes.

Councilmember Salinas.

Yes, I'd like to move to add Travis McGee to the end of the three-minute non-agenda list.

Second.

Very good.

Motion made and second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

Councilmember Castilia.

Thank you, Mayor.

I move to suspend the rules to move Carolina Martinez to follow Christopher Rivera on the one-minute previous list.

Motion made and second.

All in favor.

There's a second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

Councilmember Davis.

I am moved to suspend the rules to move Jolanda Jones and Larry Cooper to the one-minute top of the one-minute non-agenda item lists and add tomorrow bill to the one-minute non-agenda.

Thank you.

Motion made, seconded.

All in favor, say yes.

Those opposed nay.

Motion passes.

Anyone else on a procedural vote?

Motion.

If not, we want to welcome our guests.

We have a long list of speakers signed up today.

Because we have more than 150 minutes worth of speakers, the rules require us to only give each of you one minute.

Even if you signed up for more.

I've been asked by several council persons to go by strict enforcement because of the sheer numbers and minutes required to get through the evening.

And I would say we get started.

Mr.

Secretary Call, our first speaker.

Oh, Mr.

Kelsman Davis, you have anything else?

That's Martin.

Go ahead.

That's me.

Go ahead, Mr.

Mr.

Secretary.

Jolanda Jones.

Not here.

Larry Cooper.

Yes, PJ is on the list.

I was told you were.

Right.

So you want to make a motion to take him out of order now?

To take, yeah, to take uh PJ out of order.

PJ Jones.

And add him.

Yes.

Now add him to the to the job.

So let's let's let this gentleman.

Good evening.

And then we'll do PJ in a moment.

My name is Larry Cooper.

My name is Larry Cooper, and I come to speak on behalf of the Glenwood Forest community.

First of all, Mr.

Mayor, I would like to thank you for coming to our neighborhood and not sending somebody to the neighborhood.

You came and you shared information that we didn't know, and you shared information that we needed to know.

Also, I would like to thank 15 of your department heads.

They also came to community to help us out.

And that was somewhat unusual to me.

So we thank you for that.

And our deed restrictions are filed with the city and with the state.

And we still need a little more help because some of the people insist on breaking the deed restrictions.

And I just thought about if you could form a committee, maybe four people, and they could come out and say they are from the city and let them know that they are violating deed restrictions because sometimes they don't pay us any attention, and they continue to do so.

So that is just your time has expired.

Yeah.

And also, Mayor, we want to thank you for the Whitmobile.

It'll be a tremendous help to our community and the things that uh we're trying to do.

So very good.

Thank you for being here.

Okay, thank you.

Next tomorrow Bell.

I'm sorry, PJ Cooper.

To be followed by Tomorrow Bell.

All right.

Good afternoon.

Uh Council members and mayor uh with my name is Philip Jones.

I am the former president of the Glenwood Forest community.

Guys, I am delighted today.

I am happy today on this one minute I have to speak.

We have finally got the Whitmobile.

The Wimmobile is a patrol car, of course, we named after the Mayor.

It is bold and it is tough, and it is combating a legal dumping.

So, Mayor, I'm here.

I know most people probably won't be standing right now in the back, but I did want to make a little a little thank you to the East Houston Lieutenant Scales and Constable Rosen as well, too, for helping us.

This be this vehicle is isn't just metal and ties.

It's a lifeline.

When the winter storms hit and the lights went out, the Whitmobile was the only light that some of our seniors saw.

It is a tool we use to hunt the illegal dumpers down.

Who treat our front yards like trash cans?

Mayor, because of your word, a 90-year-old grandmother in Glenwood Force can sit in her yard and feel like someone is finally watching her.

You created a harmony of leadership between Constable Rosen's office, the city of Houston.

May I get extra time?

Boy, I hate to cut you off.

Okay.

But I think to be fair, I'm going to have to let you uh wrap it up.

Okay.

All right.

Well, that's my time, but I tell you what, Mayor, thank you for the Widmobile.

Thank you.

And thank you for the engagement and the assistance that you're providing for the community, certainly the Civic Club.

And I'm going to ask, uh, do you have other members here?

We do.

We do.

Uh-huh.

We have they gonna speak?

They were they on the speaker street.

Okay, and when they finish, I'm gonna ask Mayor Pro Tim to preside if I join y'all outside for photos, and I want to see that vehicle, the Whitmobile.

All right, thank you so much, Mayor.

I like you would say, after that, let's get to work.

Let's go to work.

Thank you.

Next tomorrow bell, Charlene Jones, Tatiana Ripinski.

Oh, you miss Jones?

Yes.

Okay.

That's me.

Thank you.

Hi.

State my name, Charlene Jones from Third Ward.

I am against putting a gas station right around the corner from my house.

We have several on Southmore.

We don't need any more.

Thank you.

Do you want to you want to move to bring Mr.

Jones's uh civic club members with him so they can since they're together?

Yes.

I like to I like to force Civic Club.

Yes, sir.

I'd like to suspend the rule and add PJ Jones and his civic group to come up and speak.

Yeah.

So I'll be making a second.

PJ.

Yeah.

Good evening, Council members, and good evening to you, Mayor Whitmire.

My name is Alvina Randolph, and I am a proud honorary member of the Glenwood Forest Community Civic Club.

So, Mayor, the company is still on the table.

I'm still waiting to give you that official tour of Glenwood, but this time we'll do it in style in the new Whitmobile.

Thank you for your leadership and for investment in the security points in Glen Whip Ars.

Thank you.

Next.

All right.

My name is Kimberly Lee.

Um good afternoon, Mayor Whitmaier and Council members.

I live in the East Houston slash Glenwood Forest uh area.

I'm here today to also specifically thank the mayor and your administration for the increased efforts in helping us combat the illegal dumping in our city, but specifically the entire East Houston uh community.

And for too long, illegal dumping has felt like a losing battle, like PJ said.

Now some of our residents can come out there and sit and not feel like it's a blight or a safety uh hazard for our children and a detriment to our property values.

So we just want to thank you guys for everything that you're doing.

Thank you.

Next one.

Uh just one of the microphones.

Either one.

City councilman, uh Mayor Whitmore.

Uh my name is a kill Burns.

I'm with the pull the mic up just a little.

There you go.

My name is the Kiel Burns.

I'm with the Glenwood Forest, a civic.

Um I just basically am here to thank you for the Whitmobile.

Uh it's it's been a blessing for the community.

Uh it's been a it's been a the spike that this in was in the other areas.

It wasn't in Glenwood because I was driving.

They'll know so.

I just I thank you.

So please thank you, sir.

Appreciate you.

Next.

I think that's a back up for the calls.

BJ, is that your is that your uh neighbors?

Yes, your delegation.

Okay.

I'll meet you outside.

Ramirez has a procedural real quick.

Councilmember Maris.

Mayor, move to suspend the rules to add Alicia Sebastian and Justin Boyd to be placed after Rain Eatman on the previous one-minute agenda.

Second, all in favor say yes, those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

I'm gonna ask the mayor pro tim to preside, and I'll be back shortly.

Next speaker.

Tatiana Rapinski.

Tatiana Rapinsky.

Sheila James.

Sheila James.

Next speaker.

Ralph Kirby.

Ralph Kirby.

Next speaker.

Jennifer Johnson.

Jennifer Johnson.

To be followed by James Murphy.

Hello, Ms.

Johnson.

Hello.

Thank you for having me, Council Members.

My name is Jennifer Johnson.

I'm a resident of District C and a member of the Migration with Dignity Coalition, which is a faith-based coalition advocating for immigrants.

I'm here to ask the City Council to minimize cooperation with ICE by suspending non-safety traffic stops.

A report from the Cato Institute said that 73% of people detained by ICE have no convictions, and 95% have no violent convictions.

Suspending non-safety traffic stops will prevent our resources from going towards the threat towards nonviolent people who are just going about their daily lives and possibly subjecting them to the loss of their civil rights and their human rights that ICE has been perpetrating nationwide with their masks and unmarked cars and lack of due process.

People are losing their freedoms in extreme cases, even their lives, and we have an opportunity to mitigate that harm, and Houston should do that.

Thank you.

Thank you for being here.

Next speaker.

James Murphy.

To be followed by Pauline Troncale.

Good evening.

My name is James Murphy, and I reside in District C.

I'm here to speak out against any policies that subject our neighbors to the fear of detention, family separations, or even deportation to God knows where, simply because of their accent or appearance.

What concerns me is that way too often we hear of some new outrage or abuse related to ICE or DHS is due to error, incompetence, or intentional cruelty.

We were told the worst of the worst would be targeted, but instead, anyone in our community is at risk, including legal residents and citizens who may be wrongly identified.

I would beg you to reconsider any policies that subject our neighbors to this threat.

Thank you for listening to me.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Pauline Troncale.

To be followed by Ricca Demalibat.

Good afternoon.

I'm Pauline Troncoli, and I live in the East End.

I'm a third generation Houstonian.

We need to ask ourselves how we want to be remembered.

Are we proud of what's going on around us?

What do we want to be remembered for?

My paternal grandfather Pete came to this country from Sicily as a boy, and his job in the coal mines of Colorado was to guide the donkey that pulled the wagon full of coal.

They later moved to Houston.

On my mother's side, I found an ancestor who came here as an indentured servant.

All of them had hard lives, but they didn't have to face the ice machine.

Do we know where we came from?

Do you know where you came from?

How do we want to be remembered?

Thank you so much for listening.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

If you refrain from clapping, can we ask everyone to not clap in between the speakers, please?

Not clap in between the speakers.

Ricca De Malabot.

Good evening, Counselors.

My name is Sister Rika Dimalibot.

I am a member of the Sisters of Charity Reincarnate Word, and I live in District 1 in East End.

I speak tonight with a migration with dignity coalition.

I am here to encourage you to be proactive in protecting the rights of our immigrant brothers and sisters in our city.

This is one of the most important issues facing our city today in a phase of increasing and deeply troubling overreach of ICE and DHS.

We must do more to ensure their actions, often illegal and unconstitutional, do not overshadow the mission of our local law enforcement.

To establish trust and cooperation between our city's police and all of its residents, I urge you to untangle HBD's alliance with ICE and ensure the safety and dignity of all Eustonians.

Thank you.

Thank you, sister.

We appreciate you being here.

Next speaker.

Catherine Catherine Guthrie.

Catherine Guthrie.

Catherine Guthrie.

To be followed by to be followed by Taylor Brown.

Hello, Ms.

Guthrie.

My name is Catherine Guthrie.

I'm with uh Joaquin Martinez's district.

And um I live in the East End.

I'm here with uh Trinity Church, Episcopal Church.

I remember when I was a young girl and how we went and did a Halloween trick-or-treat with the policeman.

He gave us five cents.

We weren't scared of the policeman.

And I worry about children now that will start beingcome really scared and fearful of law enforcement.

Um, especially if we use our Houston police you know sources to help with ice.

I worry about schools because I was occupational therapist in the school district for 40 years.

It used to be sacred spaces.

I worked with early childhood intervention where I did go into homes of immigrants.

Again, I worry about this the state of our children and how the fear and the hatred that is coming with this ice, and also with the police department working with non uh safety issues.

Your time has expired.

Thank you.

Thank you for being here.

Next speaker.

Taylor Brown.

To be followed by Jolan Jolanda Jones.

Hello, I'm Taylor Brown.

I'm a resident of District K.

I'm a registered nurse in the city, um, a native Houstonian who moved back to the city.

I received my degrees in this city.

Um, but as someone who's newly engaged, who's growing up, who has would like to start a family, I cannot in good consciousness give birth and raise children in the city, and I say this as a nurse who takes care of women in C sections.

Um I have noticed an increase in my patients being scared to speak to me openly.

I've noticed an increase in my patients being dishonest.

Um, and then you go through their records and you find out information that explains why.

And as a black woman in this city, um who has lived in this city, who grew up in this city, I have noticed just a continuing downturn in the energy in this city.

And yes, I follow and agree with everyone else who is here for the same reasons in terms of getting HPD to stop.

You know what we are here for.

We have said these at the last.

This is not my first time speaking here, and we will continue to say this.

I actually just want to also point out that I found it extremely disrespectful last time for the meeting to be adjourned to the time.

Because you disliked what people were saying to you.

This is the only avenue that we legally have to speak to you in front of you.

I cannot leave work early because I do not like my patients.

I have been spat on, call slurs, slapped.

Thank you, thank you, Miss Shop.

So I encourage you all to actually deeply listen to what these people are saying to you, regardless of what other private interests you may have, regardless of how you may feel about what people are saying to you.

I woke up early this morning, went to work, got gas to come here.

Thank you for showing up to work for tomorrow.

And I expect the same from my I voted yesterday after work.

I continue to vote in every election.

Everyone else here deserves to be heard and not just to be heard, to have action put behind your words.

Thank you, Ms.

Brown.

We appreciate you.

And I feel like this is dead.

Thank you for being here.

Next speaker.

Honorable Jolanda Jones.

To be followed by Emily Chapman.

Either one.

Either one canor pro Tim, Council members.

Uh my name is Johanda Jones.

I'm the state representative for House District 147.

And I used to also used to sit right there, or Councilmember Davis is.

But that's neither here nor there.

I'm here regarding the proposed replat involving 5204 Live Oak and the contiguous parcels along Southmore.

And I'm here because the law, the deed restrictions, and the people of Riverside Terrace are all being ignored.

I had to intend to say this first, but I made a public information request because I was told to as a councilman, as a state rep that I had to go through channels of like citizens and not governmental relations to request information.

And so I want for the record to show that Dorian Powell Fligham, PH L E G M has not responded to my request for information of public information.

And I'm offended by that.

In any case, first, Riverside Terrace has recorded deed restrictions, and they control the property.

Shall is mandatory language.

It's not permissive.

It's not optional.

These restrictions automatically renew every 15 years unless terminated by the fee simple owners of at least 75% of the frontage through a written instrument filed at least five years in advance.

That has not been done.

There's no evidence that such a termination instrument was ever recorded.

That means the deed restrictions remain binding today.

A convenience store gas station and alcohol sales directly violate the mandatory residential use protections that govern Riverside Terrace, and a replat does not erase private property rights and law.

And let me address something directly.

I understand that somewhere in the city there, I've heard people say that this is not a deed restricted neighborhood.

Second, this proposal is not compliant with Chapter 42.

What is being presented as a technical replat is anything but technical.

The applicant is carving out a small live oak portion of a multiple contiguous parcels, including 2532 Southmore, 5210 Live Oak, and I think there's at least one other address.

In any case, I'm gonna I'm gonna cut to the chase.

Our neighborhood does not want this.

These are our homes.

I'm hotter than I'm out.

I'll stop.

Yes, Council.

Thank you, Mayor Mayor Pro Tim, and good afternoon to everyone.

You can have my minute.

Thank you.

Let me say this.

We live in these homes.

I bought my house in 1997.

It's only supposed to be residential.

And it seems like the city is hell-bent on allowing them to put a convenience or gas station, which increases crime, people urinating our yards, have sex in our yards, leave trash in our yards with convenience store gas stations.

And it is offensive.

Thank you.

I appreciate you.

And we are not going away.

We're going to show up to the March 5th Planning Commission meeting, uh, which I'm asking you guys to move because this needs to be investigated, and the planning department needs to respond to public uh information requests.

