[00:00:01] BUT, YOU KNOW, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE, IT IS 6:00 P.M. [1. DECLARATION OF A QUORUM AND CALL MEETING TO ORDER] IT IS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1ST, I WOULD LIKE TO OFFICIALLY CALL THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO ORDER FOR THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS EVENING. WE DO HAVE A QUORUM, BUT COULD WE HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE, JANELLE? MAYOR BROWN. PRESENT. MAYOR PRO TEM COLLINS. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER SCHUSTER. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER QUIROGA. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER LISTOWSKI. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBB. HERE. VERY GOOD ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. ITEM THREE IS OUR PUBLIC HEARINGS INTO JUST FOR THOSE THAT MAY BE WATCHING? [3.A. Conduct A Public Hearing On Preliminary Redistricting Proposals And Possible Suggestions For Amendments In Furtherance Of The City's Redistricting Process] WELCOME TO THE MEETING TONIGHT AND WELCOME TO STAFF THAT ARE HERE THIS AFTERNOON AND TO GUESTS THAT ARE HERE. TONIGHT IS A PUBLIC HEARING ONLY ON OUR REDISTRICTING PROCESS AND INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC. THE ITEM IS FOR PUBLIC INPUT ONLY. WE HAVE TOMORROW AT 9 A.M. WE WILL HAVE OUR ITEM FOR DISCUSSION BY COUNCIL FOR THE BOUNDARIES AND TO DISCUSS THE DISTRICT GUIDELINES AND BOUNDARIES. AND THEN WE WILL FORMALLY APPROVE THESE AT OUR DISTRICT AT OUR DECEMBER 9TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING. SO TONIGHT IS FOR PUBLIC INPUT ONLY. DON, DID YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING BEFORE WE START IN OUR PUBLIC INPUT? NO, SIR. EXPERTISE HOUSE IN THIS AREA OF HOUSE. THAT OF MR. BOB HEATH AND I WOULD HASTEN TO TURN THE FLOOR TO HIM IMMEDIATELY. BOB, GLAD TO HAVE YOU HERE. WELL, THANK YOU. I WILL SAY A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE PEOPLE WATCHING THAN THE COUNCIL, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE MORE FAMILIAR HAVING GONE THROUGH THE DRAWING SESSION AND AND SO FORTH, AS THE MAYOR SAID, WE'RE HERE TO TAKE PUBLIC INPUT TO SEE WHAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FEEL ABOUT THE PLAN, THE PLAN THAT WE HAVE AND WILL BE LOOKING AT AND WE CALL IT PLAN D. I THINK IT'S AVAILABLE ON SOME HANDOUTS AND PERHAPS WE CAN GET IT UP ON THE SCREEN IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT. IF JOSH BRISTOL, WHO IS OUR DRAWER. YEAH, THERE HE IS. JOSH, WHY YOU PUT THE MAP UP, PLEASE? THERE WE GO. AND WHEN EVERY 10 YEARS, OF COURSE, THE CENSUS COMES OUT AND QUITE OFTEN