CITY & COUNTY
News from Bellaire, West University Place & Harris County
Harris County Commissioners Court will meet for its regular meeting at 10 a.m. April 25 at 1001 Preston St., Ste. 934, Houston. Meetings are streamed live at www.harriscountytx.gov. Bellaire City Council will meet at 7 p.m. April 17 at 7008 S. Rice Ave., Bellaire. Meetings are streamed at www.bellairetx.gov. West University Place City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. April 24 at 3800 University Blvd., West University Place. Meetings are available via teleconference. Find details at www.westutx.gov. Houston City Council will meet for public comment at 2 p.m. April 18 and regular business at 9 a.m. April 19 at City Hall, 901 Bagby St., Houston. Meetings are streamed at www.houstontx.gov/htv. MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS HOUSTON On March 22 Houston City Council members approved permanently extending an ordinance that closes a portion of Main Street between Rusk Street and Commerce Street to vehicle traffic. This allows restaurants and bars to serve patrons outdoors.
Bellaire considers potential lighting, noise policies BELLAIRE When it comes to configuring the best practices for both commercial and residential lighting and noise policies in the city of Bellaire, Mayor Andrew Friedberg posed this question at a March 20 City Council meeting: “What are we trying to solve?” BY MELISSA ENAJE TARGET AREAS As Bellaire City Council considers changes to the city’s noise and lighting ordinances, city staff have provided preliminary thoughts. Noise : Current ordinance only covers
Harris County supports bill creating 6 new district courts HARRIS COUNTY The creation of six new district courts was supported by Harris County commissioners March 14, after a Texas legislator proposed the additional courts as a solution for the county’s court case backlog. BY EMILY LINCKE BACKLOG BREAKDOWN Harris County’s court case backlog continues to be a challenge. According to Judge Latosha Lewis Payne, who presides over Harris County’s 55th Civil District Court: 122,000
City to receive $35K in opioid settlements
BY MELISSA ENAJE
WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE The city of West University Place has been allocated more than $34,600 in settlement funds with Allergan, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart as a part of a nationwide investigation and litigation between the pharmaceutical industry and its role in the opioid crisis. West University Place City Council leaders stated in the March 13 consent agenda they will join in the settle- ments. That brings a total of three set- tlements West U will opt into after the city chose to participate in a November 2021 agreement with Johnson & Johnson, as well as a February 2022 agreement with global pharmaceutical companies Endo and Teva. Funds will not go into the general fund, City Manager Dave Beach said, but ideally could replenish costs from an organizational standpoint. The payments could start during the second half of 2023.
68% of the county’s pending cases are family,
cases were pending in Harris County as of March 14.
permitted events. Council should discuss extending restrictions on nonpermitted events, such as special events on private land. Lighting : Current ordinance provides little guidance. Council should look at ordinances in other cities and determine if more guidance should be given to developers.
“We’re not trying to regulate people’s freedoms, but we are trying to protect neighbors from externalities that is a shared environment,” Friedberg said. March 20 was the first workshop since the city’s plan- ning and zoning committee was tasked by council in May 2022 to research and present recommendations on how Bellaire conducts its noise and lighting policies compared to neighboring cities. What resulted was a 222-page document that consid- ered noise and lighting ordinances from cities such as West University Place, Houston, Katy and Jersey Village. From that document, city staff and council will work to draft an update. Development Services Director Travis Tanner first pre- sented his staff’s combined noise and lighting ordinance draft during a Feb. 9 City Council meeting. On March 20, City Council leaders debated for more than two hours on just how intricate the language on the ordinance must be in order for it to be the finalized. Whether it was how late residents can have their lights on, to how bright lights can be in one’s backyard or how
How we got here: State Rep. Ann Johnson, D-Houston, filed House Bill 130 in November to create six additional district courts for Harris County. The bill will be considered in the ongoing 88th Texas Legislature, which ends May 29. As of March 16, HB 130 had not yet been considered by legislators, according to the Texas Legislature Online. The cost: County officials estimate creating six new district courts will cost: • $16.9 million annually; plus • An additional $30 million or $140 million to create the courts, depending on if the county opts to renovate facilities or build new ones, respectively. Some of this cost would be funded through the county’s interest and sinking tax rate. The details: If approved by legislators, the courts would be created and implemented over two years, according to Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones. All four commissioners approved a resolution supporting
juvenile or civil court cases, while 32% are criminal felony cases.
Johnson’s bill, while Judge Lina Hidalgo abstained from the vote, citing funding concerns. The big picture: On March 14, commissioners approved additional backlog-related measures, such as: • Directing the county’s intergovernmental and global affairs department to work on obtaining state funding for the additional six courts; and • Instructing the county’s Office of Justice and Safety as well as the Office of County Administration to draft a proposal on best courtroom practices for lowering the backlog of cases and reducing costs for the county. 65 new courts — 39 criminal courts, 19 civil courts and seven family courts—would be needed to fully address the county’s need. SOURCES: JUDGE LATOSHA LEWIS PAYNE, HARRIS COUNTY 55TH CIVIL DISTRICT COURT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: CITY OF BELLAIRE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
loud a generator can be, the list on potential scenarios was extensive. More discussions, or workshops, will be planned before any notion of putting the completed ordinance draft on council’s agenda, Friedberg said. A public hearing must take place before that can occur, according to council leaders and staff members. Residents are invited to share public comments on the matter by filling out an electronic form on the city’s website. As of press time April 3, a workshop on the city’s noise policies was slated to take place at an April 3 Council meeting, according to city information.
BUFFALO SPEEDWAY 9733 Buffalo Speedway (713) 838-7486
HOLCOMBE 2314 W Holcombe Blvd (713) 669-1722
WESLAYAN 3902 Bissonnet (713) 218-8144
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BELLAIRE - MEYERLAND - WEST UNIVERSITY EDITION • APRIL 2023
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