Have you talked to uh the council member in D because she can have that deferred?

She's in Washington, D.C.

right now.

Okay, we can get the we can we can make in a request to a request to have it deferred.

And Randy, who is the the city attorney for their area, it's great.

Uh no, this wouldn't, they wouldn't have a city attorney for the area, it goes through um real estate, and I think planning is looking at it right now and has outside counsel looking at it.

Okay.

I'll do I'll circle back with council member um Shabazz and see who which attorney is working on it, and we can get that deferred so that y'all can uh be prepared for the planning meeting.

And they're literally going out of their way to avoid having to do a variance.

Okay.

And once and if if you do if you do grant this replant, you're gonna turn this into an Ashby High Rise situation where the city didn't do the due diligence prior, and now they have a big old high rise in a neighborhood that's only two, where the most houses are only two stories.

Okay.

Thank you.

We see.

Thank you, State Rev.

We'll we'll follow up with your council member as well.

Next speaker.

Emily Chapman.

Emily Chapman.

To be followed by Hannah Romero.

Thank you, Ms.

Chapman.

Good evening.

My name is Emily Chapman.

I live in District C in the Montrose area and serve as senior pastor at St.

Mark's United Methodist Church, uh, which is in the heights in District H.

As an 18-year Houstonian, most of my favorite things about our city exist because of our city's immigrant communities.

And my faith demands that I care about the dignity of immigrants, a care shared by many Houstonians of all faiths and none at all.

So this time in our country demands our courage and transformation.

And so as Houston's leaders, I am here today to plead with you to do everything that you can to protect the immigrants that make our city great.

In particular, today I ask you to remove HPD from non non-safety traffic stops that do not address the root issues of crime and instead send non-violent individuals into for-profit prison systems.

Ending non-traffic safety stops would benefit our communities while limiting harms to on the ground law enforcement officers.

I thank you for your time, your care, your compassion, and tell you that you are in my and my church's prayers as you lead us.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Chapman.

Next speaker.

Hannah Romero.

Hannah Romero.

To be followed by.

To be followed by Eileen McGivers.

Either one is fine.

Hi, my name is Hannah Atkins Romero, and I'm the rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Houston.

I've been the rector there for 19 years.

And I come with the Migration with Dignity Coalition to ask for Houston Police Department to begin a process of diminishing or eradicating the non-safety traffic stops because we've sent you all kinds of information about the statistics about how those non-safety traffic stops lead to collusion with ice and when the when the Houston Police Department think that the people driving don't have the right documents.

We're gonna hear more from us.

We're organizing Baptists, Roman Catholics, uh evangelicals, Methodists, all over.

We started with one, we have 20 here tonight, and we're gonna keep on going.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

To be followed by Samuel Jesse.

Good afternoon.

My name is Eileen McKeevers, and I am a district E resident, a Quaker, and the daughter of two immigrants who cares deeply for the well-being and safety of my community.

And today I am here to urge you, like everyone else, to remove HPD from non-safety traffic stops and put an end to HPD collaboration with ICE.

HPD collaboration with ICE is actively destructive to immigrant communities across our city and creates a culture of fear and mistrust.

Being undocumented is not a criminal offense.

And I'll say that again.

Pulling someone over because they can't afford to fix a broken windshield and then immediately calling ICE does much more to punish the most marginalized in our communities than help keep our roads safe.

Again, I urge you to remove HPD from non-safety traffic stops and put an immediate and permanent end to HPD collaboration with ICE.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Samuel Jesse.

Samuel Jesse.

Next speaker.

Luke Chisholm.

Luke Chisholm.

To be followed by Kane Kihano.

My name is Luke Chisholm, and I'm a Houston resident.

Today I am imploring HPD to abstain from non-safety traffic stops and end their collaboration with ICE.

ICE is participating in a reign of violence in American communities, and HPD is cooperating with them.

Further portraying any notion that our police are meant to improve the safety of our people.

Being undocumented is not a criminal offense, and disrupting our roads and our communities toward court struggling and marginalized individuals, sort of to the one of the largest military forces in the world to benefit the interests of authoritarian parties is simply cruel.

These actions destroy families and the future well-being of our society.

If any integrity exists in HPD, they need to remove officers from non-safety traffic stops in collaboration with ICE.

Thank you for being here.

Next speaker.

Kane Quihano.

Kane Kihano.

Kane Kihano.

Next speaker.

Maria Bautista.

Maria Bautista.

To be followed by Lindsay Burroughs.

Good evening.

My name is Maria Teresa Baltista Vejos, and I serve as a priest at Trinity Episcopal Church and a resident of District K.

I come to you tonight not as just not just not as clergy, but as an Afro-Latina woman, the daughter of two naturalized citizens and the wife of an elementary school teacher who watches the students struggle each day afraid their parents won't be there to pick them up.

He has lost already four students due to deportations.

This isn't fair to our teachers nor students.

This is what non-safety traffic stops does and what ICE collaboration does to our communities.

They're not making anyone feel safer.

They're making us afraid.

Thank you for being here.

Next speaker.

Lindsay Burroughs.

Lindsay Burroughs.

To be followed by Adrian Ameasquita.

Good evening.

My name is Lindsay Burroughs.

I am here tonight urging you to end non-safety traffic stops.

These stops are literally just harming our community, and they do not contribute to making our neighborhoods safer.

They are a waste of time and tax dollars.

Per HPD's own reporting, they rarely resort result in any arrest or finding contraband or anything even remotely useful.

Rather than non-safety traffic stops, and they increase the risk to our community disproportionately, our black and brown community members.

The frequency and amount of time spent on these non-safety traffic stops only contribute to the distrust Houston has towards our police officers.

Council members, please end the non-safety traffic stops and stop the harassment of your constituents, your friends, your family, and your neighbors.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Adrian Amasquita.

To be followed by Samantha Rainman.

Good evening.

How are you?

Pretty good.

I'm here representing the largest Hispanic pastoral network in our city with more than 130 churches united in faith and service.

I respectfully urged to limit cooperation with ICE.

Those who commit crimes should be indeed held accountable and removed, but the good, hardworking people in our communities deserve the opportunity to remain here, to live in peace and to build a future for their families without fear.

Let us choose compassion alongside justice and humanity alongside law.

Our communities flourish when dignity, mercy, and wisdom guide our decisions.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir, for being here.

If we can refrain from clapping in between speakers, that would be helpful for us to keep the meeting moving.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Samantha Rainman.

Samantha Raymond.

Samantha Raymond.

Next speaker.

Max Emiliano Diaz.

Maximiliano Diaz.

To be followed by Destiny Planter.

Hello, Mr.

Diaz.

Hi.

My name's Maximiliano Diaz.

I am the son of an immigrant, married to one, and a Houston resident.

I am disgusted by the city.

Uh choosing to ignore the will of the people.

I have immigrant family who is already scared as it is, and this is a betrayal to them and to the rest of the people of the city.

I've heard the excuses by the City Council, but SB4 states that local law enforcement is required to comply with valid ICE detainers, not ICE administrative warrants.

Stop HPD collaboration with ICE and end the non-safety traffic stops.

Thank you for being here.

Next speaker.

Destiny Planter.

Thank you more.

To be followed by Brittany Francis.

My name is Destiny Planter.

I'm a civil rights attorney at People's Council, which is a small but mighty nonprofit organization that believes that every survivor of police violence deserves an advocate.

And so we are those advocates.

We litigate, we investigate, and we advocate.

And through our work, we have seen the horrors of non-safety traffic stops.

We have seen people pulled over for small things, and then the situation escalates dramatically.

I have cases right now where clients have had their rights violated.

They have been attacked, they have been brutalized.

So the stories are clear.

The data is clear.

Non-safety traffic stops do not keep black and brown people, people who look like me, people who live in Houston safe.

Let's do something about it.

Britney Francis.

To be followed by Maureen O'Connell.

Good evening, Council.

My name is Brittany Francis.

Yes.

Good evening, Council.

My name is Brittany Francis, and I am executive director of People's Council.

And I'm here with my colleague, Destiny Planter.

I'm also the proud daughter of immigrants.

Every week, my office speaks with Houston residents who have been brutalized by police officers, by the very people who are supposed to be protecting them.

And the tragedy of my job is that I'm almost always too late.

I can fight for accountability, but I can't turn back time.

In a driving city like Houston, traffic stops are the most frequent interaction between community members and the police.

And so quickly, a low-level infraction turns into someone losing their life, whether it's on the side of the road, in Harris County jail, or in an ICE detention facility.

It's heartbreaking, and it doesn't have to be this way.

Comprehensive national studies have demonstrated that no matter how many times people are pulled over for traffic infractions, it does not improve the safety of our roadways.

We have a moral and a constitutional obligation to protect our neighbors by ending non-safety traffic stops.

Thank you.

Good evening, thank you.

I'm Sister Maureen O'Connell, a Dominican sister, a resident of District G, and a member of the migration with dignity group.

I'm here tonight to raise my concerns for the people of our community who are being traumatized by the Federal Government's approach to immigration.

I'm hesitant to use the term collateral damage.

But it's the best way to describe the trauma I fear that our police officers and their families are experiencing when they are expected to collaborate with ICE in identifying and detaining our immigrant sisters and brothers.

I hope that we might already understand the stress that these women and men experience in their everyday assignments and the stress their families experience when mom or dad leave for work.

However, given the current climate in this country and the perception that many have about one might whether one should trust a police officer.

I cannot help but think the trauma experienced by our immigrant brothers and sisters spills over to all of us, and particularly our law enforcement officers who pledge to serve and protect your time has expired.

But not to participate in activities that disregard constitutional rights and sidestep the law.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, ma'am.

Camilla Amador.

To be followed by Kofi Taharko.

Good afternoon.

My name is Camilla Galena Maret, and I am a 16-year-old student in Houston.

Here in Houston, I'm here to ask you to you all to please revise HPD General Order 5005.

Right now it says officers shall contact ICE after a possible hit, even during non-safety traffic stops, and not one word shall turn ordinary encounters into gateway to deportation and this year follow students into schools.

As a student in HISD, I have witnessed classrooms become places of anxiety instead of learning.

I plead with you all to use the power that you do have to revise the order and edit shall to May.

And make clear that immigration enforcement does not belong in or near schools.

Houston's youth deserve classrooms, not checkpoints.

And I refuse to keep walking into classrooms with empty seats.

Thank you.

Kofi Taharka to be followed by Marie Alcazar.

Yes, uh, I am Kofi Taharka of the privilege, the honor, and the responsibility of being the national chairman of the National Black United Front.

We are located within 300 feet of this proposed gas station.

I have a petition I'd like to distribute to you to the right.

We help turn a crack house into a community-based organization.

We have a long track record.

The question we have is, Mayor Whitmire and Council people, will you stand with us against this attack by these parasitic ruthless developers on our historic neighborhood?

Mr.

Coffey, thank you for coming today.

I know that um Ingram from uh District D is here.

Um, and we heard also from State Representative Jolanda Jolanda Jones.

Um, so I know that the um District D office is going to work on a deferral so we can get more information about your uh D restrictions and also go through the legal process to see what can be done.

Um so what you are saying is not falling on deaf ears.

We have a very similar situation in District K with a lot of um gas stations going on every corner.

Um we have gone through the process of ARA and tried to um do a moratorium uh with Texas being such a strong property rights state.

It's it's been very difficult.

But I will tell you that we will um definitely work with the District uh D office to see if we can get that deferral and make sure we go through the entire process with your community as well.

All right.

Um is it possible that my neighbors uh who are here to speak on this issue be able to come up with community?

What's the next name?

What's their name?

Do you have it?

Uh there's a lot of them back there.

Yeah, we'll we'll accommodate.

We will call them up to the next one.

One of the things that I mentioned, Brother Pastor Councilman, is that we have been engaged in some of these fights with the city for decades, even going back to the great Limwood Johnson and Allen Parkway village in Freedmanstown.

And we are calling on you to stand with us in a very nice civilized manner against these parasitic roofless developers because we know how ruthless they are.

We're actually starting with the owner of the property.

We've had contact.

It's a senior citizen that's had the property in her family for years.

So we're actually communicating with her.

But uh as the Mayor Pro Tim says, we've got to prop follow the process.

But certainly our understanding of the community concern is very much on our minds.

So thank you for being here.

It makes a difference.

It gives us the momentum we need, but we've got to go through the process, or we'll all end up in court, which might be an option.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I don't have a reader.

Do we don't we do this?

It's a little out of order, but by that subject matter, why don't you come up one at a time and speak and we'll find you on the speaker's list if I hope uh those that we're jumping in front of understand.

I think it's consistent with us being able to hear it by subject tonight for sure.

Hello, my name is State your name, state your name, who you're name.

Ronald Thomas, and I live in the Riverside Terrace neighborhood.

In my professional experience, when issues arise, we conduct a roof cause analysis to identify the underlying problem.

Riverside Terrace has a problem.

In less than 800 yards from Southmort Almeda to Sophomore and LIBO, we have three stop and rob stores.

You call them convenience stores.

One is basically a liquor store and a smoke shop.

The remaining two, you get hassled by panhandlers.

And next, at 511 5511 emancipation at Sophomore, there's a halfway house of all male residents who are, it seems to be a halfway house, because that's all that's there.

At 2505 Southmore, there's a mental health institute.

It's owned by Harris County.

How did that get there?

At 2412, there is a Southmore, there's a dilapidated, dimly run apartment complex that is the seat of crime, prostitution, drugs, panhandling, and homelessness in District D.

And now we're going to get a fourth stop and rob.

That's less than a mile.

Exactly between Almeida and Livo.

I urge you to stop this abomination.

We should not have this in our neighborhood.

I looked at the map.

It's not West going on Bisonette.

It's not in River Oaks.

It's not in Tanglewood.

It's not in those affluent neighborhoods.

Riverside Terror should not be subjected to this.

Thank you for listening to my plea.

Thank you.

Next.

Please state your name.

Yes, sir.

Good afternoon.

My name is Jamila Glover Heard.

I want to thank the council members who came out to our meeting last Friday and show support for us.

Harris County has a director of economic development posting right now specifically for precinct two that talks about attracting new businesses.

So one thing that I'm interested in is learning how the city's City of Houston's economic development department, how does it partner with businesses that want to come to the community?

I would like to know who I can contact for more information, because I am not against development, but we want things that add value to our community and not just to the business owners.

So I know that we have tourist dollars.

I have contacted and actually participated on the TURF 7, which is what our neighborhood, Riverside, is a part of.

And I will meet with them separately.

But again, I know the City of Houston has the economic development department.

I want to know how are those funds distributed by districts and what is being done, what is the strategy initiatives that are available to us.

Very good.

Why don't you talk to my chief staff?

Cynthia, will you visit Slate and range for her to talk to Economic Development Director?

Okay.

Next.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

My name is Sharon Evans Brooks, and on behalf of 5,000 households and representing six civic associations in McGregor Super neighborhood, Tamar Bell wasn't got caught up in traffic and missed when her name was called.

But I'm here to raise your awareness of the proposed gas station, which you are already aware of.

And my prior neighbor pointed out that this uh corridor is a hot spot uh for criminal activity.

So we understand that in the absence of zoning, Houston's neighborhoods, especially in historic neighborhoods, we're dying.

