Welcome to the Knox Report – March 2023
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| The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is finally here! Rodeo events are happening all throughout the month of March, and there is something for everyone.
From the Carnival and Wine Garden to the Auctions and Concert lineup, how will you Rodeo this year?
For calendar of concerts, events and special days, click here. |
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| Hire Houston Youth serves as the facilitator to connect youth to local jobs where they are empowered with an “earn and learn” opportunity in Houston’s dynamic economy. Youth, age 16–24, are offered eight-week paid summer jobs and internships at the City of Houston, the public, private, and philanthropic sectors.
To be eligible to participate in the program, you must be between the age of 16 and 24 by June 12, 2023 and reside in the city of Houston. Must be available to work 32 hours per week for 8 weeks.
For more information and how to apply, please click here. |
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| For the proudest of Texans, it’s the most important day of the year. It’s a holiday that no other state can claim, March 2 is Texas Independence Day.
Texas Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. This event marked Texas’ independence from Mexico. Sixty delegates from all over Texas signed the declaration. Its language in many ways parallels the 1776 Declaration of Independence of the United States.
While Texas has been part of the United States for over 175 years, Texas Independence Day is still recognized in the Lone Star State. |
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| It ain’t over till it’s clover!
St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17th, and if you’re looking for a festivity to participate in, you’re in luck!
The 63rd Houston St. Patrick’s Day Parade is back on March 11th and is a FREE event for all those who wish to delight in it. The Houston St. Patrick’s Parade is presented by the Houston St. Patrick’s Parade Commission.
If you’re feeling lucky, click the image above for more information. |
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| Educators in Santa Rosa, California, first celebrated Women’s History Week in March 1978 to increase awareness of women’s contributions to society. Organizers selected a week in early March to correspond with International Women’s Day on March 8. Over the next several years, other cities across the country joined Santa Rosa in celebrating Women’s History Week.
The week-long event officially became a month-long one in 1987 when Congress passed a resolution designating March as Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month has been celebrated in the United States every March since.
Women’s History Month continues the discussion of women and their contributions through activities such as museum exhibits and film screenings, and by encouraging the study of achievements by women year-round. |
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| We all missed our Astros. After an extraordinary 2022 season, the Houston Astros look to the new season, hungrier than ever, with one goal in mind: Back-to-back World Series Championships.
The Astros have strengthened their already impressive squad, giving extensions to fan-favorites Michael Brantley and Rafael Montero, as well as acquiring first-baseman, José Abreu, from the Chicago White Sox.
Opening day at Minute Maid Park is Thursday, March 30, when our Astros take on the Chicago White Sox. We wish the Astros the best of luck in the new season
For information on tickets, events, and games please click here. |
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Anna Russell worked for the city for nearly 70 years, 48 as the city secretary.
Russell’s role, along with her nine staffers, was to compile the council agenda, keep the minutes and maintain all city records, including ordinances and motions, candidate filings, campaign finance reports, lobbyist registrations and oversee council meetings in a chair to the mayor’s right, calling items to the floor and enforcing speaking rules.
Her trademark, “Thank you, your time has expired,” will not be forgotten anytime soon.
As a young single mother, Russell often brought her three daughters to City Hall on weekends and had them do homework while she worked. She went to work during floods and blizzards, ignoring mayors who told city workers to stay home, and she rarely took vacations.
On February 1st, the City of Houston named the Council Chamber in honor of Anna Russell, as well as a park bench in Hermann Square by the reflection pool at City Hall.
Her dedication to her job and to the city will leave a long-lasting legacy for years to come. |
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Had the honor of attending the Houston Fire Department Graduation Ceremony for Cadet Class 2022-D.
After much hard work, dedication, and sacrifice, 29 men and women joined the ranks of HFD Probationary Firefighter to answer the call of duty of Houston residents.
I know our communities will be safer with them out there.
HFD is always hiring. For more information on the application process, click here. |
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The unveiling & dedication of the Burrus Elementary School Marker took place February 15th.
