Councilor, please come to order.

I'm gonna ask the mayor pro Tim to reside while we recognize our friends and guests.

The chair recognizes Councilmember Martinez for a proclamation to recognize Leticia Gary Simmons, the owner and designer of Billy Bowes, etc.

As as Lethia comes up, I just want to uh make sure folks know so month the month of May is National Small Business Month, and it highlights uh contributions on small businesses, and today um I'm proud to recognize one of our own Letisa Garay Simmons, born and raised in the East End in District I.

And so Letisa's creativity uh started in the East End.

She began making coronas, which is what she's wearing right now on her on her head for her daughter, and seeing the confidence and joy that it brought her daughter, she knew this was bigger than just art.

So she founded Billy Bo, etc.

Most people know her as the Corona Lady.

Letisha shows up for her community from as a member of Lulat Council 60.

She volunteers with the Houston Eastern Chamber of Commerce and supports events across the guy.

She doesn't just create, she uplifts.

And so, whereas Leticia designs custom coronas for special occasions and for women facing depression, chemotherapy, or cancer remission.

Each Christmas she donates 50 coronitas to organizations across Houston, including Texas Children's Hospital, the Ronald McDonald, McDonald's House, Latina Nutcracker Market, the Segundo Barrio Children's Choir, and make a wish make a wish recipients, spreading joy and affirming that all people are beautiful regardless of hair, size, or skin tone.

And whereas, as she is honored at Houston City Hall, City Hall in the presence of community, the City of Houston proudly recognizes Lethia Goray Simmons for her creativity, her beautiful coronas, and her dedication to empowering girls and women throughout our beloved city.

Thank you, Councillor Martinez, for giving us this opportunity to thank you publicly for bringing so much joy to so many.

Thank you.

You're very special, and you're another example of why we have such a great city that you would on your own start spreading so much love and joy.

So it's my privilege, as therefore our John Whitmire, mayor of the city of Houston, hereby proclaim May 5th, 2026 is Letitia Gary Simmons Day in the City of Houston.

Congratulations.

Real quick before she starts.

If I can have her mom and dad, please come up.

Our family as well.

Yes.

And uh just during my special moment.

Uh, your love means so much to me.

Thank you.

And um, I'm truly honored to receive this proclamation from the best city in the world.

Uh my houston, of course, alongside Councilman uh, thank you so much.

And Mr.

Whitmeyer over here.

And then uh over the years I've been blessed with the opportunity to serve my community through volunteering.

Um through those experiences, I've met so many inspiring people who have helped and share uh shape my journey and supported me as I continue to grow my small business, which this which is the Billy Bows, etc.

I'm incredibly thankful for every opportunity I've been given.

I've had the privilege of working with organizations as New Lak, Eastern Chamber of Commerce, uh Navashoes, and Hoodies for Heathen, uh volunteering my time with all of them.

Um giving back is something that is truly part of who I am.

I have donated to Texas Children's Hospital and uh Ronald McDonald House, Segundo Body of Children's Choir, and Make a Wish Foundation, alongside many others.

Being able to support these organizations and give back to my community means the world to me.

Um to continue this work and build stronger, build a stronger Houston, a city that loves that everyone loves to come to and support.

And uh to my son, Sophia, my son Corey, Sophia and Ray, which is not here right now, and my mom, my dad, and all my family that's here.

Thank you so much for everything and all your support.

And see if Houston.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem, and thank you, Mayor Whitmeyer, for issuing this proclamation.

It's my privilege to help recognize an organization called Compassionate Houston, which for 15 years has been a network of various groups, religious groups, uh, nonprofit centers here in Houston, and just people committed to making Houston a more compassionate place.

This year, Compassionate Houston is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and we have with us several officials from Compassionate Houston.

I'd invite them to come up at this time.

How are you?

So, Mayor, Compassionate Houston was founded on February 2nd, 2011, as I said, by individuals inspired by the principles of the Charter for Compassion and committed to enhancing the quality of life for all Houstonians through community-focused outreach, including their Compassion Week, which will be later this year.

They feature workshops and experiential events.

They host internationally recognized speakers and initiatives, and in fact, they'll have a luncheon uh just in a couple of weeks here on May the 20th, is it?

At the Junior League to forward uh what they do and support their efforts.

Um they feature another initiative called Compassion Through the Arts, which highlights artists and the essential role of creative arts in building compassionate communities.

And uh they have received recognition for their contributions, Mayor.

In 2013, Mayor Parker first recognized Houston as a compassionate city, and then a couple of years later, Mayor Turner uh issued the same designation.

Uh so today or today, Mayor, in celebration of their 15th anniversary, uh, we're hoping that you will reaffirm the diligent work that they do and their members do, and honor them for their contributions for promoting a community that nurtures empowerment, understanding, collaboration, unity, and goodwill.

Thank you for spreading the word about compassionate Houston.

Thank you.

And this chamber is full of compassionate Houstonians.

So your work is paying off.

Paying off.

And I think we all know what a compassionate city it is led by your organization.

In fact, I meet with FIFA soccer delegations, and I encourage them to get into all of our communities to see our diversity, our cultures, and I'll tell them when they leave, I want them to be able to say Houston's a friendliest city, most compassionate city that have ever visited, and it's working.

Therefore, our John Whitmer, Mayor of the City of Houston, hereby proclaim May 5th, 2026's compassionate day in the city of Houston.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

And I will invite Pamela Lewis to offer some remarks at this time.

Sure.

Thank you.

Mayor Whitmeyer, Councilman Ramirez, and City Council.

I'm Pam Lewis, the president of Compassion at Houston, and we are honored to be here today.

I'm joined here by a number of our board members, leaders of our partner organizations and supported supportive commit committed people.

We're proud and appreciative that today has been named Compassionate Houston Day, and also that we are reaffirming Houston as a compassionate city.

Following our founding in 2013 in 2011, it was in 2013 that Houston first took the visionary step to affirm itself as a compassionate city under the Charter for Compassion.

We have grown to over 35 partner organizations working like all of you to foster intercultural understanding, informed empathy with all citizens, and a collaborative way of finding solutions to our community needs.

This proclamation today is not just to look back at the 15 years in our past, but really a commitment to re-engaging for the future.

And it reminds us all in this very large diverse city that we share common humanity with one another and are interdependent upon one another.

So thank you again from all of us for the work that you do.

We know that compassion is a value and a motivation, and to move it into action requires wise discernment, leadership that's thoughtful, and respectful dialogue.

So thank you on behalf of us for this proclamation.

Thank you.

Next, the chair recognizes Mayor Whitmeyer and H.R.

Director Jane Cheeks for a proclamation recognizing National Public Service Recognition Week and the Bravo Award recipients.

Thank you very much, Mayor Persia.

Thank you very much, Mayor and City Council.

I am pleased and very proud to be recognizing the 2026 Bravo Award recipients.

Out of all the awards the city gives, the Bravo Awards are amongst the most esteemed and important.

Bravo Awards go to city employees who are not only outstanding at their jobs, but they are also exemplary and inspiring members of our community.

For them, service comes naturally and they don't stop when they leave the office.

They continue to serve through community outreach and helping those less fortunate.

Today, we want to show our gratitude for making our city a better place, not only for the great work they do for the city of Houston, but for everything they do for the community.

Here are the 2026 Bravo winners.

First, Thallon Barrett.

Through her work with different organizations and countless volunteer hours, Thalon has become a driving force, connecting people, building opportunities, and enriching our city.

She is a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority where she mentors young women.

She's an architect of the community in every sense of the word.

Okay, yes, sir.

Our next person is Sharon Blatlock.

With a heart for the community, Sharon has spent more than two decades providing one person driving by genuine compassion and can conform transform a community.

She has led young people for 26 years as a director at the Cressmont Park Church of Christ and is Vice President of the American, I mean of the Houston area youth for Christ.

Sharon just does not wait to be axed.

She shows up, rolls up her sleeves, and gets to work.

Next is Erica Courtenay Mann.

Erica is a system account three for the Houston Airport system and accounts receivable.

For Erica, changing lives means building bridges.

Through Sigma Gamma Row, sorority and the National Panholytic Council, Eric has championed youth mentorship, society, justice advocacy, and scholarships, access for students in need.

Erica does not just participate, she gives it her everything.

Next, Ryan Pullman.

Ryan is a community outreach coordinator for the Houston Public Works.

Ryan has built a career and a life around one single belief that everyone deserves access to opportunity and that takes intentional sustained effort to make it a reality.

As vice chairman of the board for a primeway federal credit union, Ryan has governed financial institutions serving more than 50,000 members.

Ryan does not wait for the community to come to him.

He goes to the community and he makes it stronger every time he does.

Thank you.

Next, Jose Soto.

Jose is a staff analyst with the municipal courts department, public information office.

Jose made a promise when he learned he was going to be a father that his son would be involved in scouts because of how the experience can shape and mold young people.

As clubmaster of PAC 926, Jose has built a program rooted in character, citizenship, and community.

Whether he's leading scouts through the woods, coordinating a court tour, or planning community awareness, Jose shows up with purpose, patient, and an unshakable belief that investing in young people is the most important work there is.

Council scheduler for City Council office, District H.

Cecilia did not choose a life of service.

She was raised to it, and for more than thirty-five years, she's honored that calling with a consistency and depth that true that's truly remarkable.

With that same dedication and professionalism in her role at the City of Houston, Cecilia ensures residents feel heard, respected, and connected to the services they need.

She does not just serve her community, she strengthens it one relationship at a time.

Yes, that's the entire cohort.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This is a great opportunity.

Not only once recognized today, but hundreds and even thousands across the city that makes city government work for so many.

So thank you.

We do have a couple of uh council members in queue.

Okay.

Uh, Director Cheeks, first let me just tell you that um this is one of the best cohorts of Bravo Award winners that we have seen.

Uh, I do want to um take a little point of personal privilege and uh let everyone know that Fallon Barrett is working to become a certified licensed architect, and she will be one of less than 50 black women architects in the state of Texas, and she will be working for them.

So I wanted to amplify her woman power uh and celebrate her as she continues to reach for her dreams.

But we've we've got this caliber of leaders and employees here at the city of Houston, and we're so very proud of each one of you.

Um, it brought me great joy to see uh Mr.

Santos, your your son at the podium.

He was very, very uh excited uh about being here at his city hall, and I hope that he remains uh that excited about city government, and I don't know if it was the government or maybe camping that uh has him that excited, and I definitely understand.

Uh Councilmember Castillo is in the queue.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem, Director, Mayor, thank you all for the annual Bravo Award uh ceremony.

I want to congratulate all of the winners.

Uh and in particular, shout out Celia Vas, who uh serves the District H office as my scheduler.

She has served the city for over 10 years.

And she absolutely deserves this recognition, not just for her service to the city, but all of the service she's given the community.

You might have seen her checking you in at a function or volunteering at a golf tournament, you name it.

She does it all.

Uh she received a presidential award last year for service and volunteerism, and so she absolutely deserves all these accolades.

Uh very proud to have you on the team and grateful for your service.

Thank you, Councilman.

Councilmember Martinez.

Thank you, Mayor Tim.

Um and you know, to Fallon and Celia, uh, y'all have already been acknowledged, but I definitely want to reiterate those and similar to what the mayor said.

The city doesn't work without city employees.

Uh yeah, I got to work with you, you know, in in the trenches for about eight years, almost nine years, and so it was always a pleasure to work with you.

Fallon, we've been doing some work in GSD as well.

I definitely want to highlight uh Ryan.

Um, whenever we do the outreach, and you know, folks want to know how these projects are going to be rolling out.

Uh Ryan's been out knocking on doors with me, jumping off leave leads so that way the community knows that drainage projects are coming.

You know, these these different CIP projects are coming.

So I just want to lift up Ryan as well.

Thank you for your work.

And then, of course, uh Jose, uh, you know, the work that he's been doing for city employees in general.

Um we also have the privilege of having uh two former district council members that he worked for.

Uh we have former council member uh now Senator Carol Roddles who's here, and then of course, former council member uh James Rodriguez, who who Jose worked with, and then of course, former State Representative Rick Noriega, who he also worked with.

So he has a good a good uh uh crew that's here, uh as James said, the OGs uh at City Hall that are here to lift them up as well.

So congratulations to all of you all uh for all the work that you do, and just super proud to be able to say that I work with uh fine city of Houston employees as well.

Congratulations.

Congratulations to y'all, and I think they want to take a group shot of all of the Bravo winners for the communications, and thank you again to our sponsors,

Next, we will have a special recognition by Councilmember Tiffany D.

Thomas.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and to colleagues and those that are in chambers in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Month.

We have a special group in chambers with us, the Vietnamese American Culture Association.

Can you please welcome in the City Hall?

This is an active and lively group that you can consistently see them at the Aleaf Neighborhood Center.

They're part of our seniors group, and they are here today dressed in their traditional I'll die that I also have a couple of those.

Okay.

Y'all don't want to thank you and celebrate.

Y'all don't want to hang out with us.

That's okay, I get to do it twice.

Just as nice.

That's okay.

Well, maybe I should just have to bring them up so we can just be standing in.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, we're okay.

I think it's a little better now, Councilmember.

We're ready.

I think it's a little bit more.

Thank you, Madam Chair and colleagues, and for those who are uh watching online.

I am excited.

Uh thank you, Mayor, for the person the point of personal privilege.

We have a special guest in chambers, the Vietnamese American Culture Association.

Can you please welcome them to their city hall?

Thank you.

This is a lively group, and especially as we continue to celebrate AAPI month, heritage month throughout the city.

It was important that they visit their city hall.

So I am deeply appreciative of them leaving Southwest Ailey, Texas, and joining us today.

We were able to visit earlier, and I wanted to make sure that they had an opportunity to come into chambers, meet my colleagues, visit with the mayor, and then also just underscore and punctuate uh their visit today.

Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you very much.

Councilmember Thomas, and thank you to representatives of our proud Vietnamese community.

Thank you.

And I've asked our planning director, the city's planning director, very important.

And then Chief Penn.

So thank you for being here with your cultural clothing and your everything you want to share with the great city of Houston.

And thank you for your participation.

So thank you, Different.

Across this city, but certainly in the A Leaf community.

Absolutely.

Wonderful.

And thank you, Mr.

Mayor, for uh Dr.

Tran was with us last week on your behalf.

Um as we uh celebrated, well, not celebrated, but we remembered Black April and and and connecting with our community.

So it's good to see you again.

And she's always visible in representing uh the administration and the values of our community.

So now we're gonna take a photo.

Do you want to make a comment?

J just to thank you to Councilmember Thomas for bringing this forward.

J just to thank you to Councilmember Thomas for bringing this forward, and um just wonderful to honor the Vietnamese American community, uh part of what makes Houston so special, and I'm just uh thrilled to see your patriotism on display here in our city hall.

And just thank you.

I hope you would enjoy your experience, and thank you for what you bring to Houston.

And those are that's the 2025 beauty pageant winner, and this is our 2026 beauty pageant winner.

Okay, get with it.

The chair recognizes Councilmember Castillo for the invocation.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem and colleagues.

It is my honor to welcome Pastor Mendy Roll of Zion Lutheran Church to deliver today's invocation.

Pastor Mendy has served as the pastor of Zion since twenty twenty and is a proud Houston native, now back serving the community she calls home.

She brings a strong academic and spiritual foundation with studies at Texas AM University, Yale Divinity School, and a doctor of ministry focused on spirituality, leadership, and justice.

At Zion, Pastor Mindy is known for fostering a welcome service-oriented congregation committed to being present for their neighbors in meaningful ways.

Pastor Mendy, thank you for being with us today.

Thank you.

It is an honor to be with you today to offer the invocation.

Before I do that, I wanted to just start by offering my thanks uh to you for your work on behalf of this city.

It is no small thing to love a city and to love a city as large and complex as Houston.

And yet you show up every day out of love for the city and out of a commitment to the common good.

And I wanted also to thank those who are here today for the same reason.

It is no small thing to show up.

It takes courage to stand and speak to City Council.

And so I commend you for your courage and your love of this city as well.