We are victims of the wild, wild west of developers who brazenly play loose with ordinances and could care less about the wreckage they dump into our neighborhoods.

Developers are keenly aware that the City of Houston investigation re investigators and resources are stretched thin, often seemingly rubber stamping applications for replat and certain certainly for occupancy permits without performing their due diligence required by the ordinance.

In this instance, we stakeholders implore every council member on planning to look closely, investigate, and ask really tough pointed questions.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Councilman Davis.

Ms.

Brooks.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you for coming.

And as you know, we was a part of the meeting that has been taking place since last Friday.

Our town hall meeting in Riverside.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

And as a resident that myself, let me ask you the question in many those that are coming behind you.

How do what is your opinion about a zoning zoning?

We know it's come up on the ballot several times.

I can I kid you not.

We have received so many calls from stakeholders and residents in each and every one of your districts, barring one, because we've kept the tally.

And everyone to the man and to the woman say we've got to get zoning in the city of Houston.

So you think that if that initiative was put back in place, are you confident to believe that other people that don't live in Riverside or McGregor Terrace would jump on board with zone?

Absolutely.

It's it's personal to us because it's our homes that align and abut them, but it's happening throughout the city, and all of your all of your constituents are calling and talking about it.

Yes, sir.

I think there's a way to get it done without their interrupting development, but at part of the world development.

Absolutely.

But as they say all money ain't good money, and all developments, not good development.

Okay.

Thank you for coming.

Thank you.

State your name.

Good evening.

My name is Nick Saunders.

I live at Live Oak and Oakdale Streets with my wife, my 83-year-old father directly behind this proposed gas station.

If this development proceeds, our home becomes unsellable.

As a disabled combat veteran with burn pit exposure, the carcinogens terrify me.

We'll be the ground zero for crime, noise, and light pollution.

But here's what's also real the strength of our community.

Because of the proximity to the pro proposed gas station, my family has become the community hub in this fight, and what we've witnessed is remarkable.

Tangible personal support from neighbors, from civic groups, and elected officials.

We've seen firsthand how strong Riverside Terrace is.

Together, we have the professional skills, the knowledge, and the liquid capital to mount an effective defense of our neighborhood.

So let me be clear to the developer if they're here.

This is not a battle you will win.

We are prepared to fight and make this a highly visible issue across Houston.

To City Council and Mayor Whitmire, please know that we are all single issue voters on this.

So please stand with us and help us block the gas station.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next.

Oh, Councilman Maris.

That's fine, sir.

Thank you.

Councilman Maris on procedure.

Yes, Mayor.

Procedural motion to add Sarah Sayed to the bottom of the first page.

Below Callista Herbert.

Thank you.

Very good.

Oh, motions made.

Seconded.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed to nine motion answers.

Yes, ma'am.

Good evening.

My name is Julia Saunders, and I'm here to strongly oppose the proposed gas station and convenience store directly behind my home on the corner of Southmore and Live Oak.

This development presents serious safety concerns, including increased traffic hazard, late night activity, and a higher risk of crime.

It also introduces health health risks from air pollution and water pollutants to persistent noise, none of which belongs in a residential neighborhood.

Let me be clear.

This is a residential neighborhood.

Beyond safety and health, a project like this would inevitably lower surrounding property values, harming homeowners who have invested their lives and their savings into this community.

Additionally, there are multiple issues of the developers' proposal, including omissions in the replat application and a disregard to deed restrictions that govern this property.

For me and for many residents, this is a one-issue voting concern.

Any Houston City member who has the ability to stop this and does not stop this will not receive my vote.

We expect responsible leadership that protects its residents, not developers.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council.

My name is Maya Ford.

I reside on Oakdale Street on the neighbor of the Saunders.

And in reminding uh you all that the residents of this city really del deserve to not be a part of speculative developers.

We deserve to be served by you all.

Particularly this development seems disingenuous because there are loopholes at play that were expected that we wouldn't understand better, but we do.

And we are mandating that this has not only the solution for our community, but for communities like ours.

We mandate trust, clarity, and actual completion of what happens to make sure that our communities are safe.

And when that happens, then we are a better Houston together.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Councilman Pollard.

Thank you for coming forward.

Good to see you, sir.

So you mentioned loopholes at play.

Can you elaborate a little more on that?

Specifically in the application, there's one portion of the application for replat that's on a residential street, but it completely avoids the main thoroughfare, which is on Southmore.

And to put it on the residential side, it allows it to go through without any variance.

But if they were to put it on Southmore, there would be variances.

So it's disingenuous.

If you expect us to be able to come and to make decisions about how we pay our taxes, how we keep our communities clean, that's great.

But we also deserve to have honest, thorough information about our health and safety.

We also know that through that replat, it introduces very harmful components like benzene into the community.

We have a ton of kids, Houston's future in this neighborhood, and so we're not dumb enough to just go for the oaky doke.

I agree with you.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, ma'am.

Next.

Good afternoon.

I'm Travis McGee, Southwalk Super Neighborhood President, Sandy Science Civic Leader.

Okay.

We have different addresses of the same problems.

Pretty soon we're going to have more gas stations and churches in our neighborhood.

Some people look at their back wheel and they have a gas station in their backyard.

Some people look on the side of the house, they have a gas station in their backyard.

Yes, we do need zoning.

We need zone zoning as soon as possible.

Most of the undesibles, the ISOs, the bad business, the vibe in the issues are all dumped in black and brown communities.

That's factual information.

But my question is who's giving the permits out?

Even with D restrictions.

If that developer got big pockets, they don't care about D-rescriptions.

So we need the city to step in and help us with this.

I mean, it makes no sense.

The junkyards, the environmental issues, the crushed concrete plants, anything you name, they are dumped in black and brown neighborhoods.

We have some of the worst air quality in the Sanny Sas South Park area.

And we are still putting these commercial trucks, and I also need to know the time has expired.

Is the owner answer for this variants to develop?

And if so, who's granting it?

Good job.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you.

Next.

Hi, my name is Jason Poland, and I live across the street from the fuel depot, Southmore Replat.

A convenience store gas station does not belong in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

The congestion and on-street parking along Southmore and Live Oak is already so bad.

My neighbor worries of an ambulance will be able to reach her during an emergency.

Responsible development does not make citizens fear for their lives.

Peer-reviewed studies prove that children living within 300 feet of gas stations are twice as likely to develop leukemia and lifelong respiratory disabilities.

This gas station is literally in our backyards, ground zero, tripling the likelihood of cancer and chronic diseases for my neighbors and their children.

Please deny the fuel depot Southmore Replat.

Furthermore, I fully support an ordinance that would protect our families' health by strengthening the distance requirements between gas stations and sensitive locations like homes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, hi, my name is Tatiana Rapinski.

I'm from the sixth ward.

I came here a few months ago to speak out against a gas station that was planned to be built just feet from homes in our our neighborhood.

As you can see, it's happening now in the third ward.

There is currently a proposed ordinance that would set minimum distance requirements between gas stations and homes.

It's currently with the administration, and we urge you all to continue advocating for this to keep moving it forward.

This is a public health concern.

Underground storage tanks expose residents living next to them to benzene, which can cause cancer.

And we're asking you to take action to protect our families.

We need a permanent solution for the third ward for the sixth ward and for all Houstonians.

Please keep moving this forward.

Thank you.

Ma'am.

Ma'am.

Ms.

Rapinski.

Councilman Castillo.

Thank you, Mayor and Tatiana.

Thank you for coming down here to highlight that this is also impacting neighborhoods in District H as throughout the city.

Thank you.

Next.

Marie Alcazar.

Samuel Wagner.

To be followed by Jan Fourney.

Hello.

I'm I'm Sam Wagner.

I uh live in the Midtown area, and I'm here to ask for uh the Austin Street bike lane to be reconstructed south of Gray Street.

Uh I was recently read that uh the Houston Parks Board is um well on the Houston Parks Board that they are extending the Bayou trails from Austin at the end up to the White Oak Bayou uh the White Oak Bayou trails.

And so it feels like we're undermining a lot of our parks investment if we don't have a safe way to get to the parks from the neighborhoods.

And so before it was ripped out, Austin Street was basically the spine through the center of the city, and it made a great route to get to both the north side neighborhoods and allow the north side to come down to get to uh Herman Park on the south on on in the middle of the city.

And so now that Austin Street is gone, we we don't have a safe route to go between those areas.

And it would I'm just I'm asking that the city reconsider its decision to rip out the bike lane and put it back in so that we have our safe route through the city again.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, Jan Forney.

Oh, to be followed by Callista Herbert.

Hello, City Council.

Hi, um, my name is Jan Fourney.

I live in the Montrose area.

This is a time in our country when it's really about our ethics and about what one woman said trust and rebuilding our connection in in the city to protect one another.

And so uh what I want to point out, though, is we did dealt with this once before.

It was in 2017 when we had to deal with SB4, and the City Council was supportive, and the mayor was supportive, and they found ways to prevent a child detention center from being here in downtown.

They as before, they fought against it, but it was passed anyways.

We've been here before, and that was a long time ago.

It's only getting worse.

We've seen people hurt, we've seen unconscionable inhuman things happen.

So what I want to point out, and this is not to be this is to point out there's risk on all sides here.

There's one, we ought to be good human beings for each other with each other.

Two, there's a liability for the city.

And I'm going to be looking for lawyers to press that case.

There's liability for uh time for ice following.

I had two minutes, that was two minutes.

Ice following the rule of law, HP HPD following the rule of law, um, you know, arresting people in masks, busting down doors, hurting people.

That's illegal.

That's unconstitutional.

Search and seizure, constitutional amendment four, human rights, and citizen rights.

And none of those are being followed in other cities.

Meanwhile, we have a pipeline coming from Minneapolis through Houston that's tripled after the two deaths.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

So my point is the city and you need a little group.

Uh, your lawyers and your a little group to form and protect if any children disappear.

I'm gonna be back.

Okay, thank you.

I've been very generous.

Hello, my name is Callista Schneido Herbert.

I'm a resident of District C and a member of the Migration with Dignity Coalition.

I'm also a native Houstonian, and I love my city and the great diversity of people, cultures, ideas, businesses, and customs which we have.

And I want all of our residents to be safe, all of the residents of this great city to be safe, including the undocumented immigrants who are our friends, our neighbors, our workers, and our colleagues.

I am in agreement with the group that is here to ask you to end non-safety traffic stops.

These are stops for non-tinted windows or for tinted windows, cracked windshields, and expired registrations.

A majority of calls to ice are initiated during these non-safety traffic call stops.

Since 2002, there have been more than 2600 immigrant drivers who have been deported for these non-safety traffic stops.

I think we all understand that the need to deport criminals of serious crimes, this non-safety staff traffic stops are not they.

Sarah Sayayet.

To be followed by Sarah Riemann, good evening.

I serve as the policy manager for Woody Juntos.

I'm here at City Council to urge council members to demand full transparency regarding interactions between our local police and ICE.

And I'm saying this in language.

Houston is home to 145 languages.

Our community deserves a clear, publicly available workflow explaining exactly when and how ICE becomes involved after an encounter.

After an encounter.

Under what circumstances are they notified?

Who makes that decision?

Is it automatic for certain arrests or discretionary?

What happens if someone is held, transferred or released?

And how is each step documented?

People who don't speak English don't know what's going on.

And verbally telling somebody a workflow is not the same as releasing it publicly and having it available to people in language.

Transparency is not about politics.

It's about accountability and trust.

Without written protocols and public reporting, residents are left uncertain about their rights and fearful of unseen processes.

If we want trust between the community and law enforcement, the process must be clear.

Thank you.

Sarah Raymond.

To be followed by Felix Kapoor.

Yo, what's up, City Council?

My name is Sarah.

I'm a teacher and an artist.

I live here.

When I think about reimagining safety for everyone, I don't think of the carceral mass surveillance or willian apparatus that currently looms over Houston.

Something as simple as traffic stops, especially non-safety traffic stops is a civil rights issue.

Every traffic stop is the product of systems and policies that magnify racial and class inequalities.

And analysis and research on HPD data since 2023 has shown a steady increase on use of force and rates of arrest on out of non-safety traffic stops, especially with black and Latino drivers facing the brunt of brutality at the hands of HPD, which if you look at their hands, it's there's a lot of blood on there.

Non-safety traffic stops only support of violent racist police force and ICE and non-safety traffic stops, you know, and them and and ICE collaboration with HPD.

Um it's really simple from what everyone else has been saying here, and you know, only then we can reimagine safety for everyone.

Thank you.

Felix Kapoor.

To be followed by Jess Bieler.

Good evening, Council.

Uh I'm Felix Kapoor, lifelong resident of Houston and current resident of District I.

Um, I just want to share one story.

Uh about three months ago, there were ICE agents in a really, really small apartment complex close to my house.

I was called by a friend to go and help support some of the neighbors over there.

There was people who couldn't leave their house.

There was people who had to call sick in to work.

There was people that I personally had to drive out of the complex so they could pick up their kids.

There's people we had to walk their kids to a bus stop so they could go to school.

If that's not enough to get the city to actually just make a proclamation, let alone do something like do something radical, like end traffic safety stops, um, then I don't I don't know what is.

Most of counsel here is from immigrant families.

And if that's not enough for y'all to stand up to this government and what's going on in the invasion happening.

Your time has expired.

That's pretty spineless.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Jess Spieler.

Earl Weiler.

Claire Johnson.

To be followed by Isaiah Lopez.

Uh do I just speak, I guess.

Uh my name is Claire.

Um I am a resident of Houston for 15 years.

I live in District A.

I think like a lot of people here, I'm very disturbed.

Um, being seven months pregnant, bringing a child into the city, seeing what's happening, seeing what's not happening.

Um it's very frightening.

Um I think that what we've heard from City Council around uh requirements to collaborate with ICE is honestly, it's just lies.

Um these laws are very controversial to begin with.

Um they are not clear in that you have to collaborate with ICE in this way, especially in non-safety traffic um violations.

Um I've heard some interviews from some lawyers, some different immigrant advocacy groups that you know are a lot more informed than I am on this topic, but it is clear that what is coming out of City Council is not is not concrete.

And I urge you to do more.

Your time has expired.

Isaiah Lopez.

Michelle Leon.

To be followed by Andrea Rapier.

Good evening, Mayor Whitmeyer and City Council members.

Good evening, Mayor Whitmeyer and City Council members.

I am a more a member of Memorial, Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church and the Migration Dignity Coalition.

As you have heard earlier, there have been over 2600 immigrant drivers here who have been deported due to police stops for infractions as small as a broken light tail light.

I am here this evening to ask you to end these non-safety traffic stop violations altogether, as these stops disproportionately affect black, brown, and low-income immigrant populations.

The results of a 2025 annual Houston Police Department racial profiling report indicate that as many as 7,000 traffic violations in 2025, 84 percent were committed by people of color for something as small as that broken tail light, cracked windshield, or an expired inspection ticket.

Data shows these stops rarely make roads safer, but instead lead to racial disparities and loss of trust in police.

Your time has expired.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor, Council members.

I'm Andrea Rapier.

I am an immigrant, a U.S.

Army veteran, a Houston as of a year ago, and I am a child of immigrants, documented ones.

The emotional appeals that have been made here today does not excuse the rule of law.

The agreement 287G protects our community from ICE invasion.

It is not a violation of our community.

