District K Neighborhood Leaders Work Session – April 9, 2026
District K Neighborhood Leaders Work Session – April 9, 2026
Councilmember Martha Castex-Tatum (Mayor Pro Tem) hosted a work session for District K civic club, HOA, and super neighborhood presidents at City Hall. Mayor John Whitmire delivered opening remarks emphasizing public safety, infrastructure, and the importance of neighborhood leaders. The session covered three priority topics: solid waste management, prohibited yard parking (PYP), and short-term rental (STR) regulations. Directors and staff from Solid Waste, Houston Permitting Center/Public Works, and Administration & Regulatory Affairs presented updates and answered questions. Public testimony included concerns about enforcement gaps, service delays, and illegal dumping.
Mayor Whitmire’s Remarks
- Mayor Whitmire highlighted his commitment to improving city services and noted the strong team of directors he has assembled.
- He urged neighborhood leaders to continue their involvement, stating that civic engagement directly correlates with neighborhood conditions.
- A resident asked about the possibility of communities learning whether new warehouses will house AI mainframe computers that could increase electricity costs. The Mayor and Councilmember Castex-Tatum responded that permits can be checked online, and a future work session will show presidents how to look up permits.
Solid Waste Management Update (Director Larryus Hassan)
- Current performance: Trash collection at ~98%, recycling at 94–95%; green and black can backlog nearly eliminated after adding 38 trucks.
- Customer service: New dedicated Solid Waste customer service line (7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., M–F) for live updates on service requests.
- Heavy trash: Still 6–7 days behind; program is being improved over the next 3–5 months before any change. Director Hassan requested help from neighborhood leaders: report repeat offenders and commercial dumping.
- Public comments:
- Robin Allen (Heatherquest Postal Village) demanded enforcement against neighbors who repeatedly place excessive trash.
- Michelle Starbuck (Glenshire) said heavy trash had not been picked up since November; requested route-driving rather than only responding to SR numbers.
- Al Jamon Lubari (Southwood Place) asked about heavy trash pickup for condominium common areas; Director confirmed access points are needed.
- A resident suggested empowering community members to issue citations; Councilmember noted budget amendments for district inspectors have not passed and urged residents to voice support at City Hall.
- Elizabeth Bell (Windsor Village) shared a successful “yellow paper” warning system used in her civic club.
- Melva reported ongoing illegal dumping on Holmes Road (including dead horses and boats) and requested regular cleanups and enforcement; Councilmember mentioned a planned meeting with Fort Bend and a potential boycott of Jack in the Box.
Prohibited Yard Parking (PYP) – Brian Rice (Houston Permitting Center) & Sanya Sawyer (Planning)
- Overview: PYP enforcement recently transferred to Community Code Enforcement (under HPW/HPC). Offense is parking on unapproved surfaces (lawns) in single-family residential areas; penalty is a Class C misdemeanor citation.
- Process: Only applicable in designated neighborhoods (221 approved as of November 2025). Reports must be made via 311 phone call (not app/online) so operators can verify the area is covered.
- Enforcement: After a report, inspectors visit, give a 48-hour notice, and issue a citation if not corrected. Repeat violations generate separate citations. Court prosecution depends on municipal court and city attorney.
- Public comments & questions:
- Rose Farmer (Meredith Manor) confirmed that PYP now falls under code enforcement, not police.
- Several presidents stressed the need for evening/weekend enforcement; Councilmember said she would file a budget amendment for that and urged residents to support it at City Hall.
- Keith Taylor (Hymer Clark) suggested using citizen photos as evidence; Mr. Rice explained that because it is a criminal citation, officers must personally observe the violation.
- A resident noted that 311 operators sometimes incorrectly deny PYP claims; Mr. Rice acknowledged training gaps and said he would coordinate with 311 leadership.
- Carol Guest (Terrace Nine) encouraged neighborhood leaders to repeatedly show up at City Hall to push for stronger ordinances and more funding.
- Key outcome: Councilmember Castex-Tatum committed to a budget amendment for weekend/evening PYP inspectors, pending community support at public session.
Short-Term Rental (STR) Update – Maria Ershad (ARA)
- Regulation status: Ordinance passed April 2025, effective January 1, 2026. Registration platform launched October 2025.