We had a great time learning about the impressive history of the school and the surrounding area.
In 1911, with the help of Harris County, local leaders worked to create a school at the 600 block of E. 39th street, and a two-room building from the Sunset Heights community was moved onto the site. The first teacher in the new Independence Heights School was O.L. Hubbard, a graduate of Prairie View College.
As the population increased, the student body outgrew its small schoolhouse and classes had to be temporarily held in both the New Hope Baptist Church building and in the General Mercantile Store. By 1928, a new building for the school was constructed on 33rd street, and P.H. Holden had become the first principal. When it opened, the school was renamed in honor of James D. Burrus, a former slave who became a successful black educator.
Burrus Elementary is like the rock of Gibraltar and has been around for a long time. Dating back to 1911, Burrus has produced students who’d go on to achieve many great accomplishments, and we are happy to see it get the recognition it deserves. |
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Had the great pleasure of being part of the Yes Prep West Secondary School Speaker Series on February 9th.
I was invited to come and speak about my personal and professional experience to students relating to local politics and public service.
These events are of great importance. They allow me to interact with future generations and hopefully inspire them to aim high, as well as to encourage them to stay informed in politics.
Thank you to YES Prep Secondary for allowing me to share my insight. |
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The Grand Opening of Memorial Park’s Kinder Land Bridge & Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie took place February 10th.
A collaborative celebration spearheaded by the Memorial Park Conservancy and their many master plan project partners.
The 100-acre space is part of the Memorial Park Conservancy Ten-Year Plan. The park is now open for all Houstonians to enjoy.
Project Partners, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects with their unique landscape design revives the Park damaged by drought, flood, and invasive flora back into a flourishing greenspace.
To learn more information about the park, click here. |
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I had a great time celebrating Valentine’s Day with Sandra Massie Hines and seniors in the community.
This event was all about honoring seniors and the work they do for their communities.
It is inspiring to see their support and dedication to making Houston a better place be celebrated. Special thanks to Sandra Massie Hines for organizing the event. |
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The Roughnecks are back! On February 17th, the City of Houston welcomed the Roughnecks back with a pep rally at City Hall.
The Roughnecks were dominating the XFL back in 2020 as the only undefeated team. That season was cut short due to the COVID pandemic.
Fortunately, the XFL is returning in 2023 and our Roughnecks, under legendary head coach Wade Phillips, are eager to make the city proud.
For information regarding tickets, dates and events, click here. |
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I’ve always said business is what Houston does best and for that reason, it is of the highest importance that we take notice of the needs of business owners.
February 21st, I visited with several 11th street business owners regarding recently installed bike lanes on West 11th street. They are not happy.
Business owners I spoke with are concerned about the negative effects these bike lanes have on their businesses. The placement of the bike lanes and the concrete barriers prevent customers from visiting their locations, because a potential customer may have to travel more than four blocks to turn around in order to enter their parking lot. The barriers themselves are poorly marked, are confusing to motorists, and have resulted in several minor accidents and damage to the barriers.
The location of this particular bike lane is part of the “City Bike Plan”. The stated purpose of the plan is to provide safe, accessible use of bicycles as an alternative multi-modal transportation option for those who choose to ride bicycles. The plan was sold to council members as a “flexible” guide to locating bike lanes throughout the city. As I explained to these business owners, some who have noticed a decline in their sales as much as 30%, the “Bike Plan” has been coopted by activist groups and some city officials to place Houstonians on a forced “Road Diet.”
That is to say, these groups wish to create traffic issues along major business and transportation arteries in order to create so much frustration individuals would rather take public transportation, or ride a bike, than to drive in their personal vehicle. To accomplish this goal, the city is willing to use humans on bicycles to create this chaos because…well, government knows how to live your life better than you do.
What is so frustrating is one block away, on West 12th street, is a much safer and quieter residential roadway that essentially would take the bicycle rider along a much safer route to any destination on West 11th street they would care to go.