It is actually protection of our community.

Because the traffic stops actually intercepts the movement of undocumented criminals before they hide in our neighborhoods.

There is also an economic consequence to not upholding this ICE agreement with HPD, and also by removing the policing of minor traffic violations.

Your time has expired.

Jeremy Peel.

ICE pays 100% of the salaries of deputized HPD officers.

Ma'am, your time is up.

I'm sorry.

Okay.

Martha.

Just a second, ma'am.

Next.

Jeremy Peel.

To be followed by Connor Schultz.

Good evening, Council.

My name is Jeremy Peel.

I'm an attorney living in District C, and I'm here to speak on uh HPD's collaboration with ICE.

The Fifth Circuit has held Senate Bill 4 is a is constitutional.

Therefore, I'm not asking you to violate the law.

I'm asking you to follow it without violating constitutional rights.

The Fourth Amendment prohibits prolonging detention without suspicion of a crime.

An ICE administrative warrant is civil, not criminal.

Effending a stop for that reason is unlawful detention under Supreme Court precedent.

HPD should not be go looking for ICE administrative warrants or extending stops to wait for ICE.

Officers should focus on public safety, not civil immigration enforcement.

Due process applies to everyone regardless of immigration status.

Today I urge council, this council to protect our neighbors, protect due process, protect the constitutional rights of all people in this city, not just U.S.

citizens with voting rights.

Unless the city wants to legally defend their unconstitutional practices.

I urge this council to adopt a policy that protects the constitutional rights of immigrants.

Thank you.

I'd like to ask me at the final.

Please, please.

We're having a good session.

Please cooperate and let's keep going forward.

But the rules really do ask you not to applaud because it eats up some of our productive time.

So please follow the rules and let's have a good session.

Next.

Connell Schultz.

To be followed by Cody Zale.

Good evening.

My name is Connor Schultz, and I'm speaking here on behalf of Rice University's International Student Body.

And we have been a target over the last year from visa terminations and student intimidation by immigration enforcement.

I ask of you to end HPD's non-safety traffic stops and cancel our city's collaboration with ICE.

You have an obligation to protect Houstonians, and you choose to be complicit in these inhumane attacks.

Whereas other cities across the nation are standing up to these violations of our rights.

Students have a right to an education without fear of deportation.

Thank you.

Cody Zail.

To be followed by Jasmine Katamagmori.

Hello.

Hello, my name is Cody Zoe, UH student and Houston DSA member.

Joaquin Martinez is my representative.

Simply put, this collaboration with ICE has to end.

For over a year, non-safety traffic stops have been a funnel from day-to-day interactions with local law enforcement to indefinite ICE detainment.

Houston residents are having their rights violated daily.

Being stopped for a busted taillight does not give HPD a right to illegally hold Houston residents for hours and forcefully hand them off to predatory the predatory agency that is ICE.

Community members have been here month after month demanding justice for Houston's immigrant community.

Follow through with the demands of the Houston Leeds Coalition and take a stand.

Also, the absolute annoying setup of these meetings and even the early ending of the last meeting is just absurd.

I don't know why y'all are so allergic to actually listening to community members, but it has to stop.

I mean, literally, how are we actually seeing Houston residents have their rights violated daily?

And like nobody is just willing to take a stand on it.

Thank you.

Your time has expired.

Jasmine Khatamagbari.

To be followed by VIFAM.

We are being watched.

We are being watched by HPD.

We're being watched by ICE, and we're being watched by police departments thousands of miles away.

All because of Houston's contract with Flock.

On your way here, you probably passed hundreds of Flock cameras, all tracking your license plates and your every move.

And we know that HPD has this data, but who else does?

Other police departments have enabled their transparency portal to show the public where their data is being shared.

But HPD has not.

HPD claims that they don't share data with ICE, and yet I found that HPD is sharing our data with a police department in Illinois.

A single police officer in Georgia used Alvin ISD's flock cameras to help target parents for deportation.

So what is preventing other police departments from using HPD's data for the same purpose?

Nothing.

You have enabled a completely unaccountable mass surveillance machine that can target Houstonians for deportation from across the country.

So please stop the surveillance, stop the deportation pipeline, and be like Austin and San Marcos and end the flock contract.

Thank you.

Tamara Alexander.

To be followed by Danny Stevens.

Good evening, Mayor and Council members.

I am Tamara Alexander, and I am the president of the South Union Civic Club in District D.

Mayor, I stood before this council not long ago to address the ongoing crisis of illegal dumping in South Union.

Unfortunately, it remains a battle we face every single day.

What we have learned is that our community does not need more conversation.

We need coordinated action and true boot boots on the ground.

In search for solutions, we have we reached out to PJ Jones and the Glenwood Forest Civic Board to learn how they have achieved such measurable success.

Recently, our boy drove through Glenwood Forest, and we must say it's it's clean, and the pride in that neighborhood is visible and undeniable.

What we witnessed was the result of strong collaboration between their civic club, the city of Houston, and Constable Rosen's office.

That partnership is working and producing real results.

Mayor Whitmile's South Union is ready.

We are prepared to implement this strategy and to work in partnership with the city and law enforcement to protect and restore our neighborhood.

Your time has expired.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

We're definitely contact you.

Thank you for being here.

Danny Stevens.

Mayor Council, my name is Danny Stevens.

I live in District G.

I'm here to speak to you about the HPD policy change.

I find it uh amazing, gross that you're considering changing this policy and prioritizing illegal immigrants over American citizens and Houstonians.

Um I would love for my partner to come home at night.

I'm sure you would love for your partner, your children to come home at night.

Unfortunately, this family, the CNCO family, cannot have that because an illegal immigrant, drunk driver, ran into their car on Thanksgiving Day.

He the father, a U.S.

Marine, lost his leg.

Their daughter, Arya, is dead, and the mom cannot walk because her foot is mangled.

And thank God there are two other sons, there are two other children, boys were able to survive without injury.

We should not prioritize illegal immigrants over U.S.

citizens.

UPD policy, HPD policy.

Back the blue, don't cuff the blue.

Thank you, Mark Mayor.

Sure.

Shermika Martin.

We can't do that.

To be followed by Dana Jones.

Hi, Council.

Hi, everybody.

Howdy.

One of the mics.

Hi, I'm actually here in a good mood today.

I know last time you saw me, everybody was sitting back in their seats.

So I want to apologize for how I came last time because it's the passion in me.

So this time I am actually here to thank you guys for starting the program in another district that we would like to mimic in South Union.

Um, Mayor, you said the WIP mobile, so we need the wheelmobile in South Union.

We are ready to do the work.

We appreciate you for taking this seriously.

Um, and we just want to know that we want to do boots on the ground.

We've seen how the constable office is working, and we're all doing a coordinated effort in order to combat the illegal dumping.

So we would like to continue this though that way we can actually get a cure for it and not just uh bandage it up.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Apologize, apologize.

No more community conversation, don't need competition with action.

My community backtrack.

Dana Jones.

Who is that lady?

Andrew Beaver.

Yeah, Andrew.

Okay.

To be followed by Norma Joe Thomas.

Again, my name is Andrew Beaver.

I'm the founder of Clean the Block and South Park and Sunnyside.

I just want to start by saying Clean the Block is an organization that is a not-for-profit that's built around cleanup illegal dumping and bringing pride back in the sunny side.

That pride for our organization really talks about the community stepping up and taking ownership of our challenges.

My big thing is working with city officials, the government to go, if we're going to do 90%, we would just want a collaboration with you all to get over that last hump that we can't do.

There are a few things that I want your assistance with long term and short term to kind of achieve our goals.

First being a policy change that's more long term.

I am a real estate investor and a developer in Sunnyside, and I think this is something that's necessary.

We need more safeguards from the developers around these lots to stop the so to make it harder for individuals to dump.

That means having fences.

100%.

Mayor Burton.

The mayor pro Tim.

Andrew, thank you for being here.

We've been following you on Instagram.

As a matter of fact, when I first saw your um Instagram page, I sent it to uh Councilmember Shabazz and said we need to make sure that we are helping him because he's bringing folks out to clean up uh in the sunny side area.

Let's get with solid ways to um you know get these bags picked up because what he's doing is remarkable, and if we could get more people um to actually take that kind of pride in their community, it would be really, really helpful for us.

It would be helpful.

It would be helpful for us in the in the city of Houston because we struggle also because those vacant lots belong to people.

Um and when they allow people to dump on those vacant lots, it's very difficult for us to be able to pick pick that stuff up because it is private property that should be maintained by the owners of those lots.

Um but the work that you're doing is remarkable.

Um, and we want to do everything that we can to help you because you've taken the initiative, despite the fact that so many absentee landlords or absentee owners are not doing it in those communities.

So we've shared it with folks in in our district in hopes that we can also garner that kind of support from these owners that aren't taking care of their properties as well.

And we say it all the time.

Government can't do this work alone, regardless of you know what people expect.

We cannot do it alone.

And we need people who are willing to help out so we can work together to make our communities better.

So big kudos to you and all of the people who volunteer to help out.

Um we are we are pulling together some um resources to try to help um people that want to clean up their communities as well.

So thank you very much for the work that you do.

If there's something specific that you are asking for that we can help you with, we we are definitely willing to work with you.

100%.

And I I'll definitely have a uh meeting separate this, not to take everyone's time.

So I'll look forward to that, but it's really just being able to collect the trash and have something to deliver the trash truck is the main thing.

But I do encourage the community to step up because obviously there are a lot of challenges, and then the government obviously can't do everything, but I am willing to lead the group to take that first step, and we all just do our part.

But I appreciate it.

I appreciate you.

Very good.

Councilman Fleckinger.

Yeah, I've been following you on uh Facebook.

In fact, uh, talking with uh my chief of staff today about you.

Really impressed with what you're doing.

Fantastic job.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Councillor Pollard.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um thank you for what you do.

Uh I'll follow it as well.

Uh, but you shouldn't have to do it.

Um I'm not sure what you do for a living.

I think you said you are an investor yourself.

And my nine to five is a product manager.

Yeah, so we do need people to uh to take pride in their community and do what they can to keep it clean.

Uh but the the level that you're having to take to keep your community clean, I think is above and beyond what you should have to do.

Uh so I do commend you for it, but it does show where we're lacking as a city and where the city has to do a better job on having harsher penalties for these absentee property owners who aren't maintaining their lots, who aren't fencing their lots without enough patrol in the area to enforce uh um those unmaintained lots and the overall public safety of the area.

Um to have a thriving city to be the fourth largest city in the world, I mean in the country that is a global city, we should not have to rely on our citizens to take that level of diligence and effort just to keep the community clean.

That's our responsibility.

And so although I I commend you and I would like to work with you on ways in which we can support you, um, the real question is what you should be asking us to do on your community's behalf to keep it clean without you having to take the time to do it yourself.

So thank you for coming.

Council Davis.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Ms.

Brie for coming.

And uh many of us have followed, watch what you do and such an advocate for cleaning up, and I do want to commend you, in which a lot of that you do on private properties, which is another level by which, and you do know the city, we we we we have other ways, but not absolute, other than to use the policies about removing stuff from private properties.

Um I have a meeting coming up with Ms.

Martin and with um Ms.

Tomorrow.

Uh I don't know if they told you, but they reached out to our office and we've collaborated to set up a meeting to meet with you guys.

And uh, and of course, what you effort you're doing is one of a great effort, but also understanding we recently just voted on the fact of having buildings that were boarded up, did not need to be torn down, that create some of this very trash stuff that you're talking about.

Yeah, we as a council, we are doing something.

Uh it may not be 100%, but the mayor and all, we're trying to make this effort.

Houston's a large city, as you know, and so thank you for your effort, and uh, and hopefully we can work together and to change that mindset of people going in different communities dumping.

But the effort of moving or trying to remove this dilapidated buildings, trash being dumped on them, blocking the uh drainage, uh so the efforts have been actively done, and hopefully we could partner to continue to work with you.

So I look forward to appreciate that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

One more policy back in the case.

Yeah, I just need to mention this.

So the effort that you're doing and your uh supporters are doing um.

It's sad that you're having to do it.

In J City, which I call my district, we have what's called a beautification team.

Crews of of privately contracted individuals that go out there and pick up the illegal dumping, do the graffiti abatement, um, uh clean the open ditches, mow the esplanades, and we're able to do that with private crews to supplement the solid waste department or the parks department or the public works department.

And I believe that is a model for what we can do citywide.

And so if we have these streamlined private crews to supplement the departments for what they can't do in a timely manner, uh, then we will be able to get much more done.

And so uh what you're doing shows what can happen when you have individuals that can get out there on a daily basis and do it.

It just shouldn't be on the shoulders of the residents and the taxpayers.

Your taxpaying dollars should go towards uh individuals to work on your behalf to do it.

And I like to work with you on finding solutions to do that, and hopefully us as the council can look at ways in which to do it as well.

Thank you.

And to that point, I know uh our organization has taken that on from not profit standpoint, but we have suggested it to District D and to others of a long-term goal of establishing those trucks so we can work on it.

Um we just want, you know, if you have a plan, we have action plans to put in place and just uh government city officials to help us make it happen.

Thank you.

Next Norma Joe Thomas, Norma Joe Thomas, Diane Shepard, Curtis Curley.

To be followed by Helene Wardlow.

All right, good evening.

Uh coming up here from makers home.

I don't usually come up here.

We usually just kind of hang out at home, be with our families and things like that.

But what brings me here is uh when some many years ago, 2017, 2016 or so, uh Aldean was letting us know that the Bethune Academy was going to be closing.

And in Acres Home, we got all these wonderful black schools.

This Charles Richard Drew and George Washington Carver.

So we when we found out that it was closing, we definitely made an appeal during the Complete Communities initiative to change it to the Bethune Empowerment Center.

So we went in partnership with the City of Houston and Aldean, and uh we're still are not able to get into that building today.

So what we're coming down here to do is just to let you know that Acres Home is organizing itself and is ready to get back into partnership with the city of Houston, with uh any other organization that was a part of that complete communities initiative and try to get this building online for this valuable asset that has changed to the Bethune Empowerment Center.

And my day job is a project manager, and I'll say that this project is way behind.

So thank you.

Please help us out.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Helene Wardlow.

To be followed by Andrew Patterson.

Good afternoon.

My name is Helene Wardland, and I'm a native Houstonian.

And I just wanted to acknowledge the mayor and the councilman for having us here this evening.

As he was saying, following, um, I was at the ribbon cutting, and everything that was said that was gonna be done for Bethune, and they did start.

And then I live right a hundred feet across the street from it.

So I see it every day.

And I used to go over there on a Saturday and volunteer too for the farmers market that we're supposed to be having as well.

And everything just stopped.

But a security officer is there at all times.

All we're asking as a community is to complete this project as was promised from former Mayor Turner and uh Congresswoman Sheila Lee Jackson.

And I know if Miss Bewelly Shepherd was alive, she would stand here and say, get it done, Mayor Whitman.

Yeah, you're right.

And she would have probably picked a different contractor, too.

Okay.

All right.

And we can't.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And Andrew Patterson.

Latoya Jones.

To be followed by Mercy Lawson.

Hello, and thank you for this opportunity.

Thank God for this opportunity to speak.

United will stand and divided, we will fall.

In the waiting area, I was reading on the wall where it says Houston offers opportunity for all.