- Numbers: 4,100 certificates issued; 6,200 STRs identified; 5,200 applications received (~93% registration rate).
- Requirements: $275 annual registration, owner authorization, emergency contact (24/7), no party-house advertising, hotel occupancy tax payment, human trafficking awareness training.
- Enforcement tools: Delisting by platforms for non-registration; red-tagging; citations; cooperation with platforms to remove problematic listings. Complaint system at houstonstr.org forwards issues to emergency contact.
- Public comments:
- Ajumon Lubari asked if complaints create a public review system; legal staff clarified the city does not issue reviews due to liability.
- An STR owner noted that contacting the platform directly can be more effective.
- Lindsay McLean (Brayswood Place) asked about minimum stay; response: at least one night, up to 30 days.
- Key outcome: Residents are encouraged to use the city’s complaint portal and also contact platforms directly. The city will focus limited resources on repeat-offender STRs.
Key Outcomes & Next Steps
- Solid Waste: Director Hassan will continue improving heavy trash service and enforcement; Councilmember will compile a list of suspected commercial dumping sites shared by residents.
- PYP: Report violations only via 311 phone. Councilmember will pursue a budget amendment for weekend/evening inspectors. Residents urged to attend City Hall public sessions to support funding.
- STRs: Ongoing registration and enforcement; residents can report unauthorized STRs on houstonstr.org. The city will coordinate with platforms to delist problem properties.
- General: Keep Houston Beautiful Day events set for April 11, 2026. An illegal dumping awareness campaign with Clear Channel billboards launches April 10, 2026. Councilmember will schedule future work sessions based on neighborhood input.
Note: The meeting was recorded by HTV and will be available for residents.
Meeting Transcript
Go ahead and get our seats and get comfortable. I do want us to be good stewards of your time tonight. We're going to go ahead and get started. Typically, when we have these meetings, I like to go around the room and have you stand up and tell us what neighborhood you're from and all that fun stuff, but I do want us to stay on track tonight. I want to make sure that we get everybody out on time. So what I do want to do though is I want you to rep your neighborhood. Tell us what neighborhood you're from. I mean, who's proud of their neighborhood? Tell us what neighborhood you're from. Okay, okay. I didn't hear you in the back. Okay, Corinthian Point. I see you in the house. Okay. Thank y'all for all being here. Uh good evening. I do want to say again, thank you all for being here. I know that it's always difficult on a weekday. Uh, folks are coming from work, making sure they are prepared to go back to work on tomorrow. So I know that this is a sacrifice. But I have to tell you, it's always exciting when I know we are pulling our neighborhood leaders together. It takes a community of civic club leaders, HOA presidents, super neighborhood presidents to really make this district work. And I know what it takes to lead the way each of you are leading in our district. I know what it takes to answer the call when something's not right on your street or something's not right in your neighborhood. I know that a lot of these issues don't come with easy solutions, but we are excited that you have stepped up as a president of either your civic club, your HOA, your super neighborhood, or an organization in District K. Because the folks in this room today, you really are the backbone of District K. You are the ones who organize when no one else wants to step up. You know how you've been in the meetings, and somebody says, Will somebody take the notes? Nope, no one raises their hand. It's always the folks in this room that always step up. You are the ones who notice when things begin to slip or change in your neighborhoods. You are the ones that are constantly in communication with our team. And like I said, we know it's not easy, but I hope you know that our District K team, the mayor and I are here to work alongside each of you every day as you are continuing to make your neighborhoods better. Tonight we are here and we are going to talk about uh short-term rentals. That has been a big topic that we've talked about in our civic clubs. We're going to talk about prohibited yard parking, and we're going to get an update from our director of Solid Way. So these are three of the top topics that y'all have said you wanted to talk about. We've pulled our team together tonight so we can answer your questions and hear from you. At City Hall, when we make policy, when we make public policy, we don't do that without the public. And so we are listening to you. We want to hear from you, and we are encouraging each of you to use your voices and participate and engage with us as we are making these policies. So tonight is a work session. I want you to relax. There, this is a safe space. Everybody relax. We are a kind, gentle group. When the mayor comes up, I want y'all to remember we're a kind, gentle group. When the directors come up, don't y'all embarrass me. We are a kind, gentle group. No, I say that in jest, but I do want you to know that we are listening to you.
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