Special thanks to Marian Wright for organizing the meetings with the owners. |
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We attended the Greater Houston Rose River Memorial on February 24th, remembering those lost to Covid-19.
This art installation is located in Tranquility Park and consists of approximately 12,000 handmade red felt roses, each rose representing someone in the greater Houston area who passed away from Covid-19.
Thank you to those who lost someone to Covid-19 and were present, and thank you to artist Marcos Lyutens who originated the concept for the rose river |
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Had a great time kicking off the Rodeo at the annual Rodeo Kickoff Breakfast on February 24th.
The invitation said Western Wear encouraged… That’s just a normal day for me.
Jokes aside, the Rodeo season is such an exciting time for all Houstonians, and I’m looking forward to seeing y’all at this years Rodeo season. |
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I enjoyed Go Texan Day at City Hall on February 24th.
Rodeo Committees and volunteers came out to share information about their respective organizations.
There was free food, live music, giveaways and a proclamation was issued at the event.
Thank you to all the committees and volunteers who came out. |
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Had a wonderful time at this year’s Downtown Rodeo Parade on February 25th.
People showed up and ready to celebrate our Western heritage. Decorative floats intermingled with thousands of men and women to fill the streets with hoof beats and marching bands.
Enthusiastic Houstonians joined out-of-town spectators to line the streets and sidewalks and kick off this Rodeo season. I want to thank all of those who attended the event, and I look forward to seeing y’all at the carnival! |
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We had fun at the Tour de Houston fundraising bike ride which took place on February 27th.
The annual event offered Houstonians and visitors a unique way to view the city with bike routes winding through Houston’s historic neighborhoods, scenic districts, and parks.
Funds raised through the Tour de Houston support Re-Plant Houston, a reforestation program of the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. |
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Meetings Information
- City Council meetings are conducted each week on Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesdays beginning at 9:00 a.m. Any citizen may speak before Council on a Tuesday beginning at 2:00 p.m. To reserve time to appear before Council, call 832.393.1100 or come to the Office of the City Secretary, City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby, Room P101, Public Level before 5:00 p.m. Monday prior to the scheduled public session shown on the agenda. All Council meetings are open to the public.
Agenda Information
- In accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, the agenda is posted for public information, at all times, for at least 72 hours preceding the scheduled time of the meeting on the bulletin board located at the rear entrance of the City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby. Copies of the agenda are available at no charge in the Office of the City Secretary in the City Hall Annex, Public Level.
- To receive the agenda by mail, send check or money order for $52 for a one year subscription, made payable to the City of Houston to the attention of the City Secretary, PO Box 1562, Houston, Texas 77251.
- Click here to view the City Council Agenda online
For more information, please click here. |
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Residents may dispose of their Tree Waste and Junk Waste at their curbside. Tree Waste is collected during ODD numbered months and Junk Waste is collected during EVEN numbered months. This method of collecting large waste comes with the benefits of diverting materials that can be recycled from landfills, saving landfill space and valuable tax dollars.
- Tree Waste months are January, March, May, July, September, and November.
- Junk Waste months are February, April, June, August, October and December.
Residents who wish to dispose of Tree Waste or Junk Waste before their scheduled once-per-month collection may use one of six Neighborhood Depository/Recycling Centers.
For more information and details, please click here. |
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The best way to address an issue is to always report it to 311 first and receive a service request number. 311 is the City of Houston’s non-emergency department directory and self-service city request line. The 311 website allows the citizens of Houston to access information, request city services and report problems at anytime of the day or night.
Remember to follow up with your District and/or At Large Council Office to ensure your concern doesn’t fall through the cracks.
To file an Online Service Request, you must provide the address of the corresponding location of which the service need or problem is being reported. In most cases, you must also provide a valid email address for follow up purposes.
You can access 311 services below:
http://www.houstontx.gov/311/
or Call
Phone: 3-1-1 or 713.837.0311
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City of Houston HROne
The City of Houston can’t function without great employees. The City is always on the lookout for talented, passionate people to hire. Employment with the City of Houston represents more than just a job – it’s an opportunity to make a difference and improve our community.