That statement is not all the way true.

If you have it on the wall, then stand by it.

It's either stars at night or big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.

A few topics I'm speaking on is free health care for City Houston.

In New York City, they offer free health care for all their citizens.

Just last year, the government took six over $16,000 on my Patrick for Medicare and Medicaid.

And as a diabetic, I can sure use that $1,600,000.

Because right now I need my insulin.

Two, more funding for housing for neighborhoods and for the for every minority, everyone, not just for Hispanics, because in my neighborhood, more Hispanic people have houses than blacks, Chinese, and other minorities.

Also, three, sorry, more jobs for people.

I appreciate y'all for this opportunity, but I'm serious.

That $1,600,000.

I need insulin right now.

And I can't even get it because my car go car was expired.

And each time I need more information.

That $1,600 is my money that I worked for last year, just last year.

And I'm 42.

I'm working since I was 10 years old.

So I need that want that money back.

I don't know about you, but before lady, before y'all get y'all cheeks, the state takes the money.

And New York, it's free health care.

It's free health care.

Joseph Ballard.

Precious Jones.

To be followed by Neil Colbert.

Good afternoon, Council members.

My name is Precious Jones.

I'm the founder and executive director, Breaking Generational Poverty, a violence prevention and youth development organization based in St.

Louis, Missouri.

Today carries deep personal meaning for me.

I lost my brother Pods, his substance abuse five years ago, and on his on this very day, which will be his forty-fifth birthday.

His loss along with loss of several other loved ones to violence, including my 20-year-old son, Preston Tink Jones in 2022 fuels my commitment to this work every single day.

In addition to leading BGP, I serve as the vice president of a Secret Chance at Life.

I also sit on a Save Lives Now Council of Missouri, a statewide public safety council.

After experiencing imaginable, unimaginable loss, I made the decision to turn my family's tragedy into action.

Through BGP, we focus on addressing the root causes of neighborhood gun violence and poverty through youth workforce development.

So basically I am wanted to connect um in Houston because we're here now.

So we want to connect and be able to work with you all on these issues too.

Thank you.

Councilman Christie.

No?

Oh, procedural.

Okay, sorry.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Procedural.

Councilman Castillo.

Thank you, Mayor.

I move to suspend the rules to move Monica Hatcher to the be to be the next speaker.

Motion made in a second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed name.

Motion pass.

Council members, my name is Monica Hatcher.

I'm also a member of the migration with Dignity Coalition and a resident of Spring Branch in District A.

Thank you so much for your attention to the deep concerns being raised tonight about the situation facing immigrants in our city.

I'm also here to urge you in the name of the values that we hold as Americans to use your positions as elected leaders to take a stand against the abusive and un-American actions of IC.

Houston's greatest uh asset is rooted in its international identity with its uniquely Texan spirit, and we see every day how the contributions of people from around the world build up our strong and beautiful community.

We have to fight and defend this by letting the federal government know that we will not participate in ICE's reign of terror and repression, that we stand in solidarity with our neighbors as we seek fair and moral immigration reform.

Thank you very much.

Geneva Colbert.

I don't think she's here.

James Shriver.

To be followed by Kendrick Johnson.

Good evening.

I come tonight to speak about a high school student at Sam Houston High School.

It's uh MTC.

Uh science and technology.

Forget the whole thing.

But this is a magnet school.

Uh Morrow was abducted from immigration court, a safe space by ICE agents, and he is now detained at the immigration center in Conroe for more than 60 days.

Uh propose, can't do much in one minute to get your attention, but I would like to propose that we the people are not being heard by council.

We have asked for your time has expired.

In the gallery, stand up if you are here to support immigrants.

Sir, out of order.

Uh Councilman Pollard.

We the people.

Thank you.

Thanks for being here.

Ow.

Thank you.

Kendrick Johnson.

Eduardo Duran.

To be followed by Rain Eatman.

Alright, so just press play.

Okay.

They wanted to be crystal clear with this year's Olympics.

In case anyone wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, they show this now.

This year's Olympics, folks.

Check this opening 2026 Olympics right here, the ceremony.

Looking like a scene straight out of hell.

Looks like it was directed by Marina Abramovic herself.

It's giving that famous painting of the devil summoning his legions.

You know what I'm talking about?

You know the one Jacob Rothschild and Marina Abramovic pose in front of.

Olympic ceremonies looking so satanic.

I thought Lady Gaga would pop up and start performing.

That's right.

The whole arena was lit up blood red.

Fire all around, and a red glowing orb in the middle, like some ritual centerpiece.

And on the orb, the pattern is clear.

An upside down pentagram.

So they took the most obvious satanic symbol.

So there's that.

Um also Trump uh just passed a glyco uh glyco glycophosphate, glycofit.

What do you call it?

Your time has expired.

Glycofate uh bill to protect Roundup.

And uh pretty much the last thing I was gonna say very quickly was um I'm sorry, sir, your time's up.

Okay, well I'll just say it then.

Um pretty much chaos agent organization members have been imported into every country at this point under direction of the the UN since we keep finding they've been previously funded by them.

So they're waiting on standby to pretty much start whatever chaos they're chaos agent organizations.

Thank you.

All right, Grain Eatman to be followed by Alicia Sebastian.

Good evening, Council.

I want to thank uh Mayor Whitmeyer for uh having your team reach out to the Acres Homes community over the past week regarding our concerns around the Bethune Empowerment Center.

Uh, we're very excited to meet with you next week to discuss uh solution moving forward for actually getting the center open.

We're very concerned with the current developer and making sure that they are actually holding truth to what the community provided with the Acres Homes Complete uh communities plan.

And the reason why we were gathering initially was because there were a lot of information we weren't able to get in the beginning that we are finding on the back end, and there's just been inconsistent information sharing as well as a lack of transparency.

Furthermore, there were spaces that were supposed to be guaranteed for community that we found out they are actually going up for lease on loop net without the uh knowledge of the community, and so we really appreciate you wanting to at least find a solution for this, and we're really eager to find a way to move forward to make sure it follows the uh letter of what we said in Bethune.

Thank you, thank you for being here.

You know, Ms.

Wilson, my chief of staff lives about two blocks from the site, so we we monitored it very carefully.

The challenge has been the contractor is dragging his feet, and it's difficult to communicate, but we're aware of it and doing everything we can.

Yes, sir.

Thank you for being here.

Councilmember Alcorn.

Councilman Alcorn.

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

It's good to see you.

And I appreciate your words, Mayor.

I mean, I was there when this opened.

I remember the financial literacy work that was going on there with the bank.

It was exciting.

It was uh gonna be a bright spot in the community, and I hope we can get this resolved.

Thanks for coming.

Absolutely.

And if I could just share the the heaviness of this, the vision of the Bethune Empowerment Center started back in 2018, so we're almost approaching 10 years with no clear vision of like whether or not this is actually going to be completed.

So, really, Mayor Whitmeyer, we're really appreciative of you getting on top of this as quickly as possible.

We look forward to meeting with you next Wednesday.

Alicia Sebastian to be followed by Justin Boyd.

Hello, my name is Alicia Sebastian, and as a long-standing standing member of the Acres Home community, I am focused on advancing an equitable future for our neighborhood through meaningful partnerships, which relies on vested interests from business stakeholders.

It is long overdue for Acres Home to secure a renewed sustainable economic platform using the Bethune Empowerment Center for such activities.

Our community needs an economic platform to promote small businesses, family stability, and addresses food insecurities that are also cost prohibitive.

We envision a vibrant, healthy, and prosperous community where residents and business owners alike have the opportunity to truly flourish, not merely get by.

We would like to acknowledge the mayor and his committed efforts to seeing this through.

Thank you.

Justin Boyd to be followed by Jordan Clark.

Good evening.

I grew up in Acres Home and now I live in Willowbrook.

That's about 15 minutes away down to 49.

And um my roots are there, and my family, they still call Acres Acres Home home.

So I am here to stand in support of with Acres Home Rain and the group that we have here today.

Also want to thank the mayor for agreeing to meet with the community.

I truly hope that commitment turns into real action because too often our communities hear promises, but often see real results that follow through.

What we're asking for isn't conflict, is clarity, transparency, and progress we can see.

Um now where I live today.

Um where I live today is not April's home, it is Willowbrook, but I am here in show support of them today.

So thank you.

Next Jordan Clark.

Rebecca Brunei.

To be followed by Matthew Banzer.

Mr.

Mayor, members of the City Council, I'm happy to have this opportunity to speak to you.

Last week we talked about the rape dresses, three drops, three blocks from my house.

Um there is another matter of police information that I want to provide to you because I wasn't able to find anybody to take any action, and that is that as I walked up, there was a crew, a maintenance crew working at that location on underground um utilities, I believe, and I had to pry the dress off the ventilation pipe from that underground utility, and as I was doing that, there was a man standing about 15 feet further from where I was standing, who looked at me, watched me very consistently, very tall and watched me very consistently with his peripheral vision as I went through the process of removing the dress.

I was afraid for my safety, and I still am because there's been press about my um uh testimony here.

Secondly, um the uh the poor Houston police got a hard rap last time because there were so many members that didn't answer.

The reason they didn't is they weren't they were not educated to the problem that was before me, and consequently they were um unable to respond.

Um that's because they've been made it it's been made clear to them that in blue cities migr in uh ill illegal immigrants are desired police are on advice.

Your time is up.

Thank you, sir.

Um I voted for you.

I'm a d I'm a Republican, you're a Democrat.

Why did I vote for you?

Because you have a long rich history in supporting law enforcement.

Thank you, ma'am.

Please please continue to do that for us.

Thank you, members.

Next, Matthew Banzer to be followed by Maya Fletcher by the United States.

All right, Matt Bander District C.

Uh for starters, since there was a lot of stuff with security outside.

I would like for y'all, if you could, to repeat all of the names of the people that were not able to make it uh at the beginning because I felt like that was a little ridiculous.

Uh last week the New York Times ran a focus group of democratic voters and surveyed their thoughts on party leadership.

Responses included spineless, oblivious, suckers, and sellouts.

I feel this is also reflective of many Houstonians who are disappointed by the city's response to ICE encroaching on their rights.

However, you have a lot of Republican support, so you know, who cares, right?

For Mr.

Whitmeyer's refusal to engage with the public's fear of HPD collaborating with ICE, going as so far to deny it to Councilman Martinez's refusal to share any evidence that HPD in the city is not sharing flock data with ICE.

So far, the response has been, hey, just trust me, bro, and I think that's a little ridiculous.

If you want to show that y'all are not lap dogs to the Epstein class, listen to the people of the city and non-safety traffic stops.

If you are allowed and you think that people like Alex Breddy should get that you get shot and you're like, oh, whatever, it's fine, but a little bit of yelling, that's uncalled for.

I think that says more about you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh good evening, Council Mayor.

When people come from out of town to visit me in Houston, they always comment on the wonderful variety of restaurants we have here.

We have that because of the wonderful variety of people who live here from a wonderful variety of places.

Immigration defines the character of this city.

We are undeniably a city of immigrants.

It is not only cruel but also self-defeating to make Houston hostile to immigration, to make people scared to leave their homes for fear of being torn away from their family.

I want my neighbors to be able to live in peace and continue to make Houston a city I am proud and honored to live in.

Thank you.

Anthony Hubbard.

To be followed by Kadya Lacona.

What is going on today?

The front steps are barricaded.

I can't tell if y'all are afraid or try and intimidate us.

We asked for the bare minimum, ending non-safety traffic stops.

The number one reason y'all gave for not taking action against ICE, SB4.

Traffic stops have nothing to do with SB4.

It is something you have to do today.

Not be targeted by the state or fellow government.

There's no reason not to pass this.

Who are you protecting?

Certainly not our community.

Certainly not my friends, certainly not my family.

You kicked out two people a day.

That were just very passionate about what is going on with the communities.

Thank you.

Katya Lakona.

Nicholas Ronhale Jr.

Yes, I need my bodyguard when I go home.

To be followed by Thomas Sutherland.

Good evening.

My name is Nick Wrangell.

And if you don't understand what we're talking about today, allow me to use three metaphors.

I know we're going to come out today, and several members of the council will say we're impotent to act.

But I would ask you to investigate the concept of the bully pulpit.

If truly your impotent to act, you have a bully pulpit upon which you can speak about the injustice upon the things which you are forced to act upon.

The second one is abusers.

Imagine working with abused women and telling them, just trust what your husband has to tell you.

That's what you're doing when you're telling us to simply trust ICE.

Finally, I recently had the privilege of watching the sound of music for the first time.

Imagine it watching the sound of music and rooting for Han Zeller to abduct the Von Traps.

That's what at least one person in the chambers would probably be okay with.

I suspect the rest of us would not.

End collaboration.

And if you don't, at the very least, speak against it.

Don't simply say we have the inability to act.

I know Councilman Pollard understands the strength of the bullet pulpit.

Other members do too.

Thomas Sutherland to be followed by Vianna Trong.

Good evening, Council.

ICE violates the law and disregards the humanity of our community members.

Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE has jailed people illegally.

Two ICE officers stand accused of lying under oath.

An Irish man in ICE custody recently described conditions approaching that of a concentration camp.

Reuben Ray Martinez, an American citizen in San Antonio, was killed in March of last year at the hands of a federal agent.

I could keep going.

Now, I have testified in front of this body several times, and to be frank, you seem more bothered by our clapping than by these violations of the law and of humanity.

You have a chance to prove me wrong.

End non-safety traffic stops, end HBD's collaboration with ICE, and keep our communities safe from the fascist thugs who threaten them.

Haley Rogers.

Kelly Sadler.

Michelle Bouchard.

To be followed by Gilda Bayagon.

Hello, Mayor and Council.

I live in uh Council Three in Montrose.

And I'm here on behalf of United States citizen drivers and the documented uh immigrant drivers here, because it is terrifying driving in Houston, as you know.

And over 300 people die in trashes, uh not trashes, in crashes every year.

And what are we talking about?

What planet do these people live on that they're talking about non-safety traffic stops?

If you look at the data, it is really clear.

These traffic stops prevent accidents.

They prevent problems, they save lives.

I don't know what data these guys are looking at, but it's very clear bro fixing a broken tail light is crucial.

Most fatal crashes take place between sunset and sunrise.

You can't go around with a with a tail light that's out.

And a lot of these, I mean, think about the people who are 95 years old who are driving around here.

A non-safety traffic stop.

Your time is anyway.

Let's think about lives saving lives, saving lives of legal citizens.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You didn't call me yet, but I'm Gilda Bigon next in line.

Just a moment.

Oh.

Oh, thank you.

And this was uh comment for um Oh, sorry.

Sure.

Yes.

I just wanted to thank you for coming tonight.

You know, we've heard a lot already tonight about ending these non-safety traffic stops, that they don't address the root issue of crime, that it doesn't improve safety on our roadways, but they do.

They improve the safety of our communities.

Recently, HPD stopped a vehicle for an expired registration.

The driver was a wanted felon.

He had a warrant out for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

During that stop, they found that he had a firearm in his possession.

Another stop involved a car with no front license plate.

The driver ended up being a capital murder suspect.

When they tried to apprehend him, he fled, crashed.

When he was apprehended, he was charged with evading a felony, evading with the motor vehicle, evading tampering with evidence, and felony capital murder.