I always tell our congregation I am not gonna tell you ever who to vote for, but I am gonna tell you who to vote on behalf of.

And as Lutherans, we always say we vote on behalf of those who are vulnerable, those who are marginalized, those who are suffering, those who are hungry.

And so when they go to vote, I ask them to vote with those faces in mind.

I know that that is also why you show up on City Council and why you show up to speak to your council.

So I am pleased and honored to offer a blessing for the work that we do together.

Let us pray.

Good and gracious God, we give you thanks for this gathering.

This gathering of folks who are committed to the common good to the welfare of this great city.

We ask that you would bless this gathering with your wisdom.

That you would open hearts and minds, that you would soften our hearts, that you would lead us to deeper understanding of one another.

Where there is strife or conflict, we ask that your spirit would fill that middle space, bringing us to resolution together.

We ask that you would bless each speaker with wisdom, that you would bless each speaker with courage and discernment.

We give you thanks for your great city of Houston for your presence among us.

We ask that your spirit would guide these proceedings.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Please rise for the pledge.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic, which says one nation under God.

Next we'll move into our roll call.

Mr.

Secretary, if you will please call the roll.

Mayor Whitmire, Councilmember Pick.

Here.

Councilmember Jackson.

Councilmember Cayman.

Councilmember Ivan Shabazz.

Here.

Councilmember Flickinger will be absent.

Councilmember Thomas.

Councilmember Hoffman.

Councilmember Castillo?

Here.

Councilmember Martinez?

Here.

Councilmember Palo.

Councilmember Castle?

Here.

Councilmember Ramirez.

Here.

Councilmember Davis.

Here.

Council Member Carter.

Councilmember Salinas.

And Councilmember Alcorn.

Need a need a motion to adopt the minutes of April 21st and 22nd and April 28th and 29th.

Martinez second.

Thank you.

Any discussion?

All those in favor?

Any opposed?

The motion carries.

Next uh for our first procedural motion, Councilmember Thomas.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I move to suspend the rules to add Dr.

Adam Tran, Kim Boo, and Toby Su at the top of the two-minute agenda.

Non-agenda.

Is there a second?

It's been moved in second.

All in favor?

Any opposed?

Item carries.

Councilmember Jackson for a procedural motion.

Thank you.

I um move to suspend the rules to add Angel Silv at the top of the three-minute non-agenda.

Second.

It's been moved in second.

All those opposed.

All in favor.

Any opposed?

No.

If no other procedural motions, Mr.

Secretary, uh, will you call the first speaker?

Audrey Nath.

Audrey Nair.

Audrey Nair.

Oh.

To be followed by Alice Liu.

Hello, my name is Audrey Nath.

I live in Montrose, and there's a couple of issues with the proposed tax fee.

Excuse me, trash fee that I wanted to bring up.

One is that we hope that the trash fee, if it is implemented, is done in tandem with ending the subsidy of $6 per household to the 47,000 households or so that are currently getting the private trash pickup, because it wouldn't really make sense to continue that $3 million a year while also doing a trash fee.

And in addition, that the trash fee needs to be done in a progressive way, because a low-income household should not be paying the same as a wealthy household, and that this needs to be baked in at the outset and not kind of with a hope and a prayer added on later.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Alice Liu.

Alice Liu.

Next speaker.

Danny Hernandez.

Danny Hernandez.

Oh, is Alice Liu here?

Okay.

To be followed by Danny Hernandez.

Come on, sis.

Hi, Ms.

Liu.

Go ahead.

Good afternoon.

This morning, the mayor presented his proposed budget for fiscal year 2027.

He presented it as something transformational that would solve long-standing structural problems with the city's budget.

Unfortunately, those of us paying attention know that it's more of the same.

The same that we saw last year, taking restricted funding from drainage infrastructure and water infrastructure projects to pay for an ever-ballooning police spending.

Now in this year's budget, over 60% of the general fund now goes towards police spending.

The vast majority of the deficit is because of the police raise that was passed last year.

Fully 122 million dollars.

And to paper over these holes in the budget, 104 million dollars is going to be taken from water infrastructure, and the poorest families in Houston will now face an additional burden of a $5 monthly trash fee with no equity or affordability provisions.

This is not a people's budget.

I want to ask one question.

Are you for or against lead in our drinking water?

If you're against lead on our drinking water, you need to oppose taking 100 million dollars of funding for water infrastructure and using that to pay for police and fire.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Liu.

Next speaker, Danny Hernandez.

Oh, sorry, Mr.

Secretary.

Danny Hernandez.

To be followed by Dr.

Adam Train.

Goodie.

Good afternoon.

My name is Dani Hernandez, and I am the president of the East London Civic Association.

I'm here to speak on behalf of Maria Jiménez.

Um the Cesar Chavez Boulevard is up for renaming.

Um most of you do if you do not know who uh Maria Jimenez is.

She is a lifelong Houstonian community organizer, civil rights advocate, and human humanitarian who dedicated over 40 years of her life to serving vulnerable populations, especially immigrant populations, refugees, and working class families.

As a resident of Houston's East End since 1957, she became one of the city's most respected grassroots leaders, known for her courage, persistence, and unwavering commitment to the most vulnerable.

So I am here supporting Maria Jimenez for the renaming of the boulevard.

She is one of the most inspiring Latinas in the East End.

Thank you so much for being here.

Next speaker.

Dr.

Adam Tran, to be followed by Kim Vu.

Well, uh good afternoon, everybody.

Good afternoon, wonderful Council members of Eastern.

Today we standing in front of you, not only a resident of Houston, but as a living witness of history.

April 30th, 1975 represents lost, sacrifice, and a painful journey seeking for freedom.

But from that tragedy, we build a wonderful Vietnamese American community right here in Houston.

We lost our nation, but we found hope here in Houston, and we call it home.

So we asking respectfully as for your recognition, recognize and honor more than 58,000 member U.S.

armed force and alongside with the South Public Vietnam fighting for freedom together.

We need to lower our flag on April, April 30th each year to honor them.

And thank you for listening, and thank you for standing with us.

When I say senior, you say power, okay.

Thank you so much.

Next speaker.

Kim Wu to be followed by Toby Su.

Sorry.

Good afternoon.

Mayor Whitmeyer and esteemed members of City Council.

My name is Kim Vu.

I'm a proud City of Houston employee for the last 29 years, as well as an active volunteer with the A-Leaf seniors and the Vietnamese American Culture Association.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the opportunity for our A-Leaf seniors and me to visit City Hall today.

This visit was more than just an experience.

It is a meaningful symbol of unity and a powerful reflection of the Vietnamese senior community's voice here in A.

Leaf.

We are truly grateful for the warm welcome and for your continued commitment to serving a diverse and inclusive city.

For many of our seniors, this visit represents more than a recognition.

It represents connection.

Connection to the city we proudly call home and to the opportunities that come with being engaged, included and heard.

Thank you for supporting an experience that helps bridge our past, present, and future.

Thank you.

Thank you for being here.

Next speaker.

Toby Sue.

To be followed by Cesar Espinosa.

Hi, good afternoon, everyone.

My name is Susu.

I'm here today with a group of seniors from our communities.

First, I'd like to thank the city and all the leaders here for giving us the opportunity to visit City Hall.

It truly means a lot for our seniors to be here to learn and to feel connected with the communities.

But more importantly, helping them stay active, engaged, and connected.

If that's one thing I would like to share, is that the program and activities for seniors, like community events, health support and opportunities to stay active and and are very important.

Even small experts can make a big difference in their lives.

We are really appreciate all the work you do for the community, and we look forward to continuing to support and work together.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thanks, thank you.

Thank you for being here.

Next speaker.

Great to see you.

Uh today I'm here to express my support for the renaming of the Cesar Chavez Boulevard to Maria Jimenez.

Maria Jimenez was a staunch advocate for equality.

She was a staunch everything.

She was a strong woman for sure.

I was just talking to a buddy of mine on the car that she led with gentle love.

Uh no, not gentle, tough love.

Uh she would uh whenever we needed it, she would pull our ears and bring us back in line.

And those are that's the kind of leadership that I appreciate uh and that I value.

Um, when I was uh preparing to come today, I was looking up at uh at you know all her accomplishments, and I found very little.

And that's disheartening because Maria did so much, including being the first uh student body president, Latina student body president of the University of Houston in 1971.

Uh there's a mural that if you go to today, um it's still downstairs.

Uh and she funded, she crowdfunded for that before GoFundMe was a thing.

Uh she she uh made sure that we had the only Latino mural at the University of Houston, and it's still there because of Maria.

Uh Maria inspired many of us.

You can ask a lot of people in the nonprofit uh industries here in Houston.

Uh Maria was a uh mentor to us, she was a good friend of our late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

They worked together on a lot of issues.

Um today her daughter Selena wanted to come, but she's a professor at U of H and she didn't she couldn't make it out here today.

Um so she asked me to come and speak on behalf of her family on our support to rename Cesar Chavez Street as to Maria Jimenez Street.

And it only makes sense.

A community activist, a woman, and a strong, strong Houstonian.

So I would really ask you to consider uh renaming the street.

Oh, and an East Ender by the way.

She lived on 75th her entire life, and uh she was always proud uh to show me the best uh she said the best raspers were in uh East End.

Uh I think they're in Southwest, but we can we can debate, we can debate.

Councilmember Martinez.

Okay.

Thank you.

No, Councilmember Dak.

Yes, uh thank you.

Um I'm excited to hear the recommendation to um change the name to um Maria.

Did a lot of work with her.

Um learned a lot from her as a strong advocate.

You know, we did a lot of reconciliation work, um the fight around 287G, the starting of Houston United.

Um she's always been up front and center, and like you said, a fierce advocate, strong, committed, and so she will be the perfect person, the per there would be the perfect person to change his name, the district name too.

So I'm with you on that 100 percent.

Um you have my support.

Thank you.

Actually, one of the last calls that I had with her was about the police uh reform task force under Mayor Turner.

Uh and she I I won't say the explicit, but she says, if you don't do that, I'm gonna kick your behind uh because you have to be there.

You're bringing the community's voice.

So she was she was very uh very balanced, very fair person.

You we've shared many a times with her.

I think you might have seen her chew me out because you were there.

Yeah, she's a lot of people.

But it was good.

Fair yeah.

Absolutely.

Yes, thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sure.

Councillor Aaron Shabas.

Thank you.

It's always my pleasure for you to come.

And I thank you for all that you do, and certainly when you come with a recommendation, it is very highly regarded.

And I can see one day we may be talking about naming the street after you.

So thank you for coming.

Thank you so much.

Yes.

Thank you.

Cessa, thank you so much for coming today.

And I don't know if you or Sylvia could uh perhaps speak to this, but as folks in the community know, we had a presentation from Congresswoman Garcia encouraging us to name it after Dolores Jueta.

After that, Dolores Jueta made clear that she does not want anything renamed after her, which is why we're now reconsidering my understanding is uh in response to what Delotes has asked, a lot of communities have insisted on renaming anything from César Chavez to a Latina activist.

Can you speak a little bit about that?

Um so first of all, uh I think that it's important that we uh that we listen to Dolores Huerta.

Uh so I think that her recommendation, um, and now I'm I'm on the fence of whether Maria would be honored or would be upset at this, because Maria was the type of person who you would she would I remember going to award ceremonies with her as her as her uh mentor, as her mentee and as her um what is it called?

Uh student follower, uh yes, uh and it's an intern with her, and she would like literally be like, go ahead and put this in the box.

And then when I would go to the box, there was like 30 awards in there.

And she she was just that type very humble person.

But uh I think now let me make it very clear.

Let me let me extend and say that I think we should have more streets named after a lot of our leaders here in the community.

Um I think you know, uh the the number system is great, but if we could uh put more uh thought into renaming streets after Latino leaders, that'd be great.

But the Latina leadership thing is so important.

Uh just because Maria was a trollblazer in her community.

Here in Houston, she was a trollblazer.

And whenever Maria showed up, you can ask anybody who is going to speak on Maria today, or any one of us who work with her, when she showed up, she meant business, and she taught me to come to City Hall.

I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse for some people, but uh she she she taught me to to to come here.

She taught a lot of us to come here and to speak up for our community.

Um she not only worked here, that's another important thing, she also did a lot of work nationally, but the same thing.

You're not gonna see her name in a lot of places because she was always the behind the scenes person.

Um but she actually helped to establish the South Texas uh network for human rights, which looked for remains of people in the in the and across the desert.

Uh she was instrumental in um pushing for VAWA for a lot of reforms.

Um and she also did some work with the Quakers uh to push for reforms uh in in the in a lot of different spaces.

So she's nationally, internationally recognized activists, and I think as an example for Houston of if you want to show strength, dignity, unity, uh, and oh God, I'm gonna get emotional.

And uh and who really is a true leader, Maria Jimenez is it.

And I just remember the dignity thing came to mind.

Uh I think Maria is speaking to me because her email was uh it had the word dignity.

It had dignity now uh was her email.

And I won't say that so people won't spam her, but it was that was her her personal email.

She was always talking about dignity for everybody, not just Latinos.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Mayor Pro Tim.

Thank you, Mayor.

I'd like to move to suspend the rules to add Andrew Patterson to the bottom of the three-minute non-agenda list.

Maiden segment, all in favor, say yes to those proposed name motion passes.

Next, next Sylvia Medina.

To be followed by Angel Silva.

Good afternoon, thank you, Mayor Whitmeyer and City Council.

I am a longtime resident of the East End, born and raised in Second Ward, and very proud of it.

But today I'm wearing my Eastern Alliance hat.

If you're not familiar with us, we are a grassroots nonprofit organization.

And by the way, we are celebrating in 2026 ten years of community engagement, not only limited to voter engagement and recruitment, but most importantly, we represent the East End at the table that sometimes we are not invited to as we deal with issues.

When I was economic development director at the Eastern Chamber, I followed her around for two weeks with the BBC because she is globally recognized for her work.

So the Eastern Alliance proudly supports honoring Maria Jimenez through the remaining renaming of Cesar Travis Boulevard.

As a lifelong Houstonian and nationally recognized human rights advocate, Maria Jimenez dedicated over four decades to uplifting immigrant families, advancing civil rights, and strengthening communities across the East End and beyond.

Her legacy reflects the resilience, dignity, and unity that defines our neighborhoods in the East End.

And there is not very many Latina women that are being recognized.

Recognizing her in this way ensures that future generations are inspired, just like I was, to be a leader whose life work was rooted in justice, service, and unwavering commitment to the people of Houston, Texas.

And let me tell you, walking alongside of her, her dignity, her compassion, humanity was there because she did not want the limelight.

She wanted to bring to the forefront the problems of our immigrant community.

So I ask you to consider our request.

Angel Silva to be followed by Francisco Augier.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Sandra Silva.

I'm founding and director of Mount Houston Community Partners.

I'm bilingual veteran and first generation college grad.

I'm here to present Hustle for Houston.

Hustle for Houston is a workforce development program targeting disconnected young adults between the ages of 19, 18, and 229 in District B.

Using soccer tournaments for recruitment.

The initiative connects participants with a six-month paid apprenticeship, offering uh mentorship, a $2,500 monthly stipping, health coverage, and certificate upon completion.

District B faces significant challenges regarding disconnected youth and the idol land, leading to social and economic issues like substance abuse and high unemployment.

And traditional approaches have not sufficiently bridged the gap between the young residents and meaningful employment opportunities.

My solution is to create a park that will serve as a multi-purpose community hub, combining regulation-sized soccer fields for tournaments and local engagement, dedicated areas for training and workshops and mentorship, and activates vacant land to improve neighborhood safety and energy.

The program workflow, the recruitment of the tournaments serve as high entry point for the young, a six-month paid apprenticeship with local employers, monthly mentor evaluations to maintain quality and to improve employability via recognized completion of certificates.

This uh the economic impact that will bring is yearly pathways for 100 youth into payrolls, increase local spending via steppings and food traffic, uh, it will lower costs for emergency and social and justice service, and it will improve safety, property values, and small business support, and also it will create a consistent flow of certified workers in district B.

