Council approved the 2023 Budget for the Houston First Corporation (HFC). HFC is responsible for promoting the city worldwide, driving tourism and convention business, operating numerous local facilities, and producing events that serve our community. This year, Houston is expected to have 50 million visitors to our city, almost matching pre-pandemic levels of 2019. HFC operates several facilities including the Hilton Americas Hotel, the GRB Convention Center, and the Wortham Center, among others.

Council approved spending $48 million to purchase radios for the police department. A portion of these funds were provided by the federal government. The Department’s current fleet of portable and mobile radios has reached end-of-life and end-of-support by the manufacturer. These funds will replace the older radios with next generation communication devices.  

I was the lone “no” vote in spending $970,717 of drainage fee money to pay for an Environmental Site Assessment for the North Canal High Flow Diversion Channel. During the lengthy discussion at the council table, I was not questioning the project. However, I was questioning the appropriateness of using drainage fee dollars to pay for this assessment. During the campaign in 2010, Houstonians were told that this proposed drainage fee would be used for improving streets and flood mitigation. For this particular project, I believe the city could have found funds to pay for this assessment from other sources.

Council approved spending $10.5 million to purchase 73 acres of land in the 9700 block of Ruffino Road in southwest Houston near West Bellfort and Beltway 8. The city is purchasing the property from the city of West University Place. It is the city’s intention to use this property for a detention project to mitigate flooding.

After much discussion at the council table, council approved revisions to an ordinance relating to outdoor music events on private property. With the passage of this ordinance, permits will now be required for music events with over 500 people on private property. Institutions of higher education and religious organizations will be exempt. To fall under this ordinance, the event must be open to the public or require a ticket for entry. Permitting will require the event to have plans approved by the city for security, traffic, and staffing.   

December 14:

Council approved payment of $415,471 for work performed at the Kashmere Multi-Service Center. The project included replacements and repairs to the HVAC system, duct work, exhaust fans, piping, and electrical equipment vital to the operation of the building. Funds to perform this work were provided by voter-approved bond funds.

Council approved increasing the spending authority for Public Works by $10.9 million to pay for chemicals. This five-year contract passed in 2018 was originally forecast to cost $27 million to pay for chemicals to remove organic compounds to cleanse our drinking water. However, due to the recent excessive inflation, the cost of the chemicals has increased greatly. Therefore, this additional $10.9 million is expected to provide funds for the remainder of the contract for the upcoming year.  

Council approved the creation of a new Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) covering the Texas Medical Center and nearby Hermann Park. This zone is being created in preparation of the development of a growing biomedical research campus. This TMC TIRZ is the first one created during the Turner Administration. The specific plans to upgrade the TMC and Hermann Park will be formulated once the Mayor appoints the seven members for the new TIRZ board next year. During the discussion at the council table, the Mayor stated that one of the primary projects for the TIRZ will be the creation of an emergency water system for the medical center. In addition, the focus of the TIRZ will be to alleviate traffic congestion around the medical center and Hermann Park. The new life sciences campus under construction is expected to provide all of the property tax revenue the TIRZ generates. 

January 4:

Council approved payment of $7.7 million for the relocation of the Radio Intermediate Distribution Frame (RIDF) room at Bush Airport. As a part of the Federal Inspection Services (FIS) Project, the IAH Terminal D/E Garage was demolished to enable the construction of the new International Central Processor. The RIDF room was located on the upper level of the Terminal D/E Garage and required relocation prior to the demolition of the Garage. The RIDF room houses radio communications equipment that supports the public safety operations for the airport.

Council approved spending $315,000 for the purchase of pet microchips and supplies over the next five years. This contract consists of approximately 4,000 pre-registered microchip supplies to be used for animal tagging and tracking. The microchips will be used in both the adoption and retail services at BARC’s Animal Shelter and adoptions.

Council approved the purchase of twenty zero-turn mowers for $600,269 for the Parks Departments. These mowers will be used to complete various grounds keeping projects at city-owned parks and properties throughout the City of Houston. This equipment will replace existing units that have reached their useful life expectancy and will be sent to auction for disposal.

Council authorized spending an additional $4.7 million on an $11.7 million five-year contract for Liquid Polymer Flocculent Chemicals for the Public Works Department. This five-year contract began in 2018, and expenditures as of December 7, 2022, totaled $11,697,917.58. The vendor continues to experience hyperinflation regarding raw materials and transportation costs. Therefore, the spending capacity for this award has been rapidly depleted. Public Works is working on a contract renewal for liquid polymer flocculent. The city uses the liquid polymer flocculent to aid in the dewatering of waste sludge by-products during the wastewater treatment process. Liquid polymer flocculent is imperative to maintain regulatory compliance as promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and to protect the health and safety of the citizens of Houston.

