On June 7, Mayor Sylvester Turned named Council Member Dave Martin as Chair of the Budget and Fiscal Affairs (BFA) Committee. The BFA Committee, comprised of all sixteen council members, oversees the City's Annual Budgets and Debt Model, Monthly Financial and Operations Report, and Quarterly Investment Report, The Committee also receives quarterly reports on the three pension systems that provide defined benefit plans for City employees.

The committee's scope of includes strategic purchasing and other procurement processes as well as handles the budget process and the five-year CIP plan process that comes before Council.

Council Member Martin looks forward to applying his accounting skills as well as past experience as BFA  Subcommittee Chair on Debt Financing and Pensions to improve the financial standing of the City. 

On Tuesday, June 19, Council Member Martin, in partnership with the City of Houston Housing Community and Development Department, hosted a community meeting at St. Stephen Presbyterian Church in the Edgebrook area. The purpose of this meeting was to inform District E residents about long-term housing recovery and to create opportunities for residents to give their input on priorities for rebuilding Houston after Hurricane Harvey. 

 

The $1 billion in federal disaster recovery funding for Houston is a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through the State of Texas General Land Office (GLO). It is primarily intended to benefit low-and moderate-income persons to increase housing affordability and aid in the recovery post-disaster. These funds will be expended over the next six years, until 2024.

 

For more information, please contact Harris County Flood Control District Bond Program Hotline at 713-684-4107. 

To prepare the community for the HCFCD Bond Meeting, the Lake Houston Area Chamber has launched a new Plea campaign, #PleaforDDG. The goal of this movement is to create awareness for the need to dredge, create detention, and build needed flood control infrastructure on the Lake Houston Spillway Dam. 

The Houston Public Works Department recently completed a Local Drainage Project in the Arlington Heights area on Tuesday, June 19, 2018. The repairs were made to Ditch C-106-08-02, and the scope of work included the clearing, grubbing, de-silting, and regrading of the off-road ditch, as well as tree removal and site restoration.

 

This issue was originally reported to our office by the Arlington Heights Civic Club at the 2016 National Night Out. After the creation of the Storm Water Action Team (SWAT) Program, the District E Office identified this ditch as a potential project and HPW was able to make these repairs.  

Thursday, June 28, over 100 Pennsylvanian and Ohioan participants of from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ECLA) Youth Gathering canvassed the Freeway Manor Area, distributing important city information and resources to the nearby homeowners. 

The flyers included information about their local civic club, HoustonRecovers.com, Houston 3-1-1, Solid Waste Department collection services, and more. Thank you, ECLA participants, for all your hard work and endurance through this Texas heat!

On June 27, staff from Council Member Martin's office attended the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce General Membership Luncheon held monthly to bring community leaders, elected officials and representatives from Clear Lake area businesses together. This month's luncheon presented an education panel featuring Dr. Greg Smith, Superintendent of Clear Creek Independent School District, Dr. Mark Shermis, Dean of College of Education at University of Houston Clear Lake, and Dr. Laurel Williamson, Deputy Chancellor at San Jacinto College. Each speaker of the panel educated the members on the past year's successes and achievements and the importance of working together as partners in the community.

Despite the destructive force of Hurricane Harvey, Texans throughout the affected areas immediately showed their generosity, inventiveness and bravery. Among the many Harvey heroes of Houston was Kristi Thornton. 

Ms. Thornton helped guide the United States Coast Guard through Kingwood neighborhoods to rescue fellow neighbors in need of help. She live streamed on Facebook to notify fellow residents of her location to help better serve the rescue operations. She also assisted in creating a hub station for rescuers and people who needed to be rescued in Kingwood, Houston, Crosby, Dayton, Humble, New Caney, Spring and Katy, among several other locations.

 

On June 26, 2018, Kristi Thornton was honored for her selfless contributions and active involvement during Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. The City of Houston commends and appreciates Kristi Thornton for her compassion during historic disaster, as her selflessness is greatly appreciated by the many people who benefited from her unwavering generosity.

This past Wednesday, July 4, Council Member Martin and staff participated in the Kingwood 4th of July Parade. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett served as this year's Grand Marshal and we thank him for participating in the parade. 

Also joining the parade this year for the third time was Mayor Sylvester Turner in addition to At-Large Council Members David Robinson and Jack Christie. 

Council Member Martin enjoyed joining State Representative Dan Huberty to pass out candy to those braving the storm. Thanks Kingwood for your support of the community and showing up to celebrate. 

Council Member Martin reminds District E residents of the following safety tips from HPD:  

• Make sure all windows and doors are locked whether you are home or away;

• Activate your alarm system regardless of how long you anticipate being away from home;

• Never leave jewelry or valuables in plain view;

• Take photos of valuables and their identification numbers and keep these images on a zip drive;

• Set interior home lights on a timer;

• Maintain adequate exterior lighting and keep bushes and shrubs trimmed;

• Always keep your vehicle car doors locked and windows closed;

• While out shopping, do not move items from inside your vehicle into the trunk in public view;

• Finally, get to know your neighbors, be aware of your surroundings at all time and report all suspicious activity to the police immediately.

Please refer to Council Martin's District E  website for location, time and more event details. Email the District E office if you would like us to include your upcoming event in future newsletters! 

City Wides

July 10

Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee

July 31

Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee

Kingwood 

Kingwood Electronic Waste Recycling

July 10

San Jacinto Watershed HCFCD Bond Meeting

July 11

Kingwood Service Assocation's Public Safety Committee

Kingwood PIP

*Kingwood Super Neighborhood Meetings are in recess until August 15

Southeast Houston/Clear Lake 

July 14

Clear Lake Electronic Waste Recycling 

July 17
Clear Lake PIP

Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce General Membership Luncheon