My request for the City of Houston in District B is to identify suitable vacant and or underutilized site in District B, a dual funding strategy utilizing Chapter 380 grants to finance the physical infrastructure of the park and workforce innovation and opportunity act to provide the $2,500 monthly stippens for participants during their apprenticeship, and also to include the park in the district B a strategic plan.

The question number one says, why are we seeking a more effective and humane solution to face the to face fentanyl consumption and the habit of spending money on fantasies?

Because the root of the problem isn't fentanyl.

The root is consumption.

Because let's imagine that by magic uh the fentanyl disappears today.

Because there's consumption, because there is a social problem, because we're not taking care of the future generation.

And we must review with all due respect those practices where young people reach adolescent and are immediately expected to leave their home with our love, great and urgency to live.

Peace and tranquility are the fruits of justice.

And you do not fight evil with evil.

And I for a knife will only live as blind and toothless.

So I believe humans are born good and circumstances, make them bad.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Mr.

Silva.

Sure.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for coming in and sharing, you know, your vision.

I met you last night at our Economic Development Academy.

And so looking forward to discussing more about your plan and how we can help move that plan forward.

That's the whole point of the academy is to identify the tools and the resources that's available to us so that we can move these projects forward.

I know Councilmember Thomas just mentioned the 380.

She has something similar to use their program in her district to move a project forward.

So I look forward to sitting down with you and discussing ways we can partner and help you realize your vision.

Thank you, man.

Thank you for your time and work.

Thank you.

Next.

Francisco.

To be followed by Rhonda Sapulveira.

Hello.

Yeah, my name is Francisco Arguelles.

I'm a resident of Clural Lake.

Has been a long time since I have been here.

I used to be the director of the Living Hope Wheelchair Association, and I was a co-conspirator with Maria Jimenez for the last 30 years.

And I'm here to join my voice to request that you rename the Cesar Chavez Boulevard on her name, not as a way to honor her, because Maria probably will be pushing back a little bit about that, but as a way to honor her community, to honor Latino women.

I couldn't find any.

And very few women.

But also as a way to honor the immigrant communities that she lived, that she belonged to for three generations and that she literally gave her life for.

I saw Maria when she got the Bandermark Fellowship that gave her a three months of pay sabbatical to rest, how to use that money and that time to continue pushing, for instance, for the uh late amnesty cases that legalized 400 families in the late 90s.

She was bipartisan in terms that she will protect you, either you were Democrat or Republican, and push for what she thought was right, but then she will also work with you to advance policies that made a difference on people.

She always spoke to power, calling attention to the fact that policies like, for instance, immigration and police collaboration are to be measured by the impact, not by their intentions.

And she we collaborated working in the border to see the impact of their policies that become the loss of life of many people.

So I'm I'm inviting you, like she already has a corrido, uncorrido de Maria Jimenez, so her community has honored her.

The movement has honored her.

I think it's time for the city that she gave her life to to honor her, but also that will be a way to honor immigrant communities, working class people, uh and and Latino women.

So yeah, I I uh and um on a side note, um, she will have been welcoming her second grand kid today.

You know, he was born two days ago, the son of her son uh Carlos, who's a union organizer, and then her daughter, who's in Houston, is a renowned international renowned poet.

So her the seeds that Maria planted are still around.

Organizations she helped fund are still around, like the worker center, the fake justicia worker center that we started together.

So again, I think that Marie honoring her is a way of for Houston to honor itself by recognizing and valuing the contribution of uh Latino women, immigrant women to make this a truly compassionate city that really fights for human rights for all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Rhonda Sapulveira to be followed by Jessica Campbell.

Good afternoon, Mayor Whitmeyer and esteemed council members.

My name is Rhonda Sepulveda.

I come before you today as a proud constituent of District I and friends to some of you.

And I'm also the chaplain of Lulak Council 60.

I'm here in support of renaming Cesar Chavez Boulevard after Maria Jimenez.

This opportunity literally and figuratively hits home.

Cesar Chavez Boulevard was 67th Street.

And I grew up on Avenue H, it's on 67th.

I was raised by my grandfather in a small, modest house there.

As an advocate of social justice in my career and my service to Lulak Council 60 and my personal principles, I have learned from social justice champions, such as Archbishop Joseph Fioretta, Deacon Joe Rubio, Larry Pain, and Maria Jimenez.

Each inspired a lifelong commitment to advancing the rights and dignity of the disenfranchised.

And today I echo the name that was no stranger to this chamber, Maria Jiménez.

In the second year of the Mayor's Hispanic Advisory Committee, this body recognized Maria Jiménez as community activist in the 2010 administration under Mayor Anis Parker, noting Maria Jiménez has been a strong voice and activist in social justice issues for the past 39 years.

She began by organizing border communities in redressing human and civil rights violations in enforcement and immigration laws.

She developed human rights monitoring and documentation methods and helped write several human rights reports on abuse of authority and violations of rights and enforcement of border policies and immigration law.

That is no different.

But her fight continues today.

Maria Jimenez was Magnolia Grohn, a faithful citizen, a district from district eye constituent, a neighbor, a proud Milby Buff national debate champion, who turned that craft into advocacy, into public policy.

Her soul was saturated in the gospel of social justice radiating through her voice.

A voice that inspired, a voice that called, a voice that compels you to lean in and learn.

A voice that spoke truth and moved people to action.

I witnessed her work.

I listened to her and watched people learn how to do that.

Maria Jimenez dedicated her life and dignity to the working people and immigrant communities, and she did it right here at home.

Mayor Whitmeyer and Council members, they say the greatest shepherds leave from behind.

Today I respectfully ask for your vote to rename Cessa Chavez Boulevard after a great shepherd and a true Houston champion of social justice, Maria Jimenez.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Jessica Campos to be followed by Yule Shu.

Good afternoon.

My name is Jessica Campos, and I'm here today as a mother and as a community advocate and as a survivor myself.

Because who we choose to honor matters to me, to my daughters and to the families across Houston.

I want to first thank Danny Hernandez for organizing us to be here today.

It goes to show how many heroes, women heroes, we have right here in our communities and that deserve to be recognized.

I'm going to be honest.

When I first heard when I first heard the recent controversial news, it hurt me.

It made me angry.

Because we are living in a time where hope is a desper is desperately needed in our communities.

And yet, once again, we are faced with reality that a man was able to gain power, recognition, and legacy while causing harm behind the scenes, while the women in our communities are silenced.

That pain that is painful.

And it's something too many women understand.

So when we're asked who we want to honor, this matters because naming this naming a street is not just about a name, it's about what we choose to stand for.

Right now, we have an opportunity to choose something different, to choose someone who represents the kind of hope our communities actually need.

She showed up for communities when they were ignored, when they were pushed aside.

She did not work for recognition.

She did this because it needed to be done.

And right now, in this moment, we need that kind of hope.

We need to honor people whose legacy we want to stand without hesitation.

This is our chance to choose differently, to choose someone whose life reflects service, integrity, and real community in our communal commitment in our communities.

I ask you to choose Maria Jimenez, because then because the name you choose will become the stories our children carry.

Thank you.

Mayor Jessica.

Councilman Martin.

Thank you, Mayor.

And Jessica, I just wanted to say uh and you're the last speaker on this uh topic, so I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that came.

Thank you for bringing your voice to the to the chamber.

Uh last week we had a group of folks came for uh Joe Chaco Ramírez as well.

Um I want to encourage everyone to continue.

Uh, you know, I don't think the deadline the deadline was May 1st, but your voice is still important, so if you uh were not able to come next Tuesday, uh, share an email uh to my colleagues, uh of course to the mayor's office.

Um and and I will say, I think says I've said it best.

Uh you know, this is one special opportunity because of the circumstances.

Uh, but we should not stop at just this street, right?

We should do the work, and it's a hefty lift to be able to have to to be able to go through the renaming of a street.

Uh but my commitment to everyone, uh, whatever the name becomes, uh, we still need to figure out ways to identify uh places in our community that we can honor um all of our all of our local heroes.

So thank you for being here.

Our women heroes.

Yes, all of them.

Thank you.

Next to be followed by Isaiah Lopez.

Good afternoon.

My name is Yulin Shu, and I live in District J.

I'm here to talk about the city budget and the need for for a people's budget.

When that very rains, I see the same problem every time on my way home.

South Rice Avenue, right next to Cunningham Elementary School floods.

It doesn't need to be a hurricane.

As long as there is heavy rain for like 30 minutes, it floods.

It is clear that our flooding issues are not fixed.

This isn't just inconvenient for drivers.

When that street floods, it forces school children to walk into traffic or through 30 and unsafe water to go to school or to get home.

We are putting kids in danger by raising the budget for the police while cutting the budget for flooding.

If we are taking money away from the people who fix our drinks to give it to the police, Councilmember Pollard, I have a question for you.

Does that mean the police are now going to solve the drainage problem?

Does that mean next time it rains and it floods, I'm supposed to call police to come train the street?

Yes or no?

Yes.

Okay.

So I think it's pretty straightforward.

I think the answer is no.

Cops cannot fix a flooded street.

We need well-trained professionals.

And we need the funding they deserve to solve the issue.

Please do not cut the budget for the services that keep the kids safe on their way to school and back home.

Thank you.

To be followed by David Espinosa.

Hello, I'm here to express concerns I have about the upcoming budget vote and continued cuts to public services that negatively impact working class residents and city workers who are increasingly spread thin and face worsening work conditions.

Last year's budget saw cuts to flood control, libraries, and parks in underserved neighborhoods to give HPD a 36.5% raise.

And based on what I have heard of the proposed 2027 budget so far, it seems to be more of the same shifting money around without addressing underlying issues or the needs of working class Houstonians.

Basically kicking the can down the road.

David Espinosa.

To be followed by Beth Lumillo.

It's not so much that you're approving a trash fee that most cities across the United States and in this state have adopted.

It's much more this illusion of caring about our problems that you yourself have caused.

Last year, despite every single citizen speaking against police raises and the slash to city departments, you still went ahead and improved this BS budget.

Last year you promised that the 110 million dollars, and I mean you, Mr.

Mayor, those total cuts to city services could be done without interruptions of service.

And anyone who's seen delayed public works or missed trash pickups know that's not true.

This was done in part by freezing jobs and letting go of experienced staff.

So let's do the math.

Last year's solid waste budget was cut by six million dollars in public works by 21.8 million.

And that's a total of 27.8 million dollars.

And I'm only saying those two totals because you plan on folding both of those departments.

Your current director of public works said on Channel 2 that this $5 fee will recover about $25 million.

So that's already a gap of $2.8 million that you still need to recover.

It's just not going to be enough to cover that gap.

And how do we expect an improvement in city services this way?

Especially how can we expect an improvement in those services when we have fewer workers than last year?

There were 849 open positions last year that were frozen last year in public works alone.

So here's my questions.

Will this money go towards filling up these positions?

Are you proposing an end to the freeze this year?

Will you be offering higher wages to their employees to these employees?

Public works and solid waste were both facing labor shortages as it were last year.

And part of it was because the pay that was offered was dismal for the dangerous yet very important work that you do to keep the civilization running.

Pay for Houston Public Works employees are about 17 to 20 dollars an hour, while the national average is at 22 to 24.

Has that been taken into consideration when applying this fee?

And when this rate goes up $25 in two years, will it be enough?

And that's not getting how this will disapportionately affect working class people of Houston, which another flat fee will do to their bottom line when rents and grocery prices are going up, not even year after year, month after month, week after week.

Well, not every council member, but will promise the affordability and fixed roads and drainage.

It's easy to say we're not the one holding the shovel or up to your knees in mud, fixing a broken pipe, and leading those people who are doing the work with a larger workload and little things.

Thank you.

Beth Lumio, to be followed by Rita Robles.

Hello, good afternoon, Council Mayor.

Uh my name is Beth Lumia.

I am a co-director of disaster preparedness at West Street Recovery, and I also lead our Hubhouse program, a network of community leaders who act as the first line of defense for their communities during disasters.

We have about 16 um hub houses of various sizes across northeast and southeast Houston, and I would be happy to share any information on that with y'all.

We often hear leadership discuss disasters in terms of newsworthy hurricanes.

That is not the case for community members who operate these hub houses and residents that they support.

It doesn't take a name storm to trigger a crisis.

During a regular rainfall or a standard Gulf storm, our neighborhoods lose power and streets turn into rivers.

While the city waits for a federal declaration, our hub captains are already in disaster mode.

They're out in the rain, making calls to ensure seniors are safe, distributing water and batteries, and checking that neighbors are home safe before the water rises.

They do this because they care and because Houstonians are scared every time it rains.

Mayor, you ran on a platform of fixing streets and drainage.

Yet we see a frustrating trend.

Houston's infrastructure is prioritized only when it's primed to entice sponsors and investors for the World Cup.

We are seeing rushed repairs and beautification for capital.

While the people who actually live here endure neglected ditches and fouling pipes.

When ditchers are the primary drainage system for many of our vulnerable neighborhoods, leaving them clogged is a policy choice to let those specific neighborhoods flood.

Invest in public works by hiring city workers.

Relying on skeletal crews or expensive outside contractors is not the definition of a good government.

We need a robust internal workforce to maintain our beautiful city.

Protect uh city services and employees.

We demand no cuts to essential services, no job cuts, and no hiring freezes.

We cannot build a safer Houston by stripping departments that keep us running.

I ask y'all to prioritize the residents who are here every day over the investors who are here for only a season.

We believe these demands will bring us to a healthier, safer, and more livable Houston for everyone.

And I just have since I have extra time.

Um I just have one question for Mayor Whitmeyer.

Umor, are you violating the advalorum settlement by only increasing drainage funding by 31 million instead of 48 million?

Thank you.

Your time has expired.

Reader rolls.

I guess this question is also for any city council members.

Can anyone answer my question?

Thank you.

Okay, that's disappointing.

Thank you.

Read reader rollables.

To be followed by Rebecca Sayle.

Good afternoon.

My name is Rita Robles, and I am from the Denver Harbor community.

I wanted to speak about hub houses.

I am a hub house captain in my area.

I carry supplies for residents in my community.

I help before, during, and after a disaster.

I have helped with solar power batteries, heaters, fans, camping stones, lanterns, many refrigerators, and so much more.

The city of Houston has said many, many times, in times of crisis, prepare as much as you can and hunker down.

I know we've heard that many, many times.

The thing is, the city will not come out and help us during a crisis.

In my area, excuse me, in my area and surrounding areas, it floods.

This is due to decades of neglect in our ditches in our infrastructure.

And this is a policy failure.

We are in crisis.

We need the city to follow up on their word and repair, replace our water and sewer sewage pipes that are spilling into our communities.

Taking 104 million dollars from water infrastructure is the opposite of that.

Our neighborhoods flood during normal rains.

We are living with pollution in our communities and lead in our drinking water.

This budget solves none of those issues.

And these issues are public safety concerns.

So I know that my council member is here and some of the other council members that we work with, and I want to address all of you.

What are y'all going to do for our areas?

I know that recently I noticed that our our uh freeway and the um intersections have been closed down for street repairs.

And um, I'm sorry to say, I mean, I'm happy that they finally repaired the roads in certain areas, but they did such a shoddy job uh trying to hurry up for FIFA.

I mean, does that mean that they're gonna come back and fix it?

Because the roads are very uneven, and the streets, the way they painted it in rain when it rains in an evening, you're not gonna be able to see it.

And somebody like me who's getting up in age, I have to wear glasses at night, it's worse.

I don't see those lines.

They did them very, very shoddy in a very, very fast time.

So I'm hoping that you guys will come to my neighborhood, come to I-10 between Wayside and Crest and look at the shoddy job they did.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Rebecca Rebecca Sale.

To be followed by Josiah Richter.

Good afternoon.

My name's Becky Sell.

I'm here because I'm very concerned about the direction this budget is taking us.

I'm also very concerned by the amount of questions we've asked just to silence.

Totally understand if y'all need more time to understand these questions and get back to us.

But our understanding is y'all are representatives of the people, and it's your job to help us understand what's going on and answer our questions.