Council approved spending $1,998,301.25 over five years for fuel transportation services for the city’s Fleet Management Department. This contract pays for the transportation of fuel from refineries/terminals in Pasadena and Houston to various sites throughout the City.

Council approved a ten-year contract with a vendor to provide food and beverage concessions at Hobby Airport. The city expects to collect almost $75 million with this contract over the next ten years. The contract will include local as well as nationwide food providers.

January 11:

Council approved a five-year $2.2 million contract for vehicle replacement parts and repair services for the Fleet Management Department. This contract deals specifically with the city’s fleet of Ford automobile and trucks. The repair services include wheels, rack and pinions, radiators, bumpers, brake pads and rotors, and other similar items.

Council approved a three-year contract for $2.2 million to purchase ammunition and accessories for the Police Department. The ammunition will be used to train police cadets in the safe and proper handling of firearms as well as to successfully complete the state-mandated firearms qualifications. Additionally, the ammunition will be utilized by current officers for proficiency training and completion of required annual state firearms qualification. Furthermore, the ammunition will be used for self-protection.

Council approved spending $4.3 million over five years to purchase equine products and veterinary supplies for various city departments. The equine products and veterinary drugs will be used in the day-to-day operations of BARC and HPD’s mounted patrol unit.

January 18:

Council approved spending an additional $1 million on a contract to purchase medical supplies for the Fire Department. These supplies will be used by first responders to provide medical care to Houstonians. Rising costs and volatility within the pharmaceutical market, along with an increase in the number of patients and expansion of services, have resulted in depleted spending authority to purchase medical supplies faster than anticipated. The city is currently working on a new award.

Council approved providing an additional $1.1 million to an ongoing contract to purchase Liquid Calcium Nitrate chemicals for the Public Works Department. Liquid Calcium Nitrate is a long-term odor control and corrosion control chemical used in the city’s wastewater treatment plants and collection systems. The department has been required over the last few years to increase its usage of these chemicals to keep up with the increase in daily operational demands. Therefore, the spending authority has rapidly depleted and Public Works is working on a new contract.

Council approved increasing the contract amount of the ongoing contract with Verizon Wireless. The five-year contract was awarded on February 19, 2020, as Covid was in its infancy in our area. Council approved an additional $9.9 million to this $39.7 million contract to fund the final two years of the contract. With Covid, many city employees worked remotely, thus relying on their mobile devices to perform their duties which increased the cost of the contract.

January 25:

Council approved changes to the ordinance relating to the construction of sidewalks. The new ordinance would allow Houstonians to pay a “fee in lieu of building” a sidewalk in front of their property. A sidewalk in lieu fee may be requested by the applicant if the proposed development meets certain criteria to avoid constructing a “sidewalk to nowhere” or unique conditions which exist that make it infeasible to construct. The fee will go towards a fund to construct sidewalks in other parts of the city. I offered an amendment to allow these fees to go towards repairing a sidewalk in addition to constructing new ones. As we all know, many sidewalks in the city are in such disrepair, no one can walk on them without breaking an ankle. After much discussion, the mayor opposed this idea but committed to dedicate more funds from next year’s city budget to pay for the repair of sidewalks. Unfortunately, the city’s annual budget does not begin until July 1 which will further delay providing funding for the repair of sidewalks.

Council approved amending building standards related to residential buffering, garage screening and lighting standards, mounted light fixture standards, and dumpster screening standards. These changes have been discussed with the various stakeholders since last year.  The changes include an expanded buffering distance between all single-family residential or multi-unit residential properties and high-rise or mid-rise structures. Included with this ordinance are changes to screening and lighting standards for multi-unit garages. Changes in this ordinance were also made to prevent light shining onto adjacent properties or streets which would disturb nearby residents. Standards were also improved to prevent vehicle headlights in a garage from shining onto nearby residents. Finally, changes were made to provide additional screening of dumpsters on residential properties.

Council authorized submitting a grant application to The Land and Water Conservation Fund Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The city’s Parks Department is requesting $10 million from TPWD for the proposed improvements of the MacGregor Park located at 5225 Calhoun Road. The total project is expected to cost $20 million. The source of the city’s required $10 million match is from the Houston Parks Board capital-raised funds. The proposed project includes a shade pavilion, walkways, fitness equipment, splashpad, trees and landscaping, irrigation system, and many other park amenities.

Council approved spending $525,000 with a vendor for mowing and litter removal from various roadside ditches throughout the city. This contract is one of many contracts the city has with vendors to clean and maintain ditches within the city. Maintenance of roadside ditches is imperative for flood mitigation.