For more information click the City logo |
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| It is an understatement that starting the day can be a stressful endeavor. Between taking the kids to school, and getting to work on time, people don’t need unnecessary obstacles in their path. Well, on February 6th, a constituent from the Settegast area called about an abandoned boat that was blocking her street.
When the constituent emailed us the pictures, we couldn’t believe it ourselves. The boat was sitting in the middle of the street blocking traffic completely. The constituent had already called her district Council Member’s office and was frustrated by the lack of progress.
My staff immediately began to work to try to remove this boat from her street. This case is what police define as Junk Motor Vehicle. Junk Motor Vehicle refers to a vehicle that is self-propelled and is wrecked, dismantled or inoperable for more than:
- 72 consecutive hours, if the vehicle is on public property or
- 30 consecutive days, if the vehicle is on private property.
We contacted HPD in order to get the details of the case and to see what could be done. HPD informed us that District B had reached out to ParkHouston and that they could not find a tow company that would pick up boats.
We kept at it. I personally reached out to contacts at HPD in order to try to get this situation resolved. An investigation was created. My staff contacted an officer from HPD-Auto Dealers Detail who was handling the investigation in order to exchange information. On February 17th, we finally received an update from HPD, informing us t boat had been removed from the location.
This case was a large group effort between our office, the constituent, and HPD. It took extensive communication, and we thank HPD for quick action and response.
As always, my office will do its utmost best to respond and resolve constituent inquiries. |
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February Council Highlights
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| February 1:
Council approved payment of $14.2 million to pay for the repair and reconstruction of a sinkhole. Damage to a 78-inch sanitary sewer line located 56 feet below ground was the cause of the sinkhole. The city needed to address this sinkhole on an emergency basis, because the street and surface damage was severe and becoming worse, which could impact neighboring properties.
Council approved spending $7.2 million to hire outside contractors to repair waterlines on behalf of the Public Works Department. With last year’s drought, the city has experienced a large volume of waterline breaks.
Council approved payment of $1.6 million to replace the heat exchanger for the 69thStreet Sludge Processing Plant. The heat exchanger allows heat to be properly transferred throughout the dryer system and to maintain a balanced heat flow within the plant. The drying process is a critical component of disposing of and processing biosolids from the plant.
February 8:
Council authorized spending $1.6 million in Harvey insurance proceeds to stock the reconstructed Kendall Neighborhood Library with books, audiovisual materials, and other library items. Located in west Houston, Kendall was inundated with over four feet of flood waters during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. After extensive reconstruction, Kendall finally reopened last year.
Council approved spending $308,000 of Metro funds to purchase 400 Advanced Pedestrian Buttons. These PED Buttons will be used to upgrade pedestrian equipment at various signalized intersections throughout the city. This equipment improves pedestrian safety by providing signals in non-visual formats such as audible tones, verbal messages, and vibrating messages for visually impaired pedestrians.
Council authorized a loan agreement with the Houston Area Women’s Center to provide $15.8 million in federal funds to go towards the cost of land acquisition and development costs. The total cost of the project is $33.3 million. This facility will serve as a refuge for those fleeing domestic and sexual violence. The facility will also include children’s services like daycare, after school care, and violence prevention programs.
Council approved spending $8 million with a private contractor over the next three years to augment the city’s Solid Waste department. The contractor will assist the city with picking up and disposing of illegal dumping, heavy trash, and junk waste. While offering financial incentive packages, the city has had difficulty recruiting solid waste truck drivers.