So I'm going to ask some more questions.

We'll also share them in an email following up, and we would really appreciate anyone's help.

We're not here to be unnecessarily provocative or to trick you or to fight.

I see your smirk, Mayor Whitmeyer.

We're here because of our concern from coming from on the ground experience and expertise, okay?

I'm a trained engineer.

I'm a co-director of West Street Recovery, a member of the NAC.

I've been a first responder in Houston to disasters for nine years since Hurricane Harvey.

I've personally rebuilt five homes, been the general contractor on five homes, and done a lot of other construction.

I've set up the Hubhouse program.

I've designed solar and battery systems to put on members' homes.

I've designed water prefire purification systems, systems that are working and being used in all these disasters.

I've spent weeks helping people appeal FEMA, file for flood insurance.

Talking to families of how to avoid the sewage bills on their properties.

We're not saying this stuff to be provocative.

We're really worried and we want the budget to take us in a good direction.

No matter how you talk about it, what is being proposed is to take 104 million dollars that is restricted to water and sewage and move it to the general fund.

That's not okay.

Those systems are failing right now.

We need not just to continue what is happening, but to improve it.

Some winds over the last few years have been shared, and we agree with some of those wins.

The decrease in water main breaks, that's amazing.

These wins are good.

But these winds do not justify the existence of other problems.

We've recently been testing water for lead.

In 30 homes that we tested, over 25 percent had detectable levels of lead.

One of those homes was in an apartment complex with 200 other units.

This is the very beginning of a study we're doing with Texas AM.

But that's not okay.

How can we justify taking money away from a department that has our kids drinking lead and moving it to something else?

We want our trash to be fixed also.

We're not saying to take money away from that program.

But that is not a solution.

That's a false solution.

That is decreasing the quality of service.

Or we can't talk about decreasing the quality of service when we're going to be able to do that.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you for um your continued advocacy.

It's been a blessing and um honor to work with Western Recovery.

I know my office um work closely with you guys, and we even give you some of our district service funds to um support some of the work that you do.

And so we're always welcome.

We're always open to sitting down and discussing you know your priorities, and um, of course, with the budget coming up, you know we're gonna sit down and to talk with you, so let's get a meeting on the calendar with Mary, and so we can learn more about your priorities, okay?

Thank you.

Thank you, Nick.

Uh Pollard, Councilman Pollard.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um and to you and the rest of the speakers one, I want to say thank you for coming forward.

Uh there's uh there may not always be a lot of dialogue in this setting uh for discussion.

Uh, but I can say for myself and probably many of my other colleagues as we take this opportunity to listen to you all.

So, although we might not have a response or be able to answer every question uh that is posed, doesn't mean that we don't want to continue to engage.

And so uh to follow up with my office for sure on any specific questions, any times to meet, uh, but don't take the non-rebuttals or the silence as we're not listening.

Uh we are just taking this opportunity to listen to you.

Thank you.

We look forward to working with you.

Thank you.

Josiah Rector.

To be followed by Roland Curry.

Good afternoon.

I'm a resident of District D.

Next year is gonna be the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey.

We know that Hurricane Harvey was 30 percent stronger as a result of human-induced climate change, and what once were called 500 year storms are increasing in likelihood, tripling in probability this century.

Last year, the Texas State Climatologist Office predicted that by 2036 extreme rainfall in Texas would increase by up to 25 percent.

So it's only a matter of time before a storm even greater than Harvey hits Houston.

In 2024, the claims guide ranked Houston as the riskiest city in the U.S.

to own a home, and it's just getting riskier.

Houston is not prepared for the next superstorm.

This is a racial justice issue and an economic justice issue.

88% of Houston's drainage ditches are in majority people of colored neighborhoods.

And we know when the next superstorm hits, those communities are going to flood again, devastating lower income households and widening the racial wealth gap.

The mayor in his press conference this morning referenced $31 million for drainage.

This is not enough.

We need the city to commit to the full $45 million for the Dritt Ditch Replacement Program.

And we need accountability in how our funds are spent.

This administration diverted $30 million from stormwater funds for building demolition last year.

And now this administration wants to take over a hundred million from the water and sewer systems and use it to plug a record deficit that was created by out-of-control spending increases and overtime revealed by the controller's office for especially HPD.

It is not public safety when you underfund infrastructure that will save lives in Houston's most vulnerable communities.

And these kinds of accounting tricks do not generate new revenue or reduce the cost of essential infrastructure maintenance.

The same goes for solid waste.

One in five residents of this city lives under the federal poverty line.

Instead of a regressive trash fee that will take the highest percentage of low-income residents' monthly incomes, we should close the massive tax loopholes for corporations and real estate developers, including $92 million for oil and gas corporations.

We should look at assessed fees for developers and phase out TRTIRZs that have served their purpose.

A fee is far more regressive and will raise less money in one year than a one-cent property tax increase, which Melissa Dubowski has said would be authorized without having to go before voters.

That would raise $28 million in a year and be far less regressive than this $5 fee.

We need to ensure that any revenue that is raised for both drainage and sanitation actually goes to improving infrastructure and improving wages, conditions, and staffing levels for sanitation and public works departments.

If we really care about public safety, it means preventing the hundreds of deaths that could occur over the next 10 to 15 years when the next superstorms arise and our infrastructure is systematically underfunded.

Thank you.

Council recognized Roland Curry.

Robert Robert Dre.

Keel Howard.

To be followed by Demetria Smith.

Good afternoon, Mayor and City Councilman.

My name is Kia Howard.

I work for OTG Concessions at the airport at Bush Intercontinental.

And I also want to give a shout out to SEIU.

We are supporting you guys.

Just want you to know.

I am personally glad because this will raise my income from $1,450 to $20 an hour.

And in October of this year, we'll get another additional dollar, which would bring me at 21.

And for me, this is life-changing.

Because now I can truly take out the time to take care of myself as my medical expenses.

So for me, I do appreciate and thank each and every one of you for your support and all you do.

And I want to most particularly, Mr.

John, you the letter and support that you sent out in support of getting us this raise.

Without you, I don't think it would have been done.

With OTG, our concessions.

And I am truly appreciated on behalf of me and my co-workers.

We are extremely glad, and we are very happy and excited, and keep doing what you're doing, and we're here for it again.

Thank you all.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next.

Demetrio Smith.

To be followed by Deborah Featherland of Beaumont.

It's been a while.

Hello, how are y'all doing?

Well, first of all, I'm going to invoke all you ultrapolites today.

We all fit in a fiduciary capacity.

Yes, you all sitting in a fiduciary capacity as public trustees.

First thing I want to do is put you on notice of a negative avertment.

Recipient, the city of Houston, the mayor.

Council member, HPD.

UEI number 5766.

SS and Sam, 39Y 96 B8.

Federal fraud award.

It's the Burn Edward Memorial.

Grant assist the program.

Notice of a negative avertment of for demand investigation.

I Demetrius Smith.

Fado Share a trustee for the estate of the accused, hereby provide this notice to the city of Houston regarding case number 195.

I'm gonna leave the rest blank.

Last four digits, 1010.

I have first hand knowledge of the facts of the states here in having a personal review.

The Officer Body Warren Camera, BWC, which you get paid for.

Footage and testimony with the court appointed a counsel.

Your officer abused my daughter.

I aver that I am not aware of any evidence, video or medical record providing for the accused of Officer A.

Rhodis on February 16, 2026.

I deny such evidence exists.

I aver the D that the BWC footage proves that the accused never slap, kick, or call paint to Officer Rhodes contradicting the falsified police report in case number.

That's it, I just said I aver that the charging instrument signed by the affiant, Haby Flores, is a fraudulent document as Florent was not a witness and not present on the scene to attest to any assault.

I aver that the city is withholding BWC evidence to maintain false level two felony charges, constitute official oppression and grant fraud.

Violation of Department of DOJ standard assurance, the City of Houston and HPD or subrecipients of DOJ Fang.

This is from the Treasury.

One five PBJA-22 G Gero 354-JA GX.

This funding is contingent upon assurance number four, civil rights and assurance number 11, integrity by falsely accusing an innocent black woman with no criminal record of high-level felony, mimicking the patterns of Ashley Gonzalez.

Raceless, racist actions.

This agency has been breached of its fiduciary capacity and federal contract.

I demand this council investigate Officer A.

Rodis for racist malfeces and fabrication of high level criminal charges.

You have five dates.

Wait.

You denied the FOIA request.

Next you know that, right?

Majid Shareed.

I asked for a foyer request for your HPD officer.

This body denied it.

Thank you, ma'am.

Okay, I want you to know.

Thank you.

To be followed by Carrie Rice of Cyprus.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I'm a dealer of the Southwest.

I'm dealing with auto dealer.

Any document you lose whether a DBS or anything, you could go get a replacement.

And unfortunately, with auto dealer, they have pervertism.

Certain people get away with murders.

And if you ask for an ASR, you won't get it.

And it's getting really nasty.

And I request the city to Buddha fees in case if we lose it, we're not an angels.

In case if we lose an ASR, I mean we could for an XP, we could get a replacement.

I mean, I lost my DBA.

I went and got it.

I got it, I got a copy for five dollars.

All the dealers, certain people getting away, you know, with so many things that I I have a list of it, and nobody doing anything about it.

It's getting a lot of dealer attention.

So all of them concerned, and all of them ask me to come and talk to you guys.

And I've been calling the mayor's office for the past four or five years.

We've been having this issue, and nobody listening to us.

Thank you.

Next carry rice of Cyprus.

Jimmy Rain.

To be followed by Kevin Strickland.

Good afternoon.

Mr.

Mayor, Councilman, Council members, Mr.

Mayor, good afternoon.

Um is my council member going to be here, Joaquin Martinez.

Not advised.

Go ahead and speak.

I'm here because I have a problem with my neighbor that lives behind me.

Back on July 8th of 2024, we had Hurricane Barrel came through, and it blew part of my privacy fence over.

And when that came down, there was a second fence behind mine that was a chain link fence.

And it had always been there.

At some point, after 2021, my neighbors had torn it out.

It wasn't their fence, it was my fence.

But then they took the pieces of the broken fence that came down in the hurricane and they hired a company and they had it set up to be their fence now.

And then they took a chainsaw and cut it down from eight feet to six feet.

That was on a Tuesday.

Wednesday I called my family.

Thursday I called my friends, and everyone sort of agreed that I should have called the police, which I did Friday.

The police department told me it wasn't their problem.

I needed to call the constable.

Called the constable.

They said it wasn't their problem.

It was the police problem.

Went back and forth.

Finally I called the mayor's citizen assistance hotline.

The first words out of the lady's mouth was that's their job.

Nobody did anything.

So I called Mr.

Martinez's office, and I spoke Christina answered the phone.

First thing out of her mouth, that's their job.

And it took over a month for me to get a constable to come out.

He would not take a report, but he videoed everything and told me that since the majority of the fence was now facing their side, that if I touched it, I was going to be arrested.

I didn't know what to do after that.

And I was in contact with Christina.

And then finally, I wanted to get a police report filed, something filed because the constable wouldn't do it.

The police officer called me on the phone.

He wouldn't come to my home, but he took the police report over the phone and gave me a case number.

That was in 2024.

And now we are approaching the two-year mark for that.

And this has become an issue with my insurance company because they want to close this out, coming up to be the two-year mark, and they are refusing to do anything because they are seeing it as a criminal act that isn't being investigated.

I don't know what to do.

That's why I came here today.

I did talk to him, but when the fence came down, that was my first time ever meeting that that neighbor.

And um I knew the people originally that lived there, but when they died and the house got sold, uh, we never got to meet those people because there had always been a privacy fence there.

And the privacy fence originally went up I want to say it was maybe mid to late 70s.

Let me ask again.

Have you talked to the neighbor?

The neighbor that did the damage.

The neighbor that you have the dispute with.

Yes, I did.

When's the last time?

I talked to him the day that was uh Tuesday.

It was Tuesday.

The question is, have you spoken to him recently?

No.

The last time I spoke to him.

Let me suggest you'd be amazed if you communicate, tell him of your concerns.

What about other neighbors?

Have you maybe had other neighbors get involved?

No, I haven't.

I spoke to him once, and I kind of let me just urge you.

You know, it's amazing what a conversation sometimes.

I realize that.

And when I asked him if he would like to come over and have a cup of coffee and talk about it, he laughed in my face and shut the door.

Yeah.

Well, why don't you try again to communicate?

Maybe write him a nice note.

And I kind of want the police to come now.

Yeah.

Because you talked about compassion.

Okay, let me ask you this.

Let me ask you this.

What would be the criminal accusation?

Well, ripping out the fence.

Okay.

Taking my other fence off of my property, the pieces of it, using it for your own benefit, and then cutting it down to size, including the part of the state.

Have you spoken to a lawyer?

I have not yet.

Let me just say.

HPD does a lot of things.

The constables has certainly showed up.

Why don't you go talk to an attorney about a small claims court and try to resolve it?

Because I understand you believe it's criminal.

I think you ought to advise an attorney.

Maybe go down to the DA's office and see if they will take charges.

But it sounds to me like a communication issue would go a long ways.

Okay.

Well, I Councilmember Martinez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um Mr.

Ray, um, these are always delicate issues and challenges when you start working with a neighbor, and again, as the mayor alluded, I think conversations go a long way.

Another thing, and I don't I don't I've spoken to Christina, but the Harris County Resolution Center is also another location that we can uh you know recommend.

Um I know that they've spoken to the JP court, which is I believe uh Judge Trevino's office as well.

So there are some you know ways that you can go about moving forward.

Um I would highly recommend and I'm happy to I'm happy to go out there with y'all, right, and have a conversation if if need be.

But ultimately, you know, it's a private it is a private issue, and so if you start involving more law enforcement, it it might get to a point where y'all are not really having any conversations, and then it'll stop there, and that frustration, you know.

You know, you know uh when you have a a neighbor that you just don't get along with, that becomes you know very detrimental to your livelihood as well.

Um and so I would I would recommend the Harris County uh dispute resolution center.

Uh we can get uh Christina can share that contact with you.

Um we can set up something again.

I'm happy to be there.

I'll I'll take the coffee for both of y'all.

Um, but let's see what we can do.

Um the conversations definitely need to be had again.

Okay.

That that would be great.

Um that's what I've wanted since the very beginning.

It's just that no one has offered me any sort of path that way.

And the moment the constable threatened me with arrest for touching the fence, that's when I figured that was a legal matter.

I do not want to get arrested for touching my own property.

And right now I'm paying taxes on property that's on the other side of the fence.

We're sorry about your experiences.

Try the recommendation of the council member.

He's actually in offering to get involved.

It sounds like a great mediator to me.

Okay, when can we do that?

Um we can do it as soon as possible.

I don't know what's on my calendar in the next couple of days, but I'll make sure that Christina reaches out to you.

I can do it too.

Should I go talk with someone now from your office?

No, give Rebecca Williams your contact.

Yeah.

She's at you, Rebecca.

Why don't you give her your contact and we'll forward it to Council Martinez, and I'll communicate with the council member to see if uh some improvement can be made.

I I appreciate that.

Thank you very much.

Thanks for being here.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Be safe.

Kevin Strickland.

Next.

To be followed by Jeff Dustin.

Good afternoon, Council and Mayor.

Um Groundhog Day again.

I'm Kevin Strickland, President of the Greater Heights Super Neighborhood, which has engaged on the 11th Street safety improvement improvement project for many years.

I've sent you previously two letters of support provided by my council, plus several letters of support provided by the civic associations in the area.

By now, Councilmember Carter has received dozens of emails reiterating our support.

Um this is in addition to the prior campaigns we've organized.

The community widely supports this project.

On April 26, 2025, 110 people voiced their strong support at a town hall organized by Councilmember Castillo and Councilmember Cayman.

Kids who attend Hog and Harvard talked about how they can now cross the street safely to get to school.

As always, missing from the discussion about 11th Street is that it is a safety improvement project and it is working exactly as designed.

We have the facts to back it up.

The city carefully analyzed the data before and after the project.