Another driver was stopped for not wearing a seatbelt.

That driver ended up having almost seven kilos of heroin and was arrested for possession with a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Now, these are just three examples.

And to say that these are non-safety traffic stops is false.

These stops protect the public.

They apprehended violent offenders.

They kept heroin off of out of off of our streets and out of our schools.

So I appreciate everything you had to say tonight.

Thank you so much, Councilwoman.

Thank you.

And you've given us very dramatic examples, but if you even think about people being stopped for not wearing their safety belt, we know the statistics on wearing your seat belt, right?

So we have to think about these things and measure that against you know the real deaths that are occurring on our highways.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Next.

Gilda Bayagon, to be followed by Christopher Rivera.

Mayor Council.

I am the descendant of immigrants, as are all of us.

Unless there are some indigenous people in here, we are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants.

It's not a special class that is immune from the laws of this country or our city.

I'd like to remind my fellow citizens that migration with dignity is legal migration.

I'd like to remind council that you're here not to oversee ICE.

You are here to keep our city running well, to keep us safe, and not to impede HPD.

To underscore what my colleague just said.

There's a reason there's a law that requires cars to have lights.

It's so other cars can see them.

There's a reason there's a law that requires windshields not to be broken.

It's so that the driver can see out of his windshield and not cause wrecks.

There is not one of these laws passed that we can do without.

And for you to sit up here and tell HPD they're not allowed to stop people for these violations is reckless.

You are you are risking our safety to pursue your own leftist agenda.

Stop it.

Thank you.

Councilmember Hawkins here.

Ma'am.

Ms.

Bagon.

Councilman.

Ms.

Bagon.

Councilmember Hopman.

You can use my time to finish.

I'm sorry, what?

You can use my time to finish.

Oh, well, thank you, but I did.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I want you not to impede HPD.

We need them.

Do your job.

Christopher Rivera.

To be followed, followed by Carolina Martinez.

Hello, everybody.

My name is Christopher Rivera.

I work with the Tech Social Rights Project.

I'm a member of the Rice Coalition and other District H.

And before I when I've been here before I saw I spoken about uh the racial disparities tied to non-safety traffic stocks, but today I do want to talk about the um how non-safety traffic stocks really divert officers' resources and does little to promote public safety.

Despite what the woman Hetzer said earlier today, when you look at Texas data, you see that the main causes of road fatalities and injuries are DWI, failure to control speed, unsafe speed, uh unsafe driving and speeding pedestrians failing uh to the right of way to vehicles, uh, and distracted driving.

You know, these are actually backed by data by Texas.

In those fatalities and road injuries, did I not list busted tail lights, expired registration?

No, because there's actually no data to suggest that that causes road fatality injury.

So that's why we need to end non-safety traffic stops, because it has no true effect and does not promote public safety.

It just allows police to target black and brown and low-income communities.

Thank you.

Carolina Martinez to be followed by Alfredo Dominguez.

Hi, my name is Scott.

The first time I spoke to City Hall was in December for the evening session, and I asked you to put an end to non-safety traffic stops.

Surprisingly, some of you were open to the idea.

Um you've heard a lot about me and what other people in this community have asked you to do, right?

Non-safety traffic stops cause more harm than they do good.

These stops strain police resources, create unnecessary interactions, and disproportionately impact communities such as mine.

So today I won't talk about the data because the data is there, unlike some people have said.

Where do you stand?

Are you supporting a proposition that will end non-safety traffic stops?

And if you don't, tell me why.

I'm your constituent.

Thank you.

The floor is yours.

Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you.

Alfredo Dominguez.

To be followed by followed by Jay Bustos.

Hey, good night, Councilmember.

Alfredo Dominguez back here again.

Uh, Councilmember Castillo, my representative, good to see you.

Um, once again, I'm at the end of the list.

I don't know who sets me up like this, but I'm still happy to talk to you all.

I I'm really happy that y'all have found finally maybe four or five people who've disagreed with this ordinance over the last five or six months that we've been testifying about it and brought out hundreds of people because it's important for us to really look at the merits of the discussion, right?

Because when you're providing three anecdotes in comparison to a hundred thousand non-safety traffic stops that handle that happened last year in the city with less than five percent of them resulting in kind of any kind of search or arrest or contraband being found, you're talking about pennies on the dollar in terms of the investment and time that the city's putting into these resources.

A third of all traffic stops that happened were non-safety traffic stops, right?

These are when we're talking about the city of Houston when we're talking about this is not the federal government, right?

We have to govern with efficiency in mind, and because you're spending every single dollar you spend is dollars you're getting from constituents, right?

You're not printing any money in the city, and you need to make sure it's acting and operating efficiently, and we don't think non-safety traffic success, not only are they a racist practice, but purely from the efficiency and economic standpoint when you're talking about every time we hear about HPD, it's this city is too big to cover.

We're giving you a chance to lighten the load.

Your time has expired.

And you're not taking it.

Thank you.

Jay Boostos to be followed by Jacob Clementich.

Evening, everyone.

We have yet to get a solid stance on all this.

And if it's not obvious, ICE.

The stance, and I quote from Whitmeyer, we do not interact with ICE is not a stance.

Standing on the side and allowing all these disgusting things to occur to all these amazing residents and all this uh people of Houston.

That's not standing with your constituents.

Not standing with the city.

Well, with how things have been going, people have been demanding these things month after month after month.

So let's change things up a little bit.

How about since this is a public session and at least some count uh council members have been vocal about certain things?

How about we should be able to communicate about this?

What is it gonna take?

You know, what is it on this checklist, or what's supposed to be the line that ICE is supposed to cross for you to actually be vocal about this?

Finish your testimony.

Thank you.

Next Jacob Jacob Clementich.

Don't see him.

Joseph Omary.

How y'all doing today?

We're doing wonderful.

May I tell you what?

Man, whoever got the administration out of producer, I'll be ready, I'd be really angry right now.

But anyway, uh I was gonna do my J Lino 16 uh steps of Barack and I'm gonna counsel the table that I had a long day.

And I became inspired by Michael Jackson and uh Prince when they were in my 20-something, because not only because I've been music and entertainment talent, I want to learn how Michael Jackson, Prince, Bear Gordon and Jane Brown made all that money.

Politically speaking, at the entertainment majors at a company, I prefer to have the same economic financial economic opportunity instead of have a political leadership to oppose or deny Michael Jackson Prince production company, artists and entertainment, same creative economic opportunity.

But the reality, I had this guy that rapper he used to call committee that he had a song called Drive My Dirty in Houston.

Now I'm gonna tell you reality of immigrant, the police can stop you.

Your time has expired and pull you over and check everything.

No matter what race you are, they can't do that.

Then you go to court, they do private call, they find out if you're innocent, they didn't go to court to go before the judge, then blah, blah, blah.

Now if you got a warrant, they can't take it to jail.

Tackle people blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

We know that.

That by black, we know guy while walk.

If they got an outstanding award on you, they can't take a jail.

But I really agree with you.

The hours you ain't got no warrant on you, go to civil court, take a ticket.

People stand here.

This completes the list of speakers.

Is there anyone that would like to come forward that their name was called and you weren't here?

Would you come forward?

Yeah.

State your name.

Hello.

Uh, yes, I am Dr.

Samuel Jess and a recent Houston transplant.

And while I acknowledge that my views are my own, and I should have one minute of time.

Uh, those views have been informed by living in several major U.S.

cities.

Everywhere I've witnessed that the collaboration between police and ICE does not engender safety and community.

Rather, they instill fear and distrust in local institutions, most egregiously felt by our working families of color.

Based on this, we should end collaboration with ICE and end non-safety traffic stops to facilitate dubious deportations.

Furthermore, we should be willing to challenge the legality of any potential state or federal laws impeding our ability to do so going forward.

Failure to act boldly on this now erodes all of our civil rights, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.

I ask, is City Council willing to believe that we are stronger when we are united together with all of our neighbors, or will we be left behind by the solidarity of the people?

I anticipate your response.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Anyone else?

If not, thank y'all for a good session.

We stand recessed until nine o'clock in the morning.

So I applaud the eloquence.

I'll be seeing the district attorney very soon about a letter he sent me.

What's your name, sir?

Uh, Ralph Kirby.

I'm on the list.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

We're listening.

And you've already got my paperwork.

And um, I'll just be talking about obstruction.

And at some point in the future, I'd like to talk about the Butler School shooting.

And that's about it.

Thank you.

Let's go home.

Go to work.

Anna Russell Council Chamber.

I will now read the captions for the agenda of February 25th, 2026.

Item one, request for mayor for confirmation of the appointment of Jessica O'Neill.

Two position 10 of the East Downtown Management District Board of Directors.

Item two request for mayor for confirmation of the appointment and reappointment of the following individuals to the board of directors of the East End District.

Item three has been pulled and will now be considered.

Item seven, recommendation from Director, General Services Department that Houston City Council accept the work and authorize final payment, if any, of the contract with David E.

Harvey Builders Inc.

Item 8, recommendation from Director Houston Public Works, that Houston City Council accept the work and authorize final payment, if any of the contract with Andrew Jordan Industrial LLC.

Item nine, recommendation from Director Houston Public Works that Houston City Council accept the work and authorize final payment, if any of the contract with Gravo, LLC.

Item 10, recommendation from Director of Houston Public Works that Houston City Council accept the work and authorize final payment.

If any of the contract with Horseshoe Construction Inc.

Item 11, recommendation from Director of Houston Public Works that Houston City Council accept the work and authorizational payment.

If any of the contract with Ray Tech Construction Resources Inc.

Item 12, approved spending authority for purchase of election security training and exercise consulting services awarded to the CNA Corporation.

Item 13, approved spending authority for grounds maintenance services for the Houston Parks and Recreation awarded to Work Quest.

Item 14, approved spending authority to fund the city's portion of the second interlocal agreement between San Jacino River Authority, City of Umble, and City of Houston for Lake Conroe, Lake Houston Joint Reservoir Operation Study.

Item 15, resolution confirming no objection to proposed development as affordable rental housing of certain properties which are subject to the one-mile three-year rule, each located in the city of Houston and submit over applications for non-competitive 4% housing tax credit for such developments.

Item 16 resolution allowing proposed development of Bernisia Place and Affordable Rental Housing Property Lated at 3910 Old Spanish Trail in the City of Houston and within the census track that has a poverty rate above 40% for individuals and authorizing the allocation of 2025 housing tax credits to such development.

Item 17 resolution confirm and support for proposed development as affordable rental housing of certain properties which are subject to the one mile three-year rule, each located in the city of Houston and submit of applications for competitive 9% housing tax credits for such developments, allowing the construction of such developments for loss at Wayfair, located at Blackhawk and Texas Age Drive.

Item 18 ordinance supplementing City of Houston, Texas, Master Ordinance Number 2004-299.

Supplementing City of Houston ordinance number 2004-300, ordinance number 2008-202.

Ordinance number 2008-252, ordinance number 2010-215, ordinance number 2013-200, ordinance number 2016-213, ordinance number 2019-377, and ordinance number 2022-157, authorizing the remarketing of the City of Houston, Texas Combined Utility System First Lien Revenue Refunding Bond Series 2004 B2 through a private placement and the execution and delivery of a continuing covenant agreement.

Item 19 ordinance approved and authorizing First Amendment to subrecipient agreement between City of Houston and Northwest Assistant Assistance Ministries to deobligate home investment partnerships program American Rescue Plan Funds Allocated for Administration Cost and provide in-street homelessness funding for administration costs to continue operating program that will serve households annually who are at risk for experiencing homelessness.

Item 20 ordinance appropriating 1,454,981.91 cent to uptown tax increment reinvestment zone bond series 2021 funds for single family activities.

Item 21 ordinance appropriating 12 million dollars, approving and authorizing contract with Adkins Realis, USA Inc.

EXP U.S.

Services Inc.

HDR Engineering Inc.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.

Michael Baker International Inc.

and RSNH Inc.

Item 22 Ordinance approving and authorizing Second Amendment to contract with Flat Iron Drogados Constructors Inc.

Item 23 Ordinance Appropriating $5 million.

Approving and authorizing contract with Burns Engineering Inc.

and Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.

Item 24 Ordinance approving and authorizing agreement between City of Houston and FBT Gibbons LLP.

Item 25 ordinance approving and authorizing submission of application for grant assistance to the Texas Office of the Office of the Governor for the FY 2027 Juvenile Justice Safe Schools plus Safer Families Grant.

Item 26 ordinance approving and authorizing submission of application for grant assistance to the Texas Office of the Office of the Governor for the FY 2027 Criminal Criminal Justice Grant Program reducing recidivism through family reunification and structured re-entry support grant.

Item 27 ordinance approving and authorizing payment to Houston Forensic Science Center Inc.

for fiscal year 2026 operating expenses pursuant to first interlocal agreement between the city and Houston Forensic Science Center Inc.

Item 28 ordinance appropriating 143,441.

Approving and authorizing contract with Millennium Project Solutions LLC.

Item 29, ordinance appropriating 12,197,977.

Approving and authorizing contract with Times Construction Inc.

Item 30, ordinance approving and authorizing contract with Maxim Crane Works LP.

Item 31, ordinance approved and authorizing First Amendment to contract with Liberty Tire Recycling LLC.

Item 32 ordinance approved and authorizing First Amendment to contract with Captain Kirk's Marine Service Inc.

Item 33 ordinance relating to fiscal affairs of Upper Kirby Redevelopment Authority on behalf of reinvestment zone number 19.

Approving fiscal year 2026 operating budget for the authority and fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

Capital Improvement Plan Budget for the Zone.

Item 34 Ordinance Amending Ordinance Number 2025-993 relating to Avalorum tax exemption on historical site located at 4158 Myerwood Drive.

Item 35 ordinance establishing the north side of the 2800 through 2900 blocks of Wheeler Street between Delano Street and Industry within the city of Houston as a special minimum lot size block pursuant to Chapter 42 of the Code of Ordinances.

Item 36 ordinance consenting to the annexation of 3.9355 acres of land to Harris County Municipal Utility District No.

102.

Item 37 ordinance consenting to the addition of 5.5779 acres of land to Montgomery County Water Control and Improvement District No.

1.

Item 38 Ordinance consenting to the addition of 10.0430 Acres of Land to Sunbelt Fresh Water Supply District.

Item 39 ordinance approving and authorizing purchase and sale agreement between the City of Houston and William E.

Hickman and Jennifer A.

Hickman with rights of survivorship for sale of approximately 2,559 square feet of land being part of that certain 24.023 acre tract situation in the George or George L.

Bellows Survey.

Item 40 ordinance approved and authorizing interlocal agreement between the City of Houston and Harris County Flood Control District.

Item 41 Ordinance approving and authorizing contract with St.

George Place Redevelopment Authority to provide interlocal agreement with St.

George Place School Crossings Improvement.

Item 42 ordinance approving and authorizing First Amendment to contract with Gul Coast Water Authority.

Item 43 ordinance appropriating $5,250,000.

Approving and authorizing professional engineering services contract between the City of Houston and Atkins Realis USA Inc.

Item 44 ordinance appropriating $6,695.50.

Approving and authorizing professional engineering services contract between the City of Houston and RPS Infrastructure Inc.

This completes the reading of the captions for the agenda of February 25th, 2026.

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

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

Thank you, Mr.

Secretary.

