Transportation
Government
BY CASSANDRA JENKINS & KEVIN VU
BY KEVIN VU
City to host evening public sessions Houston City Council will hold monthly evening public comment sessions to boost community civic engagement, as part of a decision made during its July 9 meeting. The gist The ordinance allows the nal Tuesday public comment session of each month to take place at 6 p.m. inside council chambers in Downtown Houston. The city will test the monthly evening pub- lic comment sessions starting in August and continuing until Dec. 31. This will allow city o cials to reassess and determine whether to continue the practice in 2026. City Council approved the ordinance in a 15-1 vote, with Council member Willie Davis voting against the ordinance and Council member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz being absent.
Montrose road projects to get more frequent updates
Tra c crackdown results in 600 tickets Over the summer, Mayor John Whitmire conducted three tra c initiatives along multiple highways in the city as part of an e ort to crack down on speeding and reckless driving. The gist The rst tra c initiative started June 11 and 12 along I-45 and U.S. 59, resulting in 300 citations, according to a spokesperson for the Houston Police Department. A second initiative was conducted on Texas 288 and the South Loop from June 17 to 18, resulting in 170 tra c citations. The latest tra c initiative on I-10 and Westheimer on June 27 resulted in 122 tra c citations, with 27 arrests made and four weapons received, said Mary Benton, the mayor’s chief of communications.
Restaurants, businesses in Houston now required to post dress codes Houston nightclubs, bars, restaurants and businesses are now required to display their dress code rules on the front of their establishments. Explained A new ordinance, approved during the July 17 City Council meeting, requires businesses to post their dress code at or near the entrance for the public to clearly see. If not enforced, it will be “interpreted that there is no dress code, and no dress code policy shall be enforced.” Council member Edward Pollard said the ordinance prevents businesses from “arbitrarily selecting who gains entry based on attire.” The ordinance went into e ect immediately, and businesses are expected to comply as soon as possible.
“I can’t recall a time that somebody who showed up
Against
to a public session or came before this body and has even talked about this issue. They’re private establishments that should have the freedom to
At the July 21 board meeting, Montrose TIRZ o cials provided updates related to the Montrose Boulevard and West Alabama Street reconstruc- tion projects, including addressing questions concerning late notices of meetings, invalid signage and lack of communication. What they’re saying Alex Spike, a longtime Montrose resident, said at the meeting that the engagement leading up to the open house in June for the West Alabama Street project was inadequate, with only a seven-day prior notice and a public comment period that ended after July 4. The $11 million project, which is in the early design phase, includes enhancing the road from Spur 527 to Shepherd Drive. Spike’s sentiment was echoed by other public speakers who also called out the board for its lack of updates and inadequate signage on the Mon- trose Boulevard project, which includes modifying the road from Allen Parkway to West Clay Street.
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communicate their dress code in a manner that best aligns with their needs.” MARY NAN HUFFMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER DISTRICT G
W.CLAYST.
E S T H E I M
527
N
“I think this is a very good ordinance. It cuts down the
For
possibility of confrontation when it’s very clear. Unless you walk in the skin of the possibility of discrimination, you may not understand why this is an issue.”
“The TIRZ board, its public engagement committee and MC2 [the contractor] have dropped the ball when it comes to communicating with its residents and drivers,” Lloyd Matzner, president of the North Montrose Civic Association, said. In response, Montrose board o cials said they will start providing weekly or biweekly updates.
CAROLYN EVANS SHABAZZ, COUNCIL MEMBER DISTRICT D
HOUSTON SUPERSTORE 2410 Smith Street (713) 526-8787
SHEPHERD 1900 S Shepherd (713) 529-4849
WESTCOTT AND MEMORIAL 5818 Memorial Dr (713) 861-4161
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