Before, average speeds were 40 and a 30.

Crashes on the corridor were higher than the state average.

Now the average speed is close to the speed limit.

Do you know how difficult it is to get the average speed to the speed limit on a Houston street?

Crashes are down significantly.

So far in 26, there have only been three crashes.

So how did this happen?

Because 11th Street had excess capacity.

That means driver speed.

When they speed, they crash more.

And those crashes are more serious.

This is all based on facts, not anecdotes or vibes.

It is not true to say that fire trucks can't use 11th.

No data has been provided to show this.

I understand if a council member lives in Kingwood, she may not be familiar with the heights to know that most of the streets are narrow with open ditches, and the fire trucks manage just fine.

I encourage you to use an electronic device of your choice and go to the Twitter app, which the mayor's office uses often.

If you're not sure how to do it, Councilmember Selinas and Castillo can help you, and you can search for hashtag fire trucks on 11th.

Um I'd also point out since it's budget season, the community doesn't understand how we could waste so much money removing a safety improvement project when the city is facing so many difficulties difficulties, as my fellow Houstonians have been pointing out all afternoon.

Thank you very much.

Oh wow.

On the dot.

I can take questions about the budget if you like.

I'm kidding.

Jeff doesn't be followed by Clay Kane.

Hello.

Um, thank you for taking the time and let me talk today.

Good afternoon.

My name is Jeff Dustin, and I'm here representing One Park Project and over 1,500 Houston residents.

One Park Project is a community-driven organization advocating for inclusive shared use policies across public skate parks.

We are here to r respectfully request the opportunity to speak with City Council and HPARD about a pilot program at Lee and Jamil Skate Park downtown, only a few blocks from here.

Currently, BMX bicycles are not allowed in Houston skate parks, limiting access to a public facility for a large and active community.

We understand that there are concerns around safety, park design, and potential wear, and that's why we are proposing a structured solution to work with the city on allowing us to be a part of the program.

We're proposing a 90-day pilot program that allows BMX access under control conditions, including clear rules, optional designated times, and community supported oversight.

This approach allows the city to evaluate real world real world data and provides a low-risk way to assess shared use.

We are not asking for a permanent change today, just the opportunity to evaluate a controlled pilot program.

We respectfully request the opportunity to present this proposal in prep in person to any council member that is willing to hear us.

Thank you for your time.

It's bigger than you know just saying can we be a part of it?

Um we do have a lot of data and research to back our claims when it comes to insurance, safety, and use of the park, and we'd love the opportunity to talk to someone in person to see how we could maybe grow.

Thank you, Councilman Castro.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor and Jeff.

Uh I realize someone else is also here to talk about this.

Um I do have a couple of skate parks in my district, so I do want to take you up on your offer to meet to discuss.

Um of my staff members is gonna come by to get the paper and connect with you and get something set up for us.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate that.

Mr.

Castillo, thank you.

Thanks again for the time.

Have a great day.

Thank you, Nick.

Clay Kane.

To be followed by Carlos Miranda Miro of Cyprus.

Good afternoon.

My name's Clay Kane.

Um Houston resident and active rider.

Um here in support of the One Park project proposal.

And uh there's a real community here that wants to use these parks responsibly, and the structured pilot program would give the city a safe way to evaluate this.

Um we're not asking for a permanent change, just opportunity to evaluate it.

Uh and if I could add a comment to what Mr.

Castillo said, we are aware of other skate parks, but today we are here to discuss the Lee and Joe Jamail skate park.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Next Carlos Mirando Mira of Cyprus.

To be followed by Albert Lanes.

Hello, members of the Houston City Council.

I'm Carlo.

I advocate for voting method reform, and I was meaning to chat with y'all about the potential of introducing a voting method called approval voting for Houston City elections.

Our current voting method, choose one voting with a runoff, is considerably better than many alternatives, but it's vulnerable to what I'd consider as one of the biggest flaws of elections in America, vote splitting.

I'm sure that you're all familiar with vote splitting whenever y'all campaign in crowded fields.

It's due to the rules of the game that we get unnecessarily fractured races, which lead to realities such as over the last decade, Houston mayor uh Houston mayoral candidates uh advanced from the runoff with an average of 38% of the vote, meaning 62% of voters uh voted for anybody else.

And I don't mention this in a negative light to any of the candidates or the mayor.

This is just an unfortunate flaw that we've accepted in elections due to vote splitting because of choose when voting.

But systems like approval provide an alternative that may allow for better representation and more decisive mandates.

When vote splitting occurs, it's not just a small inconvenience.

These are thousands of voters losing real power uh when desiring to express their honest preference.

Why have a method known for breeding polarization and fragmented support when we could elect leaders with consensus-based methods that empower voters?

Approval works like this.

When you go to vote, instead of only being able to bubble in next to one candidate, you get to bubble in next to all the candidates that you like, and as we do now, we simply count up the votes, and the candidates with the most votes wins.

Um removing the restriction of only being able to support one candidate is not just an aesthetic change.

We've observed in the cities that have implemented approval voting to genuinely have improved the representative environment for that city's politics.

Um we've seen it reduces spoiler effect and allow for a much healthier and representative uh you know types of races.

Uh approval simplicity also has the benefit over other methods such as ranked choice voting of likely being compatible with our current voting machines as well as reducing error rates and complexity, and most importantly, likely being in the clear for Texas law in ways that ranked choice voting cannot.

I'd love to add Houston to the list of cities like St.

Louis and Fargo, North Dakota, leading America on the issue of democratic reform.

For quality multi-candidate elections, needed to improve representation, break gridlock, and lower the temperature of polarization.

And I do believe that there is a real benefit to approval voting that could empower both the voters of Houston as well as the representatives.

And of course, if needing further clarification on approval voting, how it works, the trade-offs, uh further clarification on why I believe it's important.

I'd happily answer any of those questions from y'all.

If not, I'll concede my time.

I appreciate it all.

Thank you so much.

Albert Lane.

Albert Lynes.

Next speaker.

Reginald Regina Solfus.

Regina.

Regina Solphus.

Next speaker.

Jacob Clementich.

Jacob Clementage.

Greetings, everybody.

It's very important that we vote because she and the replacement for Abbecamin.

Now we have two choices.

Either Nick Helly endorsed by Jali Korn or Joe Panduello, who uh uh is noise by the chronicle.

And then when um the chronicle published a letter that uh I wrote to them about Wimmering Ison the vocal minority, and um well uh I also went to Austin on my birthday, and there I mean um I saw um what is his name?

Um uh Don Huffines and now after seeing Don Half Hines, I I thought that was good, and then the next two weeks later I saw uh egg card and uh for both of those politicians running for political office as being the said controller.

Uh I gave a gift to uh Don Houghhein's uh book on Christianity and Judaism and on uh for Sarah Eckhart uh a little um uh how can I say this but a gooey which has Houston on one side and an astronaut on the other you're lady now it's Aggy time.

Well, um let's say an I uh was talking with Mayor Woodmeyer, and well he nodded his head was bald, and so he asked him, why did you name your daughter?

And the mayor Wilmine said Barbara Ann.

And um, well, the Aggie said, Why not Barbara Ann?

Thank you, Jacob.

Next speaker.

Kelly Hannigan Galore.

Kelly Hannigan Galore.

Next speaker.

Eduardo Duran.

Edward O'Doran.

Next speaker.

Andrew Patterson, Andrew Patterson.

Next speaker.

Carolyn Rivera.

Carolyn Rivera.

To be followed by Ruben Garza.

Carolyn Rivera, City Gas, Northeast Houston, Mayor and City Council, an additional trans fee added to our water bill, really.

Our water bill has tripled in five years.

An additional fee is a burden for us.

Poor people.

Will our trash service improve?

How?

When over 250 workers are no longer employed at public works.

Alternatives, have a small property tax increase, charge big fines, and tax multi-million dollar corporations like Gold Star Metal, who are trashing our community, causing polluted, flooded water, doing a minor rain, destroying our salt, and ditch drainage.

By the way, I've gone through TCEQ and all the rest of them.

They direct me to you when it comes to Gold Star Medal.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mayor movement move in Garza.

To be followed by Maximiliano Diaz.

Good afternoon, Mr.

Mayor and City Council.

Thank you.

My name is Ruben Garza.

I'm here to speak about the budget, but very briefly, I'm also a member of Lulak Council 60, and I do want to echo everyone's previous uh statements in support of renaming Cesar Chavez Boulevard uh in honor of Maria Jimenez.

Um with concerns for the budget.

Uh as some of you may know here, I'm an advocate on behalf of an organization called Strong Towns Houston.

We focus on city municipal finances, and we've taken a look at the City of Houston's overall financial position, our net financial position, basically comparing assets to liabilities as of 25 uh or as of the previous fiscal year is negative 13 billion.

And as the everyone knows, the city has billions of dollars in deferred maintenance obligations.

Uh to get out of this and to suggest a strong towns approach would be to do the following.

Um, you know, with the budget coming up, I know there's a false dichotomy between services and taxes.

I would rather the city focus on infill development, generating new tax revenue from new development that would require eliminating parking minimums and expediting permits for local business, including traffic.

Can I get a little bit extra time?

Just very briefly.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um is a traffic calming line item budget for HPW to include traffic calming devices and quick build programs as seen in the city of Sacramento.

Happy to talk to uh y'all's offices about that, including model language to use, and one thing is to stop increasing debt servicing if it is greater than five percent of locally sourced revenue.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, Max Diaz.

To be followed by Rain Eatman.

Hello, Mayor Whitmeyer and members of council.

This budget is non-neutral.

It is a choice to protect property privilege and power and make working people pay for it.

You hand out tax abatements to corporations, leave developer loopholes in place, and then come to the public with a regressive trash fee and a utility shell game as if we are too gullible to see it.

That is not new revenue.

That is moving money around while water, wastewater drainage, trash pickup, and public works stay underfunded and overstretched.

This is about safety, real safety is functioning utilities, working drainage, clean water, good trash pickup, and fully staffed public services.

If we're gonna throw in as much money as we want to the police, we should or have them pick up the trash as well.

Your time has expired.

Rain Eidman to be followed by Jacobed Henley.

Hello, hello.

Um here, I'm coming here today to really share my concern specifically for the fee because compounded fees really do weigh more heavily on lower income residents than they do the income of residents that actually have uh disposable income.

And so two offerings I would like to provide for you would be one uh there are about 93 million dollars worth of tax abatement contracts that are gonna be expiring this year.

That's a source of revenue that if it is available and if it is a priority to really make that shortfall smaller, you can take advantage of um actually taxing corporations that have been taking more wealth from the city than actually giving into the city, and then two, uh there is a process by which you can do a one cent increase on the property tax without necessarily having to do it on a vote, and in that that would generate at least 28 million dollars worth of revenue, which is actually a lot more than the five dollar tax uh five dollar fee that would be generated right now.

And in an ideal world, we would pause some constructions here and there.

But that's just some offerings that I would want to provide uh for this body to consider.

Thank you, Mr.

Check.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, I was gonna let you finish your suggestions, Ray.

Thank you for your advocacy.

Not a problem.

Uh there is one more that if if you don't mind me.

Um the other one I wanted to uh advise on is that in a perfect world, we would uh pause some construction around the George R.

Brown convention center.

I understand that there is a lot of potential growth in there, but considering that we're dealing with such a a large shortfall, there could be a space where we can at least pause construction for now until we deal with that shortfall to uh at least accommodate for what's happening within the city of Houston.

But that 100 million dollars that is uh tapped for water, uh there are several homes that are being tested for lead in the positive, and there's already concerns about the structures within the city of Houston's water infrastructure, so that causes a lot of concern.

But um, those are just some offerings I wanted to provide.

Thank you.

Uh Mayor Protein.

Thank you, Rain, for being here and always um looking for suggestion uh solutions and offering your suggestions.

I you're like the second or third person that um talked about the lead.

Has public works been um involved in that, or was that an outside organization that tested for the lead?

So if I'm not mistaken, I believe the uh testing was led by West Street Recovery and Northeast Action Collective.

I might be misspeaking, but I'm more than happy to uh follow up with your office with more details on what that study actually pulled up.

Yeah, I'm I'm very um interested in knowing so that you know if if there is an outside entity that said lead was present, we need to make sure that someone from the city also tests this water so that if something needs to be done, we can have public works to participate in that.

Absolutely.

I'll be sure to follow up with your office as soon as I can.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Next up Henley.

To be followed by Lee Mercer.

Thank you for having me.

Mayor Whitmeyer, City Council members.

Uh this has been a nine-year journey.

And uh, Heavenly Father has led me here to protest against the construction of the uh development, the residential development act, the 3300 block of Montrose, because uh he has made known to us there's an oil well there.

And uh he has also informed us that there will be an oil embargo.

And recently, this this is it's going to be unprecedented, unheard of.

This is history in the making.

And recently, the reason why I am back so soon, uh, he mentioned about he said informed the mayor and uh council members, preliminary.

That is the word that he has given me recently.

Preliminary time has expired.

Remember that.

So God be the glory.

Thank you, ma'am.

Next, Lee Mercer.

To be followed by Joseph Amari.

To the mayor.

So the mayor and city hall, I'm Lee Mercer.

And I'm back again in reference to crime prevention.

And uh crime prevention as uh uh denoted as being crime prevention is the practice of stopping crime activity before it happens, using strategies that range from better street lighting to youth mentorship programs.

We have a lot.

Also uh crime prevention activities with the primary goal of preventing crime in the context of law enforcement and criminal justice.

And finally, in reference to uh mercy for president, I'm Leah Mercer Jr., running for president in 2028, and the U.S.

Army and our doing present campaign.

This is an Army College, and I'm the Army student, and we'll develop the United States government.

So we're gonna redevelop the United States government and to policing.

A second government.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council Member Davis want to talk to you.

Joseph Amari.

How are you doing, Mr.

Mayor?

How y'all doing today, Council?

You'd make a great VP.

Huh?

You know, I got a joke for you.

So I'm uh Bill White joke about portable housing.

Bill White joke was if you can afford a house if you can afford a stand 100,000, 200, 300,000 hours, and say it up a 10, 20, 30 year, but can't do that.

If you live if you got a fifty fifth thousand dollar income, you can't afford to stay in the house.

That's what it would be a white says back there.

Uh Anthony Henderson also known as Joseph Miller is complaining of being a victim of financial and economic territories by Pelic or theft ring.

Our three moves script was stolen with a total box off protection of 350 350 million dollars.

And then none of these crimes that have been reported has been solved, including its mother kidnapped the false five federal government documents, followed by court doctor cases, crimes that have been none of these criminals have been apprehended or justice, nor has he received any response from state or federal law agents or local local authorities on the ministry of Moslow.

Well, I recommend to white and black privilege if you don't have talent skill learn how to finance the deal.

We black America had independent finance Austin Entertainment Project, Sister Lewis Arms area.

I don't know how my mom and dad generation did it.

I don't know how they finished, but they did.

The hip hop generation has expired.

Some of them sold drugs and dope before they came to the level.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

That's not white complimentary fault.

That's our fault.

Thank you.

Be safe.

We stay in research till nine in the morning.

LOC for automotive heavy duty brake replacement parts.

Item nine, approved spending authority for tree trimming, landscaping, debris removal, storm-related emergencies and related services awarded to central landscaping and maintenance.

Item 10, ordinance appropriating 798, 790.41 cent for planned SAP B2G optimization assessment.

Item 11, approved spending authority for purchase of mapping and systems assessment awarded to MGT Impact Solutions LLC.

And this item should only be considered after after the passage of item 10.

Item 12, Aspen EPC LLC, and Global WET LLC to remove furnish and install for conveyor belts and systems at various wastewater treatment plants.

Item 13, amend motion 2021-387 to extend the award term to June 29th, 2028, awarded to Chem Wright Inc.

for chlorinated chemicals.

Item 14, approved spending authority for purchase of power protection consulting services awarded to Eriday Power Consulting LLC.

Item 15, approved spending authority for replacement parts for metering pumps and analyzers awarded to McAuley Controls Company.