Thank you, my number one council member.

That's right.

I'm on my job.

Come to order.

First item on the agenda is a short mayor's report.

A lot of good news.

Apple has chosen Houston for a large manufacturing project.

So we continue to attract the business community from around the country, which will provide jobs and improve revenue and quality of life and all the things that we work hard for.

Speaking of quality life, Friday is go Texan Day, and we'll have the rodeo roundup in front of City Hall from 11 a.m.

to 1 p.m.

And then of course the trail rides come in for the parade on Saturday morning.

Obviously, this is a huge event that helps us with scholarships and jobs and just really uh a good time.

So everyone take advantage of that, be safe, and uh let's continue working together.

Mr.

Secretary, can we start with a consent agenda?

Do you want to do number five first?

Did you want to do number five for the appointment?

Yeah, why don't we provide the courtesy of taking number five out of order?

We have guests, and uh we can recognize them.

Yes, ma'am.

Mayor Castex take a move to take item five first.

Motion is made and seconded.

All in favor say yes.

Those against say no.

Motion passes.

Would you lower that council member Ramirez for procedural motion?

Yes, thank you, Mayor.

Move to uh divide the question and separately consider uh appointment of Mr.

Manu Gupta.

Thomas Seconds.

Motion made and second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes five is before this devotional.

The main item, yes, sir.

There are motion for item five.

Castex take a move.

Motion made and second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

Now.

Councilmember.

Uh yes, thanks, Mayor.

Having divided the question, now move to refer the item uh pertaining to the appointment of Mr.

Gupta back.

Motion made and second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed nay.

Motion passes.

Mayor, may I just explain that last move?

Sure, you can.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

In the interim, Mr.

Gupta has has let us know that that uh he doesn't have the time to uh uh adequately fulfill the position.

So we'll thank you.

I got a briefing on that this morning.

I respect that and thank him for his public service, but uh good good move to divide the question.

I do want to recognize Ryan Mendez.

I guess as I call your name if you're present, Stan.

Uh Rederk uh Edwards, uh Milton Birdwell, Juan Gonzalez, Bolivar Fraga, and Cody West.

Thank you, gentlemen, ladies.

I don't know what Josh was thinking.

Where's the where is the ladies?

Uh we'll work on him.

We'll work on him.

Thank y'all.

Thank you for your public service and thanks for being here this morning.

Council member Martinez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh, point of personal privilege.

I wanted to recognize a group of high school students from the Aldean ISD.

Uh, these students are members of of leaders of the respective civic engagement groups on campus.

Uh if y'all could stand.

Um, and as they stand, I want to recognize two other uh individuals that are good friends.

One of them is Daniel Messa, he's a Lone Star Trustee, and also uh my fraternity, Brother Abel Garza.

He is the assistant superintendent of government government and constituency services for Aldian ISD.

Uh, just want to welcome you all to City Hall.

Uh again afterwards, I'd love to have conversation with you, uh, see what your thoughts are about what this process is.

And uh thank you for showing up to your city hall.

Very well.

Thank you, young people.

Go make a difference.

Thank you, Councilman Martinez.

Mr.

Secretary, the consent agenda, please.

Under the miscellaneous category, item three has been pulled and will now be considered.

Item five has been removed for separate consideration.

Is there a motion for items one, two, and four?

Castex tell you to move.

Motion is made and second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

Under the accept work category, item seven has been removed for separate consideration.

Is there a motion for items six, eight, nine, ten, and eleven?

Mayor Pro Tim.

Mayor, I know we um we voted on these items.

I didn't know if there were any Board of Directors at the East End district that are here or any of the Houston Downtown Management District members that are here.

Um we do have some.

We do want to recognize them and thank them for their willingness to serve.

Thank you very much for being here.

Thank you.

Councilmember Cristio.

Thank you, Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem for highlighting the appointees.

I do also want to just congratulate uh the folks that are getting reappointed and for the Eastern District and Downtown District uh work well with the District H office and look forward to continuing to work with you and your teams uh on behalf of the constituents.

Thank you.

Martinez.

Councilman Martinez.

Thank you, Mayor.

And just uh echoing the same sentiments, um, a lot of work happens with the management districts.

I think uh as we all know, uh we can't do this alone, so when you come in to provide the public safety, uh uh the maintenance of right-of-way, and of course, supporting those uh businesses in your respective uh management districts, it helps the city as well.

So just thank you for your work and look forward to continue working with you as well as well.

Very well.

That's it.

Next.

Under the accept work category, item seven has been removed for separate consideration.

We did.

Is there a motion for item six, eight, nine, ten, eleven?

Cast X take a move.

Motion is made and second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed or nay, motion passes.

Council.

Under the purchase and tabulation of bids category, items 12, 13, and 14 have been removed for separate consideration.

Under the resolutions category, item 17 has been removed for separate consideration.

Items items 15 and 16 need a vote.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay, motion passes.

Under the ordinances category, there have been a few changes.

Um all items have been received except 19 and 23.

Items 18, 20, 22, 20, 31, 33, and 40 have been removed for separate consideration.

Again, those numbers are 18, 20, 22, 31, 33, and 40.

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 seven?

Castex take a move.

Next second.

Councilman K.

You want to hear before or after we vote?

Uh Councilman Cayman.

Thank you, Mayor.

Good morning, everyone.

Um, this is the final uh contract amount for the new Montrose Library, and I just wanted to lift up uh what an incredible facility this is.

Uh just this month alone, the library welcomed 7,720 visitors.

That's in January of this year alone.

Um January also, the programming that we're seeing, uh nearly 1,500 students, young adults, and adults participated in additional programming that this library provided.

So I wanted to shout out um our library department for all the extraordinary work they are doing and GSD for uh what we created here in a fiscally sound way.

Mayor, I did want to bring up, because we had inquired the old Montrose Library, which was beloved by you and me.

Um there's a reverter clause in the contract that if the building is not used as a library within X number of days, it automatically reverts back to St.

Thomas.

And so we had asked, you know, did we get anything for this?

And the response back was no because of the reverter clause.

However, I want to raise I have additional questions because back in spring of 24, St.

Thomas had offered us over a million dollars for the property.

And we were concerned that that was a low ball at that time, because again, this properties were so much more.

So the fact that we were offered over a million dollars.

Is of concern when money is so tight at the city.

So I have additional questions.

I would like to work with your administration to understand how we are keeping an eye on properties that again are worth significant amounts of money.

But we got nothing for it here.

And that's it that is a concern of mine.

We will address it with legal.

That's all I just need to vote.

Thanks for your leadership in establishing a new location.

It has been very successful.

Thank you, Mayor.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed nay.

Motion passes.

Is there a motion for item 12?

CASTEC say to move.

Next second.

Motion made in second.

Councilmember Mary.

Thank you, Mayor.

Just want to highlight this item.

This is about $200,000 that we are getting from the Federal Government to upgrade election security.

Houston will act as a convening body to gather folks from across the region to talk about threats to our elections, including cyber threats, possible active shooters, weather, etc.

And this will help uh increase the security surrounding our elections and helps fulfill one of the national priorities.

And so just wanted to highlight that, this vote.

Yes, sir.

All in favor, say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passed.

Next.

The motion for item 13.

Yes, next time to move.

Councilmember Alcorn.

Thank you, Mayor.

Certainly supportive of this item and all items to help maintain our green space and really like that this group works with the disabled community, kind of like we are working with uh courier resource and recovery on some of these items.

I do want to, this is a big money contract.

I do want to make sure that we are adequately funding these contracts in the budget over the years, and we are not cutting our um our green space maintenance.

And also I do see in some of the scope of work there is storm drain cleaning.

So perhaps we could use some of the stormwater fund for the storm drain cleaning to supplement our general fund there.

Thank you.

You know I am open-minded.

I know you are.

Thank you for your comments.

Just need to move.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed nay.

Motion passed.

Is there a motion for item 14?

Cast next day to move.

Councilmember after the vote.

Okay.

Motion is made in second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed nay.

Councilmember Flickins.

Thank you, Mayor.

Just wanted to thank everybody for passing this today.

This is another small step on a very long journey with the Lake Houston Dam.

Obviously, the dam is critical for flood mitigation for not only the area around the lake, but upstream on the East Fork and the West Fork of San Centro River.

Greatly appreciate being able to get this money from the County finalized.

Very well.

Thank you.

Next item 17 is a resolution.

Just need a vote.

Councilman Martinez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Supportive of this item.

It is in the hobby airport area.

It increases about 80 additional units.

And it is 60 percent AMI and lower.

So that basically says anybody family of four making 60,000 or lower.

We want to continue to see more affordable uh housing in our in our stock.

And so as we continue to identify spaces uh throughout the city, you want to make sure that we continue to uh focus in the hobby airport areas.

Appreciate the support.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed nay, motion passes.

Next.

Item 18 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed nay, motion passes.

Item 20 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

In favor, say yes, those opposed, nay, motion passes.

Item 22 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

All in favor?

Hollard tag.

Tagged by Councilmember Pollard.

Next.

Item 31 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

Councilmember Flickr.

After.

All in favor, say yes.

Those opposed nay.

Motion passes.

Councilmember Flickinger.

Thank you, Mayor.

Glad to see this.

Um, you know, the tires aren't as big of an issue in my district as what they are in some of the others, but it is still a problem in the middle section of my district.

And the more I look at it, the more it seems to be a problem.

Uh my office was looking at this.

I didn't even realize we had a tire ordinance that was passed a number of years ago, obviously dealing with this same problem.

So we started doing some digging to see: okay, are we actually enforcing this and what are we doing with it?

And to my surprise, we were actually doing a better job of this than than what I thought we would have been, given the number of tires we have.

So one of the things I wanted to do is with the Government Operations Committee is to have a hearing on this, take a look at the ordinances, see if maybe we can beef them up, see if it is an enforcement issue, see what we can do to try and make this better.

Thank you.

Very good.

Thank you.

Councilmember Kamen.

Thank you, Mayor.

And I appreciate Councilmember Flick and shared deep diving on this.

Um I just want to piggyback off of that.

With all the new technology that is available out there, tire recycling itself has become a very uh important market that we can also be leveraging in terms of cost benefit, uh use of these tires for city actual facilities from playground turf to other things, but there's new ways in terms while we are looking at enforcement, we can be making this more uh fiscally sound uh as a city.

So while if we're going to have a hearing on it, I would ask that we also look at the other ways in which we can be utilizing tires in terms of disposal and sustainability.

Thank you, Councillor Galcorn.

Yeah, same thing.

I met with a company.

You can do all those barriers, you can do all kinds of things with the tires.

Another thing, um, Councilmember Flickinger is we had uh members of the Clean City Commission come and present a bunch of recommendations on how that ordinance can be improved.

And they were good recommendations.

Jason Smith and others really took that on proactively, and we can give you some um some of their stuff too.

Next.

Item 33 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

Say yes, those opposed nay, motion passes.

Councilmember mayor is voting no.

Item 40 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

All in favor, say yes, those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

This completes the items on the agenda.

Wow.

Good for us.

Councilmember Jackson is not here.

Councilmember Uckman.

Pop off.

Thank you.

As we enter our second week of early voting, I just want to remind everyone to get out and vote in your primaries.

And then also with the Houston Radio coming up and cook off this weekend, uh, everybody be safe.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Councilman Ramirez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Last week, Council approved the fifth ward TURS budget, uh, and we just approved the Upper Kirby TURS budget.

And these actions reminded me of a presentation we heard in December of 2024 by Rice University's Baker Institute at the Budget and Finance Committee, where they shared their research, which revealed that the tourist system regressively redistributes the city's property tax revenue in a way that is unfair to many Houstonians, and that is nowhere more stark than when you look at these two tours that I mentioned.

Both of them were created in 1999.

So they have been existence in existence for the same period of time.

Upper Kirby Turs is about four and a half square miles, serves about 20,000 people.

I should say 20,000 people live within its boundaries.

Fifth ward has about five times that area and about two and a half times its population.

Between 1999 and 2023, and this is research from the Baker Institute.

Um that's right.

And this is before you took office, Mayor.

But in that time period since they have been in existence, uh Fifth Ward has recovered and spent about 10 million dollars.

In that same period of time, Upper Kirby has recovered and spent 233 million and returned it to its area.

And this is this is not an equitable way to distribute our tax revenue.

I understand we have 28 TURS.

Many of them do tremendous work, uh infrastructure projects and so forth.

And that's all well and good.

But the system needs some tweaks so that this this kind of result isn't isn't seen.

And maybe that could be by amending the agreements, the tri-party agreements.

Maybe it could be by changing the uh increment uh that is recovered from some of these TERS.

Uh but the result is uh that that today about 76 percent of the revenue that's recovered within the Upper Kirby TURS goes into the uh goes into that TURS.

Uh but we have other uh which means that 24 percent goes to the general fund.

We have other TERS like near North Side and Sunnyside that only capture about 30 percent of their tax revenue and put it back into their area, meaning 70 percent of their tax revenue goes into the into the general fund to fund things like police, fire, uh, streets, and so forth.

And uh we we really should look at changing how uh this system operates.

And I hope in in the future that we will.

Thank you.

Yeah, I look forward to hearing your proposals.

Uh as well as the kinder.

Because they they criticize it, but they're short on solutions.

They failed to look at the bondage and deadness of the TURS.

I can give you other abuses.

Midtown.

Midtown setting on about 400 pieces of property at a value of about 50 million dollars that the city housing department is trying to use for its intended purpose of a portable houses, not to mention the office building that they built on emancipation using affordable housing funding.

So, you know, we know we've got challenges with TURS, but at the same time, uh it's not as simple as turning on a switch.

So I've read the same report that you've read.

They're just short on solutions, but uh we won't give up on making it a lot more equitable and uh accountable to taxpayers.

So thank you.

Councilmember Thomas.

I was just making sure I don't get in the queue after um and comment after Councilmember Ramirez.

Um I want to remind everyone we are in the midst of voting, um, and due to the uh off-cycle redistricting on the west side, we now have four congressional representatives.

I want to encourage you to visit Harrisvotes.com, uh verify your polling location, review your sample ballot in advance.

Uh you can select your uh candidates of choice and bring that document into the polling locations.

And it is important to know because I have received these questions just because you see them on TV does not mean these are uh your elected officials on the ballot.

And so uh Harris County is not uh uh changing your ballot.

It's important for you to be prepared to vote uh with information, so make sure you do that.

Uh thank you to Mayor Pro Tim's team, the district F team, to all city departments and council members who sent staff to join us uh last week at the apartment inspection town hall number one.

Thank you, Mayor, for joining us.

Mayor Whitmire even came through uh to listen to our tenants and listen to our operators uh talk about what was going on.

We heard a lot.

We heard from Houston Fire, um HPD, uh public works, Department of Neighborhood, the Health Department, the Housing Department, and we really heard from tenants and operators about their issues, some of the things uh that and in the I I let the tenant discussion, Mayor Pro Tim let the operator discussion.

Um we heard about the real conditions, uh uh tenants are living in, and uh a note of highlight, many of them said that they had better response from 311 than their property manager, um, and how the the communication of the city departments were more responsive in terms of following up with them.

We have a second opportunity.

Um if you were unable to join us online, we had hundreds of individuals watching via HTV, hundreds of individuals, and I want to appreciate the media uh for getting this out to community members.

