Greetings from Mike Knox
At Large Council Member Pos 1.
Council overwhelmingly voted not to impose a garbage fee on the citizens of Houston.
The three agenda items related to a garbage fee were proposed by Council Member Boykins in an effort to find a funding source for Proposition B, Fire Fighter pay parity with Police.
I opposed the garbage fee because:

1) The proposed fees would disproportionally impact those citizens in the lower income brackets.
2) We currently have a crisis in our Solid Waste fleet. Collecting a fee for garbage collection to be redirected to the fire fighters would likely hamper efforts to deal with the equipment and fleet issues with Solid Waste.
3) Establishing an Enterprise Fund for Solid Waste would prevent any of the funds from being used in any another department of the city.
Houston Police Department’s Commencement Exercise for Cadet Class 238. The graduation took place at the Champion Forest Baptist Church-Jersey Village. Thank you for serving.
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Log Cabin Republicans of Texas at Sam Houston Hotel. Featured speakers included Congressman Dan Crenshaw and State Senator Joan Huffman.
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The Stevens and Pruett Humane Ranch was founded 30 years ago as a shelter for abused children and animals. Under County Protective Services, children and animals are protected and receive rehabilitation care. I was proud to provide zoo passes for the children and staff.

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Attended the annual Houston Fire Department's memorial service for those who have given their lives in protecting and saving others.
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Demolition day of a dangerous building off Liberty Road. Department of Neighborhoods eventually exhausted all avenues in an attempt to find owners before tearing this building down.
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NeighborhoodLIFT® partnered with Avenue Community
Development Corp, Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corp, Tejano Center for Community Concerns, and local
nonprofits, to get the information needed to put you on the path to becoming a homeowner for the first or next
time.
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Tour de Houston sponsored by Apache. Funds raised from this annual bike ride around Houston have generated enough money for Apache and the Parks Department to plant more than 3 million trees in our parks.
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W orking with local pastors and the faith-based community on behalf of Hire Houston Youth. The program aims to increase access to quality earning and learning opportunities for Houston Youth. The city is still accepting applications through April 6 for city of Houston positions and May 3 for non- profit and private companies.
For more info: Click Here!
Honored to have Mayor Turner join me in recognizing the School for Science and Technology on their designation as a Texas School of Character. This designation requires the collective efforts of parents, staff, students, and teachers. Congratulations for their diligent work.
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Students from the Cunae International School in the Woodlands came down for a tour of City Hall and wound up getting a lesson in civics. They came from Ireland, China, Russia, and so many other countries. Welcome.
Harris County Department of Education is a public entity dedicated to helping meet the needs of uniquely challenged learners and school staff in the state’s largest county through innovative programming and support services. The group hosted a Mardi Gras themed party at the French Corner Bakery to celebrate 20 years of service. Congratulations.
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Ribbon cutting at the all new Parker Elementary School. Part of the 2012 bond program, this is considered by most the first magnet music school in Houston. Congratulations to everyone for all your hard work building a brand new school. It has a SPARK Park, too!
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All 11 Council Districts played host to the Mayor's Capital Improvement Project meetings to learn about improvement projects specific to their district. City Hall came to you, the residents of Houston.
Happy Trails to Rodeo Houston.
The largest livestock exhibitions and rodeo in the world wrapped up in March. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo have provided millions of dollars in educational scholarships to our youth. It has been held at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, since 2003. It was previously held in the Astrodome. Unprecedented record breaking crowds this year. I'm looking forward to next year.

March 2019 Legislative Highlights
 
* The City approved spending $1.2 million for the seven weeks summer Hire Houston Youth Program in which the City will employ 500 youth between the ages of 16-24 and place another 9,500 youth for employment in private sector summer internships.

* I was the lone opposition in which Council approved increasing the fee for an emergency ambulance transport from $1,104 to $1,876. The majority of ambulance transports consist of Medicare and Medicaid recipients within the City. Unfortunately, Medicare and Medicaid reimburse the City less than $400 for an ambulance transport which does not cover the City’s cost. The Mayor declined my request to engage the federal government in a conversation to consider increasing the reimbursement rate prior to voting on any increase of the ambulance transport fee.
    
* Council voted to amend its ordinance strengthening regulations to notify the City of hazardous materials stored in buildings. When a fire occurs in a building, it is crucial for first responders to know what types of material are in the building so that they can battle it safely.

* Once again, checks to homeowners for Harvey damage will be delayed one more week after Council Members Edwards and Boykins “tagged” (delayed) the agenda item. Hopefully, this agenda item will be approved by Council in April so money can be distributed to homeowners to pay for Harvey damage.

* Council overwhelmingly opposed all three agenda items proffered by Council Member Boykins to create a garbage fee (tax) on homeowners to pay for firefighters’ pay parity. 

* City Council approved the contract to reconstruct Northpark Drive into a 6-lane divided roadway in the Kingwood area. This Northpark Drive project will run from I-69 to Russell Palmer Road, approximately 1.09 miles. Upon completion, this project will provide a critical evacuation route for residents during a major storm event and provide flood mitigation. The City and the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority are providing funds for this project. 
 
Chief of Staff
John Moss
832-393-3014
Deputy Chief of Staff
Sheena Childs
832-393-3014
Communications Director
Lanny Griffith
832-393-3014
Administrative Coordinator
Kathy Rembert
832-393-3014
email us at: [email protected]

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