Item 16.

For on-call heavy trash supplemental services.

Item 17, approved spending authority for short-term vehicle rental services awarded to EAN Holdings, LLC Enterprise.

Item 18 Resolution of the City Council setting a public hearing at 9 o'clock a.m.

on May 20th, 2026 in the City Council Chamber of City Hall, 901 Bagby Street.

Second floor, Houston, Texas, 77002 on the city budgets for the time period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.

Item 19 resolution approving and authorizing submission of financial assistance application under Texas Water Development Board's drinking water state revolving fund led service line replacement program.

Item 20 resolution endorsing Councilmember Mario Castillo as the City of Houston's representative and candidate for board member of the 2027 National League of Cities Board of Directors and Chair of the National League of Cities Information Technology and Communications Federal Advocacy Committee.

Item 21, Ordinance Amending Article 4, Chapter 10 of the Code of Ordinances, Houston, Texas, relating to multifamily rental buildings, establishing a high-risk apartment inspection program.

Item 22, ordinance amending sections 6-27 and 6-29 of the Code of Ordinances, Houston, Texas, relating to Bark Foundation and approving amended Bark Foundation bylaws.

Item 23, ordinance approved and authorizing submission of application for grant assistance to the United States Department of Justice for the opioid stimulant and substance use site based program.

Item 24 ordinance approved and authorizing lease agreement between the City of Houston and Summit Seafood Supply Inc.

Item 25 ordinance appropriating 1 million 291,000, 1 million five hundred six thousand dollars, three hundred and fourteen thousand dollars, one million one hundred twenty-nine thousand dollars, four hundred sixty-six thousand dollars, seven hundred fifty-three thousand dollars and one million nine hundred thirty-nine thousand dollars for FY26 CIP projects.

Item 26 ordinance appropriating one million eight hundred thirty-six thousand five hundred ninety-two dollars for trail improvements.

Item 27, ordinance appropriating $360,000 for petroleum storage tank replacement for the Houston Parks and Recreation Department's Bissinet Maintenance Facility.

Item 28, ordinance appropriating 100,000 for planned new digitization lab equipment project.

Item 29, ordinance approving and authorizing contract with innovative legal solutions.

Item 30 ordinance approved and authorizing First Amendment to contract with Versa term Public Safety Inc.

Item 31 ordinance approved and authorizing First Amendment to contract with Hilltop Securities Assessment Management LLC.

Item 32, ordinance approved and authorizing fourth amendment to contract with air products and chemicals, Inc.

Item 33, ordinance amending ordinance number 2023-876 related to contract with Language Line Services Inc.

Item 34 ordinance amending City of Houston ordinance number 2026-16 relating to the rescheduling or postponement of certain city council meetings.

Item 35, ordinance finding and determining public convenience and necessity for the acquisition of real property interest in connection with the public improvement project known as the Force Main Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project Consent Decree.

Goodyear Lift Station and Scarsdale Lift Station Project.

Item 36, ordinance finding and determining that public convenience and necessity no longer require the continued use of a 15-foot wide alley from Fargo Avenue South to Fairview Avenue, located within block 13 of Fairgrounds Extension Subdivision, vacating and abandoning the alley to Fairview Corridor LLC and Fred Sharife 2020 2012 Family Trust.

Item 37 ordinance approved and authorizing interlocal agreement with Greater Southeast Management District for Construction of Highway Safety Improvement Project Griggs Road System Systemic Safety Improvements.

Item 38, ordinance appropriating 187,950.

Approved and authorizing interlocal agreement between City of Houston and Midtown Redevelopment Authority for Cleburne and Caroline Streets Safety Improvements Project.

Item 39, ordinance appropriating 69,463.55 cent for Walker Street Rehabilitation Project as an additional appropriation.

Item 40, ordinance appropriating 2001,000 dollars as a second additional appropriation, approving and authorizing second amendment to professional engineering services contract with civil tech engineering engineering LLC.

Item 41 ordinance approved and authorizing Fifth Amendment to sub-recipient agreement between the City of Houston and the Salvation Army.

This item was tagged by Councilmember Thomas and was item 10 on the agenda of April 29th, 2026.

This completes the reading of the agenda for the city council session of May 6, 2026.

Stay tuned for the next council session to begin at 9 a.m.

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

Council, please come to order.

Item one public hearing.

And his team.

Good morning, Mayor.

Uh Councilmembers.

Uh I'm here in support of energy transfer proposed amendment to extend the existing surface site within Eisenhower Park for the Ted Collins pipeline from 10 by 20 feet to 50 by 50 feet, along with a temporary workspace of the same size during construction that will not adversely affect the park.

Eisenhower Park consists of 682 acres of land located on the south coast of Lake Houston, none of which will be disturbed.

The proposed construction as design will not interfere with park purposes, avoids the need for tree removal, and there will be minimum impact on the park during and once construction is complete.

Energy transfer will take all necessary precautions to keep the area safe.

The construction phase will be for a period of up to 18 months.

Energy transfer has performed extensive planning within the cleared area.

There will be minimum disturbance beyond the designated work zones, and there will be protection in place for the surrounding green spaces.

Access to Eisenhower Park will be preserved throughout the construction process.

At the present time, the extension of the site is expected to start within six months.

There is no feasible prudent alternative to the selective route as a result of original engineering efforts and the ensuring discussions within the city.

The proposed expansion as designed minimizes harm to Eisenhower Park as a park and recreation area.

Notice of this publication, or notice of this public hearing has been published in the Houston Chronicle on April 16th, 2026, April 23rd, 2026, and April 27th, 2026.

Any questions for Mr.

Evans?

No, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We do have one person signed up to speak.

Dominique.

President.

Mr.

Mason.

Come forward.

Mr.

Evans, if you all would, I think you've done your job.

Thank you.

Unless there's questions.

Okay.

Good morning.

Okay.

I did take the 96 to ray lines to walk over here.

And there the buses are looking better and cleaner.

So that's some things are going the right way.

With this part with this, I'm for a pipeline thing because pipelines keep chemicals and stuff like that off our highways.

We got enough traffic on our highways without stuff coming on our coming on trucks and stuff.

However, the problem I have with this is you this meeting today, you have to fulfill by what state law says.

And I don't have a problem with that.

The problem that I have with this is there should be a public hearing out by the bottom of Lake Houston.

And I really think as a budget, I think that might be something that the horse you need to look at is how to do public hearings, particularly when it's not in inside loop 16, so people can come.

And two, uh I want to make a shout out, uh Abby.

Thank you for your work here at City Council and the round.

Good luck at Council at uh working with the Harris County uh lawyers, I mean attorney's department department.

And secondly, um, I think it's you, madam, uh Madam Carroll.

No, no, no.

No, no, you're doing a good job because next week, Tuesday here, you're gonna have with the mayor and some other people in the uh heritage room, young people to get involved in government.

And and I am very much for that.

I my first time speaking here was the first mentor board meeting uh almost 50 years ago.

So I am very much for how do we get people young people involved in our great American experiment on for that?

And coming from that experience, it is this is gonna be a working group of young people.

I would like to be be helping with them, giving these young people ideas how to present themselves in public and so on.

And maybe you can ask uh uh Mr.

J here, Mr.

Pollard, how'd you dress up?

How do you present the body when you come before a body of people like this?

That sometimes looking good helps present the message.

So with that, I have no comments.

Uh unless the horse you here wants to speak to say something.

Thank you.

Anyone else present that would like to testify?

If not, the hearing is closed.

Motion to close.

Motion uh the mayor is.

Motion made in second.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed night closed.

Thank you.

Secretary, would you go to consent?

Under the except work category, need a motion.

Need a motion for items two, three, four, and five.

Cass Xay to move.

Motion is made in the segment.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed name, motion passes.

Under the property category, need a motion for item six.

Cassate move.

Motion is made in segment.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed name, motion passes.

Under the purchasing and tabulation of bids category, items 10 and 11, 14, and 16 have been removed for separate consideration.

Need a motion for items 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, and 17.

Cass X say to move.

Motion made in the segment.

All in favor, say yes, those opposed name.

Motion pass.

Under the ordinances category, item 40 has not been received, but will be considered if it's received before I'm sorry, I skipped the whole thing.

Under the resolutions category, item 20 has been removed for separate consideration.

Need a vote for items 18 and 19.

All in favor say yes.

Now, under the ordinances category, item 40 has not been received, but will be considered if it's received before the end of the meeting.

Items 21, 22, 25, 30, 32, 34, and 36 have been removed for separate consideration.

Again, those numbers are 21, 22, 2530, 32, 34, and 36.

Need a vote on the balance.

All in favor, say yes.

Those opposed, no.

Motion votes.

Yes.

Items removed for separate consideration.

Item 10 is an ordinance.

Just need a vote.

Council member Castillo.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor and colleagues.

I want to highlight 10 and 11.

At a recent BFA committee meeting, we learned about manual data entry that was occurring with time cards around our police and fire.

This is an example of an item uh that's going to look at eliminating some manual data entry in OBO around contract compliance with two systems that currently are not talking to each other.

Um so it is an example of of things we can do to help improve our processes and eliminate some of those redundant practices uh that are taking up valuable valuable time and and cost money.

Um we should be expanding this as well to those other items like our uh police fire manual time card data entry and the the work it takes to just process our payroll uh in those areas uh mayor protium thank you, Mayor.

Um and thank you uh Councilmember Castillo for highlighting that.

Um you know I did talk to the director um and this really does start the process of um assessing that interface between SAP and B2G.

Um during the disparity study, uh the data came out that you know we had a lot of manual inputting, and it was very difficult for us to bring all that data together, and this is definitely going to streamline that process so we can use our data quickly and more efficiently.

So I appreciate the support of this item.

Very good.

Item 10.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed nay, motion passes.

Need a motion, need a motion for item 11.

Cass X tater move.

Motion made in second.

All in favor say yes, those opposed nay, motion passes.

Need a motion for item 14.

Cass Tater move.

Motion is made in segment.

All in favor say yes, those opposed nay, motion passes.

Item 16 needs a motion.

Cass X Tater move.

Thanks, okay.

Councilmember Pollard.

Thank you, Mayor, and good morning to everyone.

Um this item is for on-call heavy trash supplemental services for my district.

Uh, as you all know, uh our council district service funds only allow us to go up to 100,000 uh per item.

My office has reached that limit and now has had to put forth an informal bid for an additional $50,000 for heavy trash and tree waste collection from our J City private trash crew in the district.

This item would help uh supplement the work of solid waste.

We're probably the only district that I know of that has this type of on-call private trash crew.

Um but we know that the city has had real challenges with picking up heavy trash and tree waste all over the city and specifically in J City.

And so I'm asking for you all's support and approval of an additional $50,000 to help uh pick up the heavy trash and tree waste.

Uh this company is a MBE as well as a SBE.

Uh I think this is the modern approach to solid waste where we can have these specialized private supplemental crews within our districts as well.

So this additional $50,000 will go a long way at helping collect the trash that has been behind.

Thank you.

Very good.

All in favor, say yes.

Those opposed nay.

Motion passes.

I don't think you heard I refer back.

Item Item 20 is a resolution.

Just need a vote.

After the vote.

Uh all in favor, 020, say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passed it.

Councilmember Kman.

Thank you, Mayor.

Good morning, everyone.

Um, I just wanted to recognize uh our colleague, Councilmember Castillo.

Uh, this item uh is to support his candidacy um for the National League of Cities Board of Directors and is Chair of NLC's uh Technology Federal Advocacy Committee as someone that has worked with NLC for years.

I know our Mayor Pro Tem as well and others around this horseshoe.

Uh it means a lot to have Houston represented in such uh critical leadership roles.

I know you will do an outstanding job.

Uh and this is one of those things we really want to lift up because it's uh great to have you there.

It's also great for the City of Houston.

Councilman Martinez, thank you for your leadership and he wants to speak.

Well, I would like to say something about Councilmember Castillo following Cayman.

No, this is excellent opportunity for you and the city to be involved.

Thank you for your willingness.

Councilman Martinez.

Thank you, Mayor.

I just also wanted to lift up uh our colleague, Councilmember Castillo.

He's been uh on the forefront of a lot of the tech and innovation conversations around the horseshoe.

Um, and then to be able to be at at the National League of Cities as well.

Um definitely have uh uh all the faith in the world to make sure that you're representing the city of Houston.

Thank you all.

Mayor Pro Tim.

Councilmember Castillo, thank you for your willingness to serve on um the National League of Cities Board.

I know there's a a process that you'll have to go through to um get selected, wishing you the best um at as a chair of one of those positions as well.

I think it's important as a city because uh many of you know that we'll be hosting the actual National League of Cities conference here in the City of Houston in 2027.

Um I think that you know what we've seen uh across the country is there aren't very many cities that have the capabilities to host those large conferences, and the expansion of the George R.

Brown is definitely going to be beneficial for us to attract more conferences like the National League of Cities in the Texas Municipal League, because even in the State of Texas, there are only three or four cities that can host these types of events.

So making sure that we are active on the boards and chairing those committees is is very important for us as a city.

Um I wish you the best and look forward to your continued service on the uh National League of Cities.

Next item 21 is an ordinance.

Just need a vote.

And before we vote, I want to recognize the mayor pro tem, but before I do, I want to do a huge shout out to council and certainly to the mayor pro tem and housing chair Thomas for the process that brings this to the table today.

I attended the A-Leaf first public hearing.

It was very beneficial to hear from not only citizens, residents, but also the providers.

Um it was interesting.

A common theme that I said in was public safety at these facilities.

But thank you.

You have been diligent, and I think you've reached a package that will serve the residents, the owners, and uh the general public, certainly the communities around these facilities.

So thank you for your leadership and your work product.

Mayor Pro Tim.

Thank you, Mayor.

Also just want to thank the public and everyone who participated in those public hearings.

We really can't make good public policy without the public.

And I think this was a great example of the public participating in the policy that we were creating on behalf of the city.

When we talk about habitability concerns, you know, as a council, we hear those a lot here.

You know, when constituents just don't know where to go and what to do, they come here and they are looking for help, and we've heard that year after year.

These hearings allowed us to hear from the tenants.

We were able to hear from the owners, the operators.

And I want people to know that this ordinance is the starting point.

This is an opportunity for us to collect more data, to hear from more people.

It is not the solve all for the problems that are in the city because unfortunately it is a it is a big problem.

But I do think that this ordinance is a great start for us.

This is a chance for us to really target those repeat offenders, the worst properties.

And not all owners.

And that's one of the things that was very important for the owners and operators is that they don't get punished for the bad actors.

I think we all want to make sure that what happens to uh the repeat offenders is an opportunity for them to cure the problems and that we can make sure that our residents and the uh citizens in Houston have good place, good and safe places uh for them to live.

I do want to encourage residents to continue um utilizing the 311 system and to also contact their um council members and our uh at-large council members so that we can help usher this process through.

Um want to give a special shout out to our housing chair, Councilmember Thomas, um, who was very diligent on a uh tour across the media, letting people know about our um hearings and about the process that was taking place to get to this ordinance.

Councilmember Alcorn um championed one of those meetings.

Um we had lots of participation from our council members at these hearings, and so I think we looked at this comprehensively and we ended up with a uh a quality ordinance.

Um it will come back to us in about a year or so for us to re-evaluate.

We can look at the data, um, we can look at um how many people called, you know, how many apartment complexes are actually on the list that need to that have made some changes, um, and then we can re-evaluate how we can change the ordinance moving forward.

But I think this is a great step for the City of Houston.

Um, and so colleagues, I look forward to your support of the apartment inspection ordinance.

Councilmember Kaman.

Very fine.

I'll switch you.

Councilmember Thomas.

Thank you, Mayor, and Mayor Pro Tem uh colleagues today.

The item reaffirms our commitment to quality affordable housing, number one.

We talk about public safety, and we heard a lot of that, and that is a huge issue.

But I think overall we have an obligation to make sure Houstonians can afford and are able to stay and remain in quality affordable housing.

You can't watch a news segment or Instagram or Facebook without watching a story about horrible conditions many individuals are living in.

