Below is a story from ABC13 Houston. We are barely halfway through the budget year, and the city is having to use leftover federal funds to perform routine heavy trash pickup.
August of this year was the last time the city conducted heavy trash pickup in our neighborhood and much of Houston. I assume they were receiving so many complaints that the Mayor decided he had to do something. He did not consider trash on the side of the road that could cause a storm sewer problem, even though he allowed heavy trash to accumulate in the ditches, sidewalks, and streets for nearly six months.
They don’t have the funds to demolish dangerous buildings; thousands have been reported as dangerous. Someone in the administration decided that if they could convince the dim-witted council members that flood-control funds could be used to demolish buildings, they would buy it. Some did.
The way they did it was by finding a photo of a building that had been demolished months earlier, where dumping was occurring, and presenting that image to show the council members that it was a proper use of that dedicated money, rather than for flood control; they could use those funds for demolishing buildings. Here is the article I wrote previously.
We have the worst streets in the state, and more than 32 billion gallons of water are wasted because the city cannot repair them promptly.
John Whitmire reminds me of Donald Trump; they live in an alternative reality world. Black is white; they and they alone know they are smart enough to fix it.
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Houston Public Works argues demolishing buildings will stop illegal dumping. Will it?
While the legality of the problem was center stage, the council did have another question that came up time and again. Many council members felt the problem the city needs to focus on is illegal dumping and not demolishing buildings.
In an attempt to make a point, Houston Public Works director Randy Macchi showed the city council pictures and videos of a building at the intersection of Semmes and Nobles just north of downtown. The images showed the street choked with trash, culverts littered with trash, and storm drains clogged.
Macchi argued that an abandoned building was attracting illegal dumping, and if the building went, so would the dumping.
“Council members, I’m telling you the root cause of illegal dumping is we have places where we invite people to put it there,” Macchi said.
But some council members weren’t so convinced.
“Even in places where there is no illegal dumping, or I mean where there is no home, there is illegal dumping,” Councilmember Edward Pollard said.
Eyewitness News went to the intersection of Semmes and Nobles to check the location. A neighbor said a building was demolished a few months ago, but it hasn’t entirely stopped the dumping or the impact on the drainage systems.
ABC13 found mattresses, filled trash bags, and boxes. It was not as intense as shown in the council presentation, but the dumping was present.