Mayor's Press Release
An Update from Houston City Hall
February 12, 2023 --
Last week, I released my Strategic-Guidance.pdf (houstontx.gov).
It’s an honor to serve as Mayor of the greatest City in our nation. Over the last seven years we have faced many challenges from Hurricane Harvey to Winter Storm Uri to the COVID19 Pandemic. Through it all, Houston stands stronger than ever. We are better today than we were yesterday, and we’ll be better tomorrow than we are today. And that’s because we put in the work - shared sacrifice - to make Houston the resilient City it is today. Our work is never done and over the next twelve months we will continue that progress.
This strategic guidance document will outline my priorities: Public Safety; Complete Communities; Service and Infrastructure; Sound Financial Management; and Resilient Houston. These five key priorities have shaped the development of the budget since my first proposed budget in Fiscal Year 2017 and will guide the development of the upcoming Fiscal Year 2024 Budget.
No single priority can accomplish the quality-of-life Houstonians expect and deserve to thrive in this great city. Whether it’s improving and upgrading parks in under-resourced communities to improving public safety and reducing the harms caused by violent crime, every priority is key to the success of our City.
To support the development of this document nearly 2,500 Houstonians were surveyed. Houstonians shared their feedback on the priorities that are the most impactful and most important to their communities. Public Safety and Service & Infrastructure are recognized as priorities that are impactful and important across the City of Houston. I invite you to explore this document and learn more about the five priorities, the objectives for each priority, and key initiatives and action plans set forth to accomplish our goals.
The Week Ahead at Houston City Hall Monday: I will tour the newly opened Navigation Center in Houston's Fifth Ward. Located at 2903 Jensen Drive, Houston, the center will provide bridge beds to a minimum of 350 homeless people annually, along with services to help them obtain employment and address health care needs, among other needs. The city's partnership is with the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, which will operate the center. Read more here: Houston approves $2M toward operation of new homeless navigation center. Tuesday: I will welcome National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial and Houston Area Urban League President and CEO Judson Robinson, III, for an important announcement at Houston City Hall. The 2023 National Urban League Conference, returning to Houston after 24 years, will attract thousands of the nation’s most forward-thinking community and business leaders for four days of world-class speakers, informative workshops, dynamic entertainment, and networking events. Stay tuned for more information. |
Houston celebrated the "Biggest Picnic in Texas" at Memorial Park on Saturday. The day before, the Memorial Park Conservancy hosted a wonderful ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration of the Kinder Land Bridge & Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Grand Prairie.
Please take time to visit the site with your friends and family. It is well worth your time. I want to congratulate Shellye Arnold, President & CEO, Memorial Park Conservancy, Rich and Nancy Kinder, and everyone who helped design and create this incredible gem for the city of Houston.
Headlines
- Dozens of unmoved gravesites found at historic Houston cemetery during recent METRO project.
- Houston closes its largest homeless encampment.
- Houston City Council approved a three-year, $8M contract with DRC Emergency Services to protect Houston neighborhoods and combat illegal dumping throughout the city.
- Texas mayors asks state lawmakers for more mental health money. A letter urges Texas legislators to give salary increases to community mental health workers.
- SerJobs’ new Workforce Resource and Training Center opens in Houston's East End.
- The New York Times recently wrote, "How U.S.-China Tensions Could Affect Who Buys the House Next Door." As i have said recently, we must stand united as a community to stand up against hate bigotry and discrimination. Less than a month ago we stood on the steps of City Hall to discuss Senate Bill 147. Over the weekend, we gathered again to declare SB147 is wrong.
Standing in front of the "Stop the Gun Violence" mural at Worthing Early College High School in SunnySide, I recently joined Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to announce a third gun buyback. The gun buyback is scheduled for 8 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 18, at Alexander Deussen Park, 12303 Sonnier Street.
The success of the City's first two gun buybacks demonstrated that people want a safe space to dispose of their guns. And sure, some may have been driven by the gift cards. Still, the impact is undeniable – We removed guns that were unwanted and had the potential of falling into the wrong hands.
The gun buyback programs are connected to the One Safe Houston initiative to combat violent crime in our city. We have invested ARPA funding to increase technology, address domestic violence and put more police officers on the streets of Houston.
In case you missed it, the Major Cities Chiefs Association recently reported that Houston experienced the largest drop in violent crime. Last year, the TV media along with others repeatedly hammered the city on rising violent crime and falsely claimed Houston was the murder capital. But in 2022, we led every major city in violent crime REDUCTION. Not nearly the same coverage.
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(click the photo to watch the interview) President Joe Biden delivered his second State of the Union address on Tuesday, laying out his agenda and goals for 2023. Before the powerful speech, I sat down with CBS News to discuss how the president's policies are helping cities like Houston. The President was strong and energetic in his State of the Union address. He spoke clearly and directly to the American people about the progress we’ve made over the past two years and his agenda for the future. And, he said clearly that we need to finish the job. |
I am the product of educators who believed in me and stood by their mission to help me achieve academic excellence. Education was important in the Turner household and I have to give a lot of credit to both of my parents. Thank you, Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators (HAABSE) for awarding me the 2023 Living Legend Award.
Congratulations to the United Way of Greater Houston. The nonprofit organization recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of 211, which is a free, confidential helpline to connect individuals with food, child care, employment and more. More than 15 million of our neighbors have been connected with help and hope through the 211 team over the years. It was a pleasure to present a proclamation to President and Chief Executive Officer Amanda McMillian.
Houston is a sports city, and we are preparing to host another major event. In addition to the NCAA Men's Final Four March 31 – April 3, 2023, we officially kicked off our countdown to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship. We are less than a year away from hosting the biggest game in college football at NRG Stadium on January 8, 2024! I encourage everyone to participate in some way. If you would like to volunteer, or if you would like to assist in some other way, please visit the College Football Playoff website, www.Houston2024.com.
February is Black History Month. Houston First has an amazing 2023 Black History Month lineup at Avenida Houston. This year’s programming will feature art, music, vendors and activities for everyone that reflect and celebrate Houston’s rich diversity. Click the link for more information. https://lnkd.in/gF3SSVGi.