Um structural issues, uh health issues, safety issues, and Houstonians deserve more.

Um I echo everything Mayor Pro Tim and Mayor Whitmeyer has mentioned about this ordinance, and I just want to highlight some of the things we learned during the uh engagement session.

We learned about mold in a very real way in terms of what our limitations are.

Um we learned about um the type of demand this puts on our limited personnel.

So I think as we move forward, this sets us in the right place for us to come back to this body with more information to give ASEC and the uh city employees the time and the data that they need to come back to us with targeted recommendations to make sure that one, we have a strategy in place to address mold in the future, as we are a climate city.

Um in addition to that, we need to make sure that we have the personnel in place because 50 percent of our neighbors have leases.

They're live in multifamily uh units, and so I'm excited.

This was a heavy lift.

And and I will tell you that this ordinance is distinctly different because we did the engagement on the front end.

We and that's hard, that's heavy to do, it's time consuming, and we had hundreds of participants online and in person contribute from all districts, all corners of the city.

Uh thank you, Council members who attended, or if you sent your staff, everyone was fully engaged with this because we all deal with this.

This is not an at-large or district or mayor's administration issue, it's a Houston issue.

Um I want to thank you for your um your diligence and staying involved in the conversation.

And and so we have to reverse engineer how we do policy, and Mayor Pro Tim was absolutely correct.

Um this is an example of that, and I think what we have today um will yield a lot of fruit in the future um uh for Houstonians for quality affordable housing.

So looking forward to the support of my colleagues.

I think uh you made such an excellent point that this could be the model for how council works having real meaningful hearings, certainly in the community, then reach in a consensus and a workable product and then bring it back to the floor council.

That's we need to do more of that for sure.

Thank you.

Uh Councilman Kamen.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, I did want to lift up the work of our Chair of Housing, Councilmember Thomas and Mayor Pro Tem, who really did the heavy lifting on this.

Uh there was a lot of participation.

Our office participated, but it really was um y'all's leadership that ushered this in in a very thoughtful way from bringing together organizations and professional entities, including the apartment association, two everyday residents who are either living in these unsafe, uh dangerous conditions, or the surrounding neighborhood that's impacted by this as well.

Uh so this has been a much needed necessary step.

Uh, and I'm very excited to see this come to fruition.

Uh we have to be able to oversee and hold bad actor properties accountable.

Period.

Uh and I'm glad that we're establishing things like the apartment standards enforcement committee.

Uh that we are the fines, I just want to make sure it's clear to the public, up to $2,000 a day for a violation.

That's important because it has to stop being the cost of just doing business or business as usual.

Um my office in the past has had to fund upwards of over 10,000 a month, uh, excuse me, 10,000 dollars in CDSF for additional health inspections.

That's an addition to overtime patrols for areas, but just to get enough inspectors out there.

And Councilmember Thomas, you talked about we see on social media all the time how bad these places are.

And just a few days ago, um, Dr.

Candace Matthews and her team, to her credit, uh, was out at Life of Jackson Square.

And if you walk up to the leasing door of that building, it is covered in red tags.

You cannot see through the door windows because there are so many citations on it.

You cannot safely walk through the property.

They've gotten citations for lack of hot water, inoperable air conditioning, overflowing trash, water intrusion, pest infestation, and that's on top of the Chapter 125 that we had filed because crime is so dangerous for those tenants.

And I want to emphasize for the residents that live on those properties because they are the victims of mismanagement and callous behavior.

My ask moving forward, I know we're compiling that list of the bad actors, and life of Jackson Square must be included in that initial list, Mayor.

Um it is expending way too many city resources from a public safety perspective.

Uh the citations, I we're still asking for the formal count in the past six months, but it's it meets the criteria.

We we didn't get confirmation that it was on there, so again, I'm publicly asking because I'm getting calls left and right because the word is spreading about this, and it's really great that the word is spreading and life of Jackson needs to be included.

Um, and we need to do everything we can throughout the city of Houston.

So again, thank you all for your leadership.

Um I look forward to being able to share this win uh with residents who are asking for relief as we continue.

But again, the work is just starting.

Thank you.

Alcorn.

Councilmore Alcoin.

Thank you, Mayor, and thank you to my colleagues who carried this across the finish line.

I I did attend both of those public sessions, and what struck me is is people didn't even know they could call the city.

People were and and I love that we were out there talking about this on the I heard Councilmember Thomas on the radio, because people were just trying to deal with their landlord or the property management company, and they weren't getting anywhere, or they were getting in trouble for complaining.

And we're like, no, you can call the city.

We can't fix everything.

Like we we did discover the mold thing, bed bugs are an issue that the tenant has to deal with that.

I learned a lot through this process.

Mayor, thank you for honoring your commitment to Councilmember Plummer after bringing this forward.

I do love that we went out in the community and really talked to both the the and I also learned about property managers.

I mean, they they that some good ones like take the heat for owners that won't pay.

So it's complicated, you know.

That there's an owner, they're trying to get it done.

It's like who do we cite and who do we?

But this is all just raised a lot of awareness.

We have awareness of it because we hear hear people come and talk to us about their deplorable conditions.

But I think it really helped.

It's going to help tenants know that the city is here to help.

Councilman Salinas.

I just want to echo what Councilmember Alcorn said.

Your leadership, Councilmember Thomas and Councilmember Cassex Tatum was really remarkable.

I attended one of the public sessions, so incredibly informative.

And as Councilmember Al Cordon said, so many residents just didn't even know the resources that were already available.

So grateful to you for everything you have done to shepherd this forward.

And I couldn't agree with you more, Councilmember Thomas Mold needs to be at the forefront of our next effort.

But I have no doubt with your leadership and the work of this council, we'll be able to get it done.

But thank you both so much for everything you did on this.

Thank you.

Council Mayor Davis.

Thank you, Mayor.

I want to just commend our uh colleagues again for the leadership in this as we attended uh the public sessions as well.

But I also like to uplift that we uh would try our best to participate in visiting some of these facilities because what it will do, it will encourage the residents because we've already uh my constituent team, we've already visited a couple of apartment complexes.

As a matter of fact, we got one to do this Thursday.

Um so oftentimes the residents don't feel empowered to notify the city and others because they feel threatened that they're going to be evicted from the facilities and that type of thing.

But I think the presence of of many of us is called you know, as colleagues of council to go out there and interact with those people.

We went through different apartments and literally talk face to face with some of the residents about what their experience.

And one gentleman um while we were there had just got an eviction the day before.

Uh I think we went out, we were called by Dr.

Matthews, uh, and we went out there and met with them and walked through the whole facility.

So I would encourage us that uh this is certainly needed, most important ordinance that we vote upon it.

But I think going forward, this is the model for doing something greater and bigger.

Uh I know we don't have all the resources in people, but I think the more that our presence as council, it encourages the residents to speak out and not be afraid to uh identify some of these bad actors.

Thank you.

Council Pollard.

Thank you, Mayor.

I too want to uh thank my two colleagues, um Councilmember Thomas and Mayor Pro Tim Castic Tatum for your leadership.

J City, we have 75 percent of our residents live in apartment complexes.

We get an immense amount of calls uh regarding um issues with those apartment complexes.

I routinely go to apartment complexes or send staff out uh to talk to management um companies and owners and residents about their living conditions, and so uh this gives us a tool that we can utilize, and so I do thank you all for your leadership and also thank uh councilmember Letitia Plummer uh for raising this issue and working on this issue uh during her tenure and for us to continue in that effort and that work uh now to get this passed.

Thank you all very much.

Thank you.

Councilman Evans Schwab.

Thank you, Mayor, and and good morning.

I want to also thank my colleagues.

Of course, you all have seen some of my engagements going viral, kicking my legs up when the when the mouse ran by and all of that.

And and I'm gonna have to also uh I know Candace Matthews, she's not a pistol, she's a candid a canon, but I appreciate her engagement.

She is always at the forefront trying to help residents, and this is another example of listening and and having compassion for people in the places that they they find themselves.

And so I want to thank my colleagues for moving forward and helping us to get to a place where we can actually have some substantive teeth and doing things to help people.

So thank you so very much.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

I do want to thank Mayor Pro Tem Castic Satan and Councilmember Thomas for their work on this.

We have a number of apartment complexes in District A that we continue to have issues with that we work on every day, and this ordinance is going to really help give us some tools to move forward with those apartment complexes.

So thank you so much for your work and Mayor.

Thank you for your work on this too.

Thank you.

Just need a vote.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passed.

Thank you.

Good job.

Next.

Item 22 is an ordinance.

Just need a vote.

All in favor.

Councilman Alcorn.

Thank you, Mayor.

I'm really excited about this.

You know, I spent a lot of time in my first term working on animal welfare issues, and this is a great step in the right direction.

I was briefed by Kelly Zaniga, who was the consultant that who was hired to kind of restructure this board, figure out how the BARC Foundation can be a lot more aggressive in fundraising, can be a lot more advisory to what's going on there.

We have a lot of people in this city that like to give money to animal welfare causes, and we need to be able to tap into this.

I think hiring the new executive part-time executive director over the foundation will give it some direction.

It won't just be like come to a meeting and you know have a fundraiser once a year.

It'll be really strategic in what we are trying to do.

I appreciated your announcements yesterday, Mayor, about the adoption center.

I think that's really smart.

And they wouldn't tell me the location, but you were just blaring it to God and everyone yesterday.

So I'm all excited about that.

And uh and I think that will be a great chance for people to go and adopt out animals and everything we can do to improve animal welfare.

You know, we lead the nation in stray animals.

It's uh it's a big problem in a lot of neighborhoods scared to take their kids to the park because of stray dogs, and that just shouldn't be.

So thank you for this this move.

And thank you for your leadership and bark is never gotten the attention that it deserves, and we all want it to.

I think you're we're we're gonna be really pleased with it taking off now and doing even greater things, and this new model will work to its advantage.

Councilmember Carter.

Thank you, Mayor.

And uh I too agree with Councilmember Alcorn.

This is a step in the right direction.

I envision the Houston Zoo, the BARC example of the zoo.

I think it's going to be great.

I had a good conversation with Kelly Zunaga, and she's on it, you know, and great team, and this is what we need to in to move BARC into the place that we really need it to be for our city.

The the stray animals, we get calls all the time, as everyone around the horseshoe does, and I think this is an exciting next step for our city.

So thank you for the support.

Councilman Castillo.

Thank you, Mayor.

I'm gonna echo uh what my colleagues have said.

You know, looking at BARC and the resources that it gets versus what it needs.

Uh fundraising is a really big opportunity to help fill that gap.

And with these changes, we'll be better positioned for that.

Um there is a uh a strong community out there that cares about and supports animal welfare issues, and so that's uh an avenue that we should be engaging with and utilizing to bring in more resources because yes, it's a quality of life issue, it is a safety issue, and it's one that impacts the entire city.

So we we need to be doing things like this to help meet that need.

Thank you.

Well, thank you.

All in favor, members say aye.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion pass.

Next.

Item 25 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

Item 30 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

All in favor, Councilmember Kamen.

Yeah.

After?

After the vote.

All in favor say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

Councilman Km.

Councilmember Cayman.

Thank you.

Uh, I just wanted to spotlight this item.

I was actually very excited to see this isn't the amendment to the new records management system for HPD that's coming online.

Uh, for years, myself and Councilmember Pack have been working towards the new RMS system.

And to see uh we're taking a step closer, and this is actually an add-on and new interface with the fire department's Arson Bureau so that they can be submitting additional data.

Um it will also expand HPD's online citizen portal for some additional types of offenses, things like that.

So, again, the RMS system as a whole is so outdated currently.

The new system allows us to add different interfaces on, to customize it as needed when new issues arise, and it really is a great step in the right direction.

So excited uh to see this moving forward for again the new system.

This isn't an additional cost to the old system.

Very good.

Thank you.

Next.

Next.

Item 32 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

All in favor, say yes.

Those opposed nay, motion passed.

Item 34 is an ordinance.

Just need a vote.

All in favor, say yes.

Those opposed, nay, motion passes.

Item 36 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

All in favor, say yes.

Aye.

Motion passes.

Item 41 is an ordinance, just need a vote.

All in favor, say yes.

Those opposed, nay.

Motion passes.

This completes the items on the agenda.

Councilmember Salinas, you ready?

Yes, thank you, Mayor.

Um, just a few updates on our from our office.

We will be continuing our office hours.

Uh, it's been great so far.

We've had complete uh list of folks coming from all over the community joining me uh remotely and in person to share their views and ideas.

Our next session will be on May 29th.

So if anyone in the community wants to sign up, please do so.

Um I'd also like to share.

I recently visited Exploration Green uh with folks that were involved in developing that park.

It's an absolutely remarkable space.

I know Councilmember Alcorn has gone and taken her team, and I think a really brilliant example of using community space in a beautiful and thoughtful way that also addresses our flooding issues.

And I really hope to see that the parks department and the city tries to develop more of those spaces across Houston.

Um but that's what we're focusing on here.

And then the last thing I will add is a few of the few of us, including Councilmember Alcorn, myself, Councilmember Castillo, and Councilmember Jackson have recently put forth a proposition A to bring online sign up to the City of Houston.

In the year 2026, you can pay your taxes, you can uh renew your driver's license, but you cannot sign up online to speak here at City Hall.

Um I'm very excited to see that this ordinance will be moving forward for a vote on May 20th.

I think it's a great step in the right direction to increase transparency here at City Hall.

And I'm of course always happy to answer questions from my colleagues if you all have any.

Um, but I hope we have everybody's support on May 20th.

Those are all of my updates.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Carter.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, had the opportunity Monday to meet the Freedom Plane, uh, which was a really uh great um Boeing in partnership with the National Archives delivered the uh exhibit, um the uh Freedom Plain, the national tour, the door documents that forged a nation.

And if you get a chance, go to the Houston Museum of Natural Science between May 8th and 25th and take a look.

We are one of eight cities in the entire nation that has this exhibit, the only one in Texas, so it's a big deal.

Um, and then a side personal note.

I entered into Grandmotherhood on Thursday last week with the baby girl.

My youngest son, uh, my daughter-in-law had a little baby girl, and we're super excited and um just big news for the week.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councillor Evans Shabal.

Thank you, Mayor and colleagues.

I uh want to begin by recognizing the excellent community park event held in District D in support of our HBCUs.

It was a beautiful example of community education and partnership coming together in a public space to celebrate the importance of historically black colleges and universities and the role they continue to play in shaping leaders, creating opportunity, and strengthening our communities.

As an educator, I know firsthand the power of investing in students and institutions that have carried generations forward.

And District D, we are proud to support efforts that uplift our HBCUs, connect families to resources, and create spaces where our young people can see what is possible.

I certainly want to thank the organizers, the volunteers, community partners, and everyone that came out to make the event a success.

District D continues to be a place where education, culture, and community meet, and that is why we privately call it the district of destination.

An upcoming event tonight that is going to be exciting.

It's the kickoff of the Juneteenth Festival.

It will be tonight at the El Dorado Ballroom at 6 p.m.

Of course, we know the Juneteenth is celebrated next month, but we are having a lot of activities leading up to that event, and the kickoff again is tonight.

Uh the 62nd Founders Day Scholarship Luncheon will be held this Sunday, and that will be sponsored by the Houston League of Business and Professional Women Incorporated.

That will be Saturday from 10 30 a.m.

to 1 p.m.

at the Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center, 4410 Reed Road.

We look forward to joining the Houston League of Business and Professional Women as they continue their longstanding work, supporting leadership, scholarships, and opportunity in our community.

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

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council.

Thank you.

I want to start by announcing the budget town halls that Councilmember Alcorn and I are going to be doing now that we are in budget season.

So we will be doing two, one in person and one virtual.

The in-person vert the in-person budget town hall will be on May 16th at the Fondy Rec Center.

That is a Saturday at 10 a.m.

And then the virtual town hall will be May 20th in the evening Wednesday at 6 p.m.

And these are great opportunities to learn about the proposed budget and get your questions answered and share your feedback and your input as these are your tax dollars.

