County Commissioners

Meeting notes - June 9, 2009

Kristen Wright, Jun 10, 09.

Tagged with government, meeting notes, harris county

Harris County Commissioners Court
June 9, 2009, 10 am

Houston Tomorrow publishes notes from public meetings to help local governments in their mission to provide transparency and to allow a greater pool of Houstonians to participate in important policy discussions. These notes are not official meeting minutes, nor do they record every agenda item.

Note: The Commissioners Court covers a wide variety of topics. Questions or comments regarding agenda items are discussed during the meeting, and some items may be removed. At the end the commissioners vote on the agenda as a whole.

At the June 9 Commissioners Court meeting, most of the agenda items were approved without any discussion. However, item 9u (which would have provided janitorial services to the Children’s Assessment Center) was stricken from the agenda.

The agenda was primarily composed of items related to Houston’s infrastructure, including a recommendation to allow negotiations between the Flood Control District, Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation, and Lockwood, Andrews, and Newnam, Inc. to provide county-wide flood prevention services.

The Right of Way section of the agenda included a request to approve $310,000 to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to partially fund the SH-146 project in Precinct 2. It also included a recommendation to approve a resolution authorizing the Will Clayton Parkway project in Precinct 4 (covering one tract from US-59 to west of South Houston Avenue).

Dannenbaum Engineering appeared on the agenda again. The Construction Services section included a recommendation to execute an agreement with Dannenbaum regarding the Sam Houston Tollway Northeast construction project.

The Toll Road Authority part of the agenda included a suggestion to approve an agreement on behalf of the Toll Road Authority ($11,880) that would improve storm water detention around Beltway 8 and Lockwood Road.

Flood Control District recommendations include an authorization to seek bids for a 3 week period for channel rehabilitation in the White Oak Bayou watershed. The agenda also recommended an authorization to renew the $20,000 subscription to the Water Environment Research Foundation.

In a related note, the Architecture and Engineering section included a request to find a consulting firm that would assist with the development of a waste water collection system. This system is for a Development Block Grant (CDBG) funded waste water distribution project in Precinct 2.

The Public Health and Environmental services portion contained a request to approve an arrangement made with 18 different school districts. This agreement will enable the county to use certain school buildings to immunize citizens and/or provide medication during a public health emergency.

The Community Services portion of the agenda called for the approval of 16 deferred down payment assistance loans. These loans are designated for low to moderate income residents of Precincts 3 and 4. However, this section also includes an agreement with the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department to reduce the amount of CDBG disaster recovery funds and benefits that Hurricane Katrina survivors receive.

Later, Precinct 1 Commissioner El Franco Lee presented a request to approve a study that would determine the feasibility of converting the Astrodome into a Science, Technology, and Math Institute. During this presentation, the Court was assured that the Astrodome would not be converted into a giant aquarium.

Previous County Commissioners notes (May 19, 2009)
Next County Commissioners notes (June 23, 2009)

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