February 15:
Council approved final payment of $441,377 for the North Street Sanitary Sewer Project. This project is part of the neighborhood sewer system improvements program. The project included construction of 940 linear feet of 8-inch gravity sanitary sewer along North Street between Mainford Street and North Main Street and in an unpaved area between an apartment complex and Highway 45. The work also included the abandonment and/or grout fill of approximately 475 linear feet of 8-inch gravity sanitary sewer, approximately 90 linear feet of 18-inch sanitary sewer, approximately 580 linear feet of 24-inch sanitary sewer, and approximately 1,100 linear feet of 36-inch sanitary sewer between North Street and Wrightwood Street.
Council approved the purchase of 30,000 black 96-gallon garbage cans and 10,000 green 96-gallon recycling cans for $2.5 million. These carts will be issued to new customers and to replace cans that were lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair. These carts will have radio frequency identification tags to identify and track each cart with a specific customer address. The funds to purchase these cans came from the Container Lease Fund, which each city garbage customer pays $1.20 on their monthly water bill.
Council approved the purchase of 25 garbage trucks for $7,818,465, 1 grapple rear-steer refuse truck for $233,007, and 7 semi-tractor trailers for $1,127,416. These vehicles are replacing existing Solid Waste vehicles which have reached their life expectancy and will be sent to auction for disposal.
Council approved a resolution to support the proposed development of 14 low-income multi-family rental housing projects throughout the city and the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of the city. The funds to build these projects will be supplemented by tax credits. Two proposed projects were delayed for a week due to opposition from nearby residents. The next step in the process is for these proposed projects to be considered in Austin this summer by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
Council approved adding $250,000 to an existing mowing and debris removal contract. This contract was awarded in 2019 for $1 million. Due to an increase in mowing and debris removal, these additional funds will continue the contract while the city is in the process of procuring a new contract this year.
Council authorized applying for a grant with the U.S. Department of Transportation for the Railroad Crossing Elimination Program. This proposed $37 million project would include the construction of four underpasses and a quiet zone along the railroad tracks from Runnels to just south of the intersection of Leeland Street and Cullen Street. It is expected that the feds will decide on the grant later this year.
February 22:
After much deliberation at the council table, council approved a “Resolution of No Objection” for the proposed low-income apartment project, Felicity Oaks, to be located in the 4000 block of Richmond Avenue near Greenway Plaza. The council agenda item was originally listed as a “Resolution of Support.” After hearing from many constituents over the past month voicing their concerns, I proposed a motion to “Refer the Item Back to the Administration,” which would have effectively killed the project for this year due to the state’s deadline to receive proposals by March 1. My motion to refer the item back was defeated by a vote of 6-9. Ultimately, the Mayor amended the item to a “Resolution of No Objection.” Council approved this measure by a vote of 11-4. These proposed low-income housing projects are given a score based on a list of criteria that the state uses to determine whether they receive tax credits. The “Resolution of No Objection” receives fewer points than the “Resolution of Support.” In the days following this council vote on February 22, the developer has decided to withdraw his proposal for this housing project. Thus, this proposed project will not move forward this calendar year.
Council approved increasing the contract amount to purchase sixty-six Ford Lightning pick-up trucks. Due to continued inflation over the past two years, the price of these vehicles increased from $43,000 each to $50,000 each. Many of these vehicles will be utilized by the airport system and the health department.
Council approved spending $6,016,340.00 for the Purchase and Installation of sixteen Centrifuges at the 69th Street water plant. This new equipment will replace the existing centrifuge systems at the facility and allow the treatment plant to optimize its capacity and ability to process sludge at a rate of 200 million gallons per day (MGD) of daily average flow, and 400 MGD at a 2-hour peak flow period. This equipment upgrade is in keeping with the City of Houston’s Consent Decree to upgrade Houston Public Works’ aging wastewater systems. The new Centrifuges will allow the plant to receive aerobically digested sludge through two constant-head holding tanks. |
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Important Contact Information
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(832) 393-3014
311 or (713) 837-0311
Emergency
911
HPD Non-Emergency
(713) 884-3131
(832) 393-0955
(832) 393-1100
City of Houston
P.O. Box 1562
Houston, TX 77251
311 or (713) 837-0311
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At Large 1 Contact Information
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