Um your input and your feedback is critical.

So be on the lookout for more information around our budget town halls.

Also, this past Saturday, I was able to join the girls on the run for their 5K uh at Rice University.

Um there were a ton of folks out there to uh cap off uh a great season of what they do in terms of teaching young girls life skills, helping them build confidence, and then they cap it off with uh a 5K.

And they were all out there.

Um it was a good um good way to start the morning, and they actually had me go out there and do some warmups with them, which was a lot of fun.

But I would I do want to congratulate all the girls that participated um in that 5K.

And the District H Horizons internship application is now open again, so this will be for our next cohort for a six-month paid internship opportunity in the District H office.

It will be for anybody that lives, works, or studies in the district uh, and can work 20 hours a week.

So you can check out um the district H website or social media for information on how to apply.

And uh, we've had some fantastic folks come through that have gone through this program and uh would encourage anyone who is interested in municipal governments, uh city hall experience to apply.

And then uh finally I do want to thank my colleagues for the support on the NLC resolution.

Um those opportunities are great for the city uh to have folks at the table uh involved in committees and at the organization.

Um, I am interested in the the IT and Communications Committee.

I was appointed to that committee.

Um so this is a potential leadership opportunity there, and there's no shortage of opportunities here in Houston for those improvements with respect to to our systems and how we are delivering constituent services and communicating to folks what we are doing.

So I appreciate the support uh and look forward to to more uh involvement and service with the National League Cities.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Davis.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um wanted to begin this morning to invite um everyone to our upcoming town hall meeting um Monday, May 18th at the Chinese Community Center.

Uh as you may know, my office is held four annual town halls since um weekly a year since we started in 24.

Uh, this has turned out to be very successful uh engagement with the communities all over the city.

I'm very proud of my team, a lot of work in putting this together, reaching out to the community.

Uh we've held um town halls in East Little York, uh Homestead, A.

Leaf, Fondren Gardens, Gov Gate, Spring Branch, Sunnyside, Acres Home, and most recently in Montrose.

Uh now we are back on the Southwest side, and we want to invite everyone to uh come out to Sharpstown at the Chinese Community Center located at 9800 Town Park Drive.

Um we hold a QA panel at the event.

Panelists include HBD Chief Diaz, Metropolis Chief Band 10, Public Safety and Homeland Security Director, Larry Sutter White, Public Works COO, Kristen Butler, Solid Waste Director, Laurence Hansen, Housing Director Mike Nichols, and part uh deputy director, Prentice Collins.

We hope that all that can would join us.

It's a good engagement.

It gives the opportunity to the community to express and give ask questions concerning their communities.

And uh and it's turned out to be very good for resource information because we do invite other vendors, FEMA, SBA, Red Cross, and others, and they'll be participating with us.

For those who may but may know or may not know, uh, we lost a great friend in our city, um, Reverend Peary Wooten, um, who uh served this city as a sheriff deputy and also served as constable of precinct 7.

Uh Peary was very well-known personality throughout Houston.

And uh so I really, really was a personal friend and a big uh supporter, and we worked a little together on a lot of things.

So just wanted to um ask him that we were off our prayer for the Wooden family and the laws of our dear brother, and certainly uh he's going to be missed.

And uh that's all that I have today, Mayor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Cayman.

We've um recently in Houston been seeing a lot more tragic headlines that read uh murder suicide, and one most recently yesterday.

Uh and I I talk about this often, but when we uh say murder suicide, usually what we're talking about is domestic violence.

And I would first and foremost encourage our partners uh in the media who are covering these horrific situations and tragedies to talk more about the domestic violence component of this and include resources for people because it didn't just start with that one fatal act.

Um there are signs before that.

Whether or not people know survivors and victims know how to seek help is another story.

Um we have incredible partners here in Houston who are supporting survivors and connecting uh individuals with critical resources.

One of those is the Houston Area Women's Center, and they serve thousands of families every single day.

Uh we had secured as the City of Houston additional funding uh so that they could grow and expand their housing.

Uh it's an incredible facility, but on average, just one organization, Houston Area Women's Center, in 2025 alone.

They averaged a hundred and six calls a day to their hotline, totaling over 35,000 calls last year alone.

35,000 calls to one single organization.

Uh my office has partnered uh to fund $15,000 to support bilingual call takers for Hawk for their 24-7 crisis resource hotline, and I want to thank HPD for being our sponsoring department in that.

Um our domestic abuse response team is one of the most dangerous scenarios our officers respond in.

Um, and they do incredible work every single day, and we appreciate their partnership and dedication.

Uh I want to share out that hotline uh it for Houston Area Women's Center 713-528-2121, or you can visit Hawk.org.

There are other organizations out there.

And Mayor, when I uh previously we had worked to include in the mayor's office against human trafficking, including a charge of domestic violence.

And I know there's been some consolidations, uh, but when we went online, it references, for example, Houston Area Women's Center is a resource, but there's no link or number to contact.

It doesn't include the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, and there's so many resources, we can't include them all.

Um, but I would appreciate uh the opportunity to work with whoever is in charge of that at the moment so that we can make sure we're doing everything we can in terms of communication and making these resources available.

But again, uh more recently, we have been seeing these headlines murder, suicide, murder, suicide, and it happens far too often, but I want to make sure we are talking about what this really is, and that is domestic violence, and we have to be doing a lot more.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Jackson.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, on Monday, um, we kicked off our inaugural class of the District B Economic Development Academy with 52 students, um, 52 leaders across the um um district.

The goal of the academy is to ensure that district B residents are not just witnesses to growth, but they are leading and shaping economic development in the district.

During the next six months, residents will be equipped with knowledge and tools needed to strengthen neighborhood economies.

The participants will participants will learn the fundamentals of economic development, how investment happens in neighborhoods, and strategies for attracting businesses and resources that support long-term growth.

The Economic Academy is part of the Be Successful Community Capacity Building Initiative.

It's a comprehensive effort launched by my office to address poverty, increase opportunity, and improve quality of life in District B through workforce development and compute community capacity building and economic growth.

So if residents are interested in participating in the next class, um, reach out to our office.

We will announce when applications are open.

Or they can contact us at 832-393-3009, our district B at Houston TX.gov.

I also want to thank Courtney Johnson Rhodes, the principal broker and CEO of George E.

Johnson Properties.

She is facilitating this academy.

And so again, if residents are interested in the next um cohort, contact our office.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Mayor.

Thank you, Mayor.

I'll pass this week.

Councilmember Thomas.

I'm not sure.

I'm not sure he believes.

Okay.

Mayor Pro Chim.

Thank you, Mayor.

Just a couple of announcements.

Um I did want to just kind of amplify item five that we passed earlier today.

Um it was um the accept work of some citywide panel replacement projects, and we received some really positive feedback on those panel replacements.

So I wanted to give a shout out to Durwood Green Construction Company.

We get a lot of complaints about the people that do the work in our community.

So when we get some positive feedback, I want to amplify that as well.

So thank you to Durwood Green Construction Company.

They did an excellent job on the projects.

Um these are some of the streets that are heavily traveled by large cement and garbage trucks, and they did some really um quality street overlays throughout District K.

And then I want to um let the residents in the Hiram Clark South Post Oak area know that um Alum Road will be receiving a meal overlay, and that project is expected to begin on May the 4th uh 2026 and should be complete by the summer of 2026.

So if you are driving in that area, we're asking you to slow down or take the detour um so that we can make sure that work is done safely.

Uh we do have a community engagement meeting coming up.

Um really want to encourage the residents in District K to participate.

Um, this is a partnership between the District K Office and the Five Corners District, TURS 9, um, Houston Parks Board and Metro, Up Art Studio and Precinct 1, Houston Habitat for Humanity, and the Edison Arts Center and Air Alliance Houston.

And this meeting will take place on Thursday, May 21st from 6 to 8 p.m.

It's a community engagement meeting.

It will be held at the Fountain Life Center.

And this is just for further dialogue between our local leaders and our community partners so folks can know what is happening in and around the district as far as ongoing developments inside the community.

And then uh colleagues, I also want to give a special shout out to Houston Water.

Uh we had a frantic call from uh residents in May for Mayfair Park.

They had a big water main break and they really didn't know what to do and how to get the water turned off.

And they called um uh public works and uh our director of constituent services, Eric Goodwine, and they were pleasantly surprised at how fast uh Houston Water showed up and shut the water supply off and allow for cleanup and immediate repairs.

And Ms.

Mayor Lubello, who is the president of Mayfair Park, wanted me to make sure to amplify the good work of our public works Houston Water Department who helped them in an emergency situation.

Mayor, I know she sent an email to your office too, but she really wanted to um let us know that Public Works and Houston Water was out there, ASAP to help take care of their concerns.

So thank you all for the great work that you continue to do on behalf of the City of Houston.

Y'all be kind to each other and make it a great day.

And thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, I want to announce our next coffee with the council member and cops event.

at the White Oak Conference Center, 7603 Antoine Drive.

I will be there.

Our HPD North Division Captain Watson will be there as well.

And we will also have representatives from public works in case there are any questions about all of the great Inwood flooding mitigation projects and the Antoine project and all the great things we have going on there.

So encourage everyone to attend our meeting.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Martinez.

Thank you, Mayor.

First, I want to just send the congratulations to Lulak Council 60 on their groundbreaking to restore historic Lulak Clubhouse.

This two-story stucco building that became New Lak's Council 60's home was originally built in 1907.

Sir Jobs for Progress, which is now in the District I started, they began in the Clubhouse in 1965.

It is an important uh step to preserving our history.

I want to thank uh everyone that was involved that contributed to this, especially Gracie Science and Ray Valdez for their continued leadership.

Uh and then lastly, um just wanted to share a bit more um about the budget.

You know, when I ran for this position, I knew it was going to take focus and determination to tackle Houston's real challenges.

For over a decade, um the city has faced roughly anywhere between 120 to 150 million deficit, declining services and revenue caps that cost us billions that could have stabilized departments.

Uh, this is not a new conversation, and kicking the can down the road was not an option.

Tough decisions are necessary.

We must ask ourselves what kind of city we want because billions in deferred maintenance is not sustainable.

We cannot fix unbroken.

If we want to a safe, diverse city that leads in innovation, we must stay focused on our finances and fixed core services uh first.

Uh with that, you know, budget season is upon us.

I look forward to the upcoming discussions to continue to find ways to improve the financial sustainability of our city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Potter.

Thank you, Mayor.

Mayor, um, I watched the um press conference yesterday regarding the um budget rollout and uh had a few questions.

I'll kind of sprinkle these questions out throughout the next few weeks and talk to the directors.

Um but I did have some questions for you.

Um you had mentioned yesterday that the $5 fee was not a garbage fee, it was an admin fee.

Um that fee will it be for administrative services, or is it actually going to be for garbage collection and pickup?

General Finance is going to meet this afternoon and go over it in detail.

And I understand my staff who explained it to the other members, offered it to you.

In fact, I believe your staff was in the Chief of Staff's breeding.

So if, in all due respect, I'll be glad to answer your questions.

We will have plenty of hearings, but I don't think now is the uh the proper time.

So the the council meeting isn't the appropriate time for me to ask you the question.

There will be a series of questions.

In fact, there is going to be town hall meetings, but the briefings took place before yesterday.

And um, first of all, I'll send you a copy of my explanation yesterday.

I just don't want to go into the debate on the budget at this time.

Oh, yeah, I don't want to debate.

I just have some specific questions.

That would include a dialogue.

So thank you for your inquiry.

I will make certain that you get a briefing from the staff from me.

You know, I believe your staff has already had one.

So if you want to talk to you, my staff did attend the briefing.

My staff did brief me.

And so based on that briefing.

Thank you.

Go ahead to a shout out if you would like to.

Well, based on that briefing, that's why I want to address you and ask some specific questions.

I don't want to take the time of the entire council at this time.

So you you will meet with me personally.

Is that what you're doing?

Sure, sure.

I will always speak with you.

Look forward to it.

All right.

Well, some of the questions I will ask in our meeting for you to have some time to to generate some answers is really around the fee.

Um, the $5.

Sure.

Why $5?

Will the $5 make improvements to where people in the neighborhoods are seeing their trash picked up on time and routinely with that $5?

If not, um, will they be an increment up to uh possibly $25?

If that $25 is the actual cost, why aren't we educating and putting forth that proposal for the $25 now?

You know, you have a prop A uh opportunity.

And I think you have been here four years longer than I have.

So I respect your questions.

I want you to get good answers.

And uh Well, I was just putting the questions on the record.

I know you don't want to answer them today.

I know what you are doing.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

And so I was asking if the $25 is the real cost.

Why wouldn't we propose that now?

If the $25 is going to be something that we eventually get to, will that be enough at that time period when cost of services and goods and operation may go up over time?

I was told that there was a report by some consultants that laid out operations for solid waste and specifically a fee.

I have not seen it.

I was hoping that you could give some feedback on when we would be able to see that report in its entirety as it pertains to the water and the wastewater infrastructure that we know is critically important.

Will shifting solid waste over to public works negatively impact our resources for water, for wastewater, for drainage, for maintenance.

That is something that has crossed my mind as it pertains to the C as it pertains to the C US.

We know that those are pay for through bonds.

Will the bondholders approve solid waste being put over into the C US.

I know there's specific language that that's also a question for the City Attorney.

I know we have spoke about it previously.

Um Arturo.

Is there any issues that you have seen or that may be foreseeable as it relates to shifting solid waste over into public works under the C US when there is specific bond language that speaks to what those dollars should be going towards.

But I'll be happy to walk through the process with you privately.

Thank you.

There's a myriad of other questions that I have.

Those are some of the basic ones.

But I do think these are important questions to ask.

These are questions that the residents are reaching out to us wanting to understand.

And so I look forward to having a discussion with you and having that one-on-one meeting with you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Alcorn.

Thank you.

And to that end, we will be meeting today at 2 o'clock.

So look forward to seeing the finance director, and she'll lay out the five-year forecast and the budget.

And look forward to budget season, 23 budget workshops.

And it's there's already a link up that you can go and submit questions in writing.

That's really the best way to do it.

I know it is a hassle, but like if you submit them in writing, you can still ask them out loud at the committee hearings, but they get a little bit of a heads up on what you are going to be asking about.

And you sometimes get the answers.

There are so many meetings and they are back to back, so we can't like ask every single question that we have ever dreamed of.

So a lot of them I think SharePoint is kind of underused.

So use SharePoint to the best you can.

I'm not telling you what you do, but if you can use SharePoint, please use SharePoint.

Um it's great.

And uh I want to thank um everybody for pushing out my budget survey.

You know, Mayor, this is a tough job because when I read the comments, I have like up to 700 or something.

A lot of people read comments.

I mean, they are all over the map.

And I'll read you I'm gonna read some every week while we are doing the budget.

You have got somebody saying um the city needs more money now.

I am willing to pay more for a better city.

To be followed by somebody else saying, do not raise property taxes aggressively, think like a business.

Your job is not to spend all your revenue, but rather to efficiently or to be more efficient with the money you commandeer from your residents.

Um you have got people saying garbage services are are always getting beat up, but they are good crews working very hard with the density growth.

They are threading the needle to safely pick up around every corner.

Kudos to the COH teams for going from zero to hero on garbage.

Thank you, constituent.

That was nice.

Um we have got our park is much better now that precinct four has taken over maintenance.

I would like to see the splash pads around town revisited with public private partnerships.

They were so great, but they need a refresh, and in some places they are becoming dangerous.

Libraries, please please continue to fund our libraries and keep them open as long during the day as possible.

This is an invaluable service to residents.

Uh have each head department look to reduce cost and headcount as appropriate, move to more productivity enhancements using technology.

Some are pretty mean.

I'm not going to read those.

Um, but there's a lot of good insight.

And what it really tells me is just how big this city is and how diverse the opinions are.

So it's a really tough job we have to kind of do the best we can to balance the needs and the kind of opinions and perspectives of every single Houstonian.

So look forward to working with all of my colleagues on a fun month ahead.

Very good.

Thank you for your leadership.

We stand adjourned.