Uh, just some data points that I think was important.

My office analyze close to 15 years of um ARA multifamily habitability uh findings.

I will tell you um uh down in J City.

J City has some of the highest concentration of violations, um roughly 22 percent.

I'm mad he walked out when I was saying this during my pop-off.

I want to see his face.

Uh followed by districts A and B, roughly at 11 percent, and then district F on the west side around 9%.

Um the departments, we also learned that the city does not have mold inspectors.

It's nothing unique to the city of Houston.

It's a nationwide.

Great feedback from our department representatives.

They provided context to the work that they're able to do, the proposed ordinance that's on the books.

I want to encourage you to join us on Thursday, March 5th.

We'll be in District H at 6300 Irvington at Harris County Department of Education.

Uh, we'll continue to listen and learn from you so we can get this to the books.

We have a proposed uh special call meeting for March 30th, a joint meeting between economic development and housing, an exceptional time.

I really learned a lot sitting with that information, so hopefully you can join us online and in person.

I also want to uh thank Controller Hollands for hosting an exceptional black history program in the legacy room.

Uh the Black History program and the controller's office was started with former controller Ron Green and controller Hollis has really stepped up the game.

It's been exceptional highlighting trailblazers in our city.

Uh and I was most appreciative of the courtesy to um it allow and invite 40 young gentlemen from A Leaf Elsick High School, the next gent program to participate in this.

Many of them never left the beltway and were overwhelmed to just be downtown in their city hall and with the special surprise photo from Demico Ryan's and his wife, who are one of the honorees.

So I want to thank him for his contribution uh to the culture and to community as well.

Um I'm riding a horse on the rodeo parade on Saturday.

Be there, be square, watch me uh ride the horse downtown.

It's gonna be a time.

Um I'm gonna be dressed for the occasion, so you can follow me on HTV uh to do that as well.

Uh if my office can be of any support to you, reach out to District F at Houston TX.gov.

I'm riding a horse.

Is it an HP D horse?

I'm riding an HP D horse.

I had a spicy horse last time.

Uh she was had me down the street.

She was spicy.

They said they said, you know, when you ride a horse, your horse pick up your spirit.

So I I think that's and it's the year of the horse.

Have you ever ridden a heart?

I did that day.

And I I I rode her that day, and um we're gonna ride one on Saturday.

So uh keep me in your prayers.

Thank you very much.

Okay, make sure they give that harsh to rock medicine.

I'll roll that horse.

I'm gonna slip the horse from tranquilizers with calming effect.

Vice Mayor Pro Jim Cash Tater.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh Councilmember Thomas, I'm looking forward to seeing you on that horse.

I know you had fun last time.

Uh a couple of announcements in District K for our residents in Cambridge Village Park and Ramblewood.

Uh, that drainage project is still underway and progressing very well.

We've met with contractors and um they are definitely preparing the site for construction.

So if you see um the activity in uh Cambridge Village Ramblewood, they are um setting up traffic control and other safety measures.

So we are on schedule for completion of that drainage project in the summer of 2026.

So if you have questions, you can definitely contact our office or subscribe to Engage Houston.org where you'll see the updates taking place.

And then I want to um let you know about a really exciting event that's happening at the Walker Neighborhood Library.

Uh the city of Houston is a city of entrepreneurs, and I love that the uh library is hosting a workshop entitled Building a Side Hustle.

It is an event on Wednesday, March the 4th from 4 to 5 to support residents who are seeking to turn the tools they need um for another stream of income.

So if you are thinking about uh your own business, starting a business, or you have a small business, uh you may want to attend that event at the Walker Library on March the 4th from 4 to 5 p.m.

And then a reminder that we've rescheduled the Willow Water Hole Music Festival, and that's going to be held on Saturday, March the 28th, from 11 a.m.

to eight uh p.m.

at 5300 Dryad Drive 77035.

If you have not had a chance to visit the Willow Waterhole, it is such a gym in the city of Houston, but it is the pride of District K.

So hope that you will join us at the music festival on March the 28th.

There will be professional bands, food trucks, fund for all ages.

Bring your chairs, your blankets, the family.

There will be lots of fun and fellowship happening at the music festival.

And then also want to reiterate on March the 5th will be the second opportunity for tenants and owner operators and landlords to come to our apartment inspection meeting.

Councilmember Thomas's team and the district K team have been working feverishly to make sure that we are collecting all of that feedback.

Council members, we are looking forward to a joint committee meeting where we'll bring together all the feedback that we've collected.

And hopefully we can come up with an apartment inspection ordinance that will be a win-win for our tenants, owner operators, and everybody, all of the stakeholders in the City of Houston.

Don't forget to go vote.

It's important.

Lots of good candidates on the ballot.

I went to vote.

Didn't take long, got right in and out.

So I encourage early voting so that if anything happens on election day, you already have taken care of it to the young folks that are visiting us when you turn 18.

Make sure you get registered to vote and vote in every election.

Y'all be kind to each other and make it a great day.

Thank you.

Vice Mayor Protein Peck.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, first I want to announce that our next public safety committee meeting will be this coming Monday instead of Tuesday.

Um budget and fiscal affairs is on Tuesday, so we are on Monday this um coming month.

It will be at 10 o'clock a.m.

We will have two presentations.

The first one will be from Christina Nowak from the Office of Policing Reform and Accountability.

She will provide an update on the Path Transparency Hub.

And our second presentation will be from Hits and HPD about the records management system update.

So please join us um for that.

And then next, I want to um let my constituents know the timeline for um the Briar Branch stormwater detention basin expansion and stormwater improvement project.

Um this is a TUR-17 project and has been going on for quite some time.

Um, but the project will wrap up in about two months.

Windover, Cedar Dale, and Demerit um streets will be fully reconstructed, and this project is going to um reinforce concrete boxes to draw more water away from homes quickly and mitigate flow increases by deepening the detention basin.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Martinez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh this week I joined the Houston delegation in D.C.

to visit with members of Congress to discuss priorities, priority items for our city, and I want to thank you, Mayor and your team for the diligent work that y'all are doing to secure funding for the city's needs.

Also, want to thank the Greater Houston Partnership that helped organize this DC flying and supporting the advocacy efforts in D.C.

This Saturday I will be participating in the East End Youth Leadership Academy Mock City Council.

The program teaches young leaders how to engage in their government and participate in public meetings by preparing public comments on issues that are important to them.

I want to thank Liz for organize for facilitating the engagement and the East End District for hosting and inviting me to participate.

I know everyone around the horse has been talking about early voting.

Just want to make sure everyone knows that this Friday is the last date of early vote, so make a plan, go out there and vote.

Uh early voting is essential.

And then lastly, I just want to uh thank uh my colleagues, uh Salinas Ramides and Castillo and also our City Attorney Arturo Michelle and the Executive Assistant Chief Guzman uh for participating in our community conversation on immigration uh this past Saturday.

Uh also our host, the Haunel Center and the community organizations that showed up to support uh the community that attended.

It was a productive meeting, uh, some fact sharing, and uh we need to continue to do more of this, ensure that uh public safety uh at the local level does not uh erode uh the trust.

And so uh Mayor, I want to just say uh you know appreciate you making sure that uh some of your team members were there as well.

Councilman Pollard.

Thank you, Mayor.

Mayor, as you know, the future of our city is directly tied to the success of HISD.

Um I sent your office a letter um regarding the 12 school closures that are happening in the district.

Were you able to receive that letter?

No.

We did, and the superintendent told me he spoke to you and respectfully declined.

So I thought it was handled.

So I never spoke with him.

I just tell me your office, his office uh had an agreement that he declined at this time.

That's the reason uh I thought we took it off our to-do list.

Okay.

Well, I never spoke to him personally.

My staff did speak with his staff.

And did he decline?

I was told that he did decline.

That's why are you bringing it up now?

Because the letter was addressed to you as the mayor to be able to do.

You may have more.

You got it answered in a timely fashion.

What else?

You may have more influence on him than I do.

So my wrong again.

Oh, you don't have any influence.

I have influence.

You have influence.

This council has influence.

He declined.

So let's move on.

Do you think it is appropriate for us as a body and for you as the mayor to ask him to come before us to speak on the reasons on why this decision was made?

We have brought him before or asked him to come before council in the past.

He has done so.

I think these questions need to be asked in a public forum because right now the elected body of HISD has no authority.

They do not serve on the board.

And so residents don't have the ability to speak to them directly in a public forum.

And so that's why I thought it would be important as the local government body to be able to bring him forward, because these are questions that our constituents are coming to us for with, and they have no real answers.

So I think it is appropriate for us to have him come before the body and for you as the mayor.

We are in agreement.

So what do you want me to do?

I want you to ask him to I have done that, and he declined.

I responded to your letter.

Your office spoke to him and got a respectful reply.

The gentleman controls his own agenda.

And he's respectfully declined to be here.

Well, I never got a response from you.

So I didn't know.

Well, you got the answer that was most meaningful.

This is the first time I am hearing from you on this.

Well, you ought to call.

You got my number?

Or your staff call.

But I'm not going to debate what that gentleman's responsibilities are with you.

This is City Hall.

We got a lot of business to tend to.

I agree with you that it would be very informative if he would go.

And I believe he plans to do community outreach meetings, is what I am informed, in what your office was told.

So this is in all respect.

Can we get back to city business?

This isn't meant to be a debate.

These are simple questions that I am asking you very much.

But you already have the answer.

Very respectfully.

So when it's my time and I have questions to ask, I don't understand why you are being so combative regarding an issue that is extremely pressing.

I am not combative.

I am in a wonderful mood this morning, but I'm not going to politicize.

I'm not going to politicize your letter to the superintendent when you have already got a good answer.

One that you didn't like, but it's the one that the man controls.

Thank you.

You are welcome.

Councilmember Alcorn.

Thank you, Mayor.

And I um appreciated the meeting that we had at the A-Leaf Community Center with Councilmember Thomas and Mayor Pro Tem.

I I sat in on the the uh where I thought the kind of maybe opposition would be on the owner side, but there were and there were actually some really good suggestions made on that side.

So I appreciate talking that through.

I think we're going to end up with something something really good.

Uh on B at BFA next week, we'll have uh a further discussion.

Yeah, I'm working this open space ordinance through committee.

We'll have our next um presentations and discussion on that.

So take a look at that ordinance.

Um we're also the controller's office is going to have an uh presentation on our electricity exposure, and we are going to have a presentation on the Eastwater Purification Plant.

I know last week we put considerable money towards that plant.

We have been talking a lot about the condition of that plant.

We are going to have a presentation on everything, all the money that is being spent, a lot that we have gotten from the State through the Texas Water Development Board on the East plant.

So that will be uh Tuesday, March 3rd at 10.

Thanks.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh I just wanted to uh highlight again the pit count is going on.

The coalition is uh performing that count this week.

If you have not participated, I am sure that they'd be happy to have your participation tomorrow.

It's a final day, but certainly the this is critical to our communities and also to if in your district you are aware of an encampment or uh you know homeless that you think might not be included or might be tucked away that only you know about because you pass them every day and your neighbors, but um be sure to reach out to the coalition um and and make them aware because again, it is critical that we make sure that our count is accurate um across the city.

Thank you.

Councilman Castillo.

Thank you, Mayor.

I want to invite everyone to the next District H Town Hall, which will be in the East Texas Jensen area.

It's going to be at Shady Lane Park this coming Saturday, 10 a.m.

And there will be representation from a number of different departments uh along with a presentation around things that were achieved and accomplished last year, along with what is planned for next year, and it's a great opportunity to get uh facts, information, um, interact with various departments and resources and also get uh questions answered.

This will be this coming Saturday, 10 a.m., Shady Lane Park.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Davis.

Councilman Flickinger.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh this past Saturday we celebrated City of Houston's 40th annual Arbor Day tree planting at Greenwood Park.

I was joined by Councilwoman Alcorn.

Um in fact, that's the second one I've done.

We did one at Wilson Park two years before.

Uh planted, I believe it was 300 trees.

Uh had a lot of volunteers out there.

Uh wanted to give a special shout out to Houston Parks, Apache Corporation's Tree Life Farms, and the Texas AM Forest Service.

So it was a great event.

And uh tomorrow I'm gonna be participating in the point in time count.

Um in fact, I was probably gonna be getting some information from you, Councilwoman Carter, so I can know what to expect.

Uh they're gonna be down in uh my part of the district, down in Freeway Manor, and we have had some problems with with homeless there.

So we're gonna try and make sure we get an accurate count of uh how many are there and what we need to address the problem.

Thank you.

Councilman Kaman.

Thank you.

Um first I want to recognize, I think I see uh former Councilmember Jerry Davis in the audience always like to recognize our our colleagues uh and is in his rodeo vest.

Happy rodeo.

Good to see you.

Um I also want to thank uh Mayor Pro Tem Cassix Tatum and Chair Thomas for leading on the apartment ordinance hearings.

And Mayor, thank you for setting this up.

Uh we have a lot of district residents that are very concerned and very eager.

Uh we have relayed to them all the information.

We've asked them to engage uh and assure them that this is in very good hands.

So really thank you all for your leadership on that.

I also want to thank um the mayor's office of special events and public works.

We have a lot of little league celebrations starting, and for our Heights Nor Hill Little League, uh they weren't getting the permit because of tech stock construction nearby.

And we wanted to make sure they could celebrate.

So it's a big success.

Uh, thank you to the departments for working with us to make sure they can have their celebration this weekend, especially Eileen Kwan and David Rangel, uh, but the entire teams.

Turkey Gully, public works, for those of you that have served two terms with me.

Um, Turkey Gully has been one of my core infrastructure uh projects to reduce flood mitigation.

This is a project that will remove hundreds of homes and businesses from various flood risks uh in the Shady Acres area.

It's a nearly 17 million dollar investment.

We had a community meeting update uh on progress.

It's supposed to break ground this fall.

Residents can uh look at a recording of the meeting on the Houston Public Work YouTube channel.

Apparently I didn't know this.

Houston Public Works now also has a YouTube channel.

Uh so please please get uh the updates and information on the benefits of this project, and we appreciate the community working with us.

When it comes to flooding, uh we all know that the FEMA draft flood maps were released.

Uh and we've had a lot of residents reaching out with concerns with questions throughout the city and the county.

There are new areas being added in, which um it's important to have accurate maps, but this also will have a huge financial impact on these areas.

One of my concerns, and I hope we'll be working through this, is that the maps are based on 2021 data.

We have invested a lot in flood mitigation projects since 2021, and that is not necessarily reflected to show the accuracy of this these maps.

So as the community meetings come online, I'm hoping that we can have some council briefings to understand more about not only the process but how we work with both State and Federal level departments to make sure that they are incorporating accurate information so that we don't unnecessarily put homes in that shouldn't be there and businesses in that shouldn't be there.

I want to wish uh Jacob Mata in our office a very, very happy birthday tomorrow.

Uh and want to wish everyone a very happy rodeo.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Huffman.

We're having so much fun.

You want to do it again?

We do have one that came in, so if we want to do 19 really quickly.

Okay, item 19.

Yes, look at that.

Item 19 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

Let me start over.

Item 19 has been received.

It is an ordinance.

Just need a vote.

All in favor of item 19 say yes.

Those opposed, no.

Motion passes.

And that's it.

Very well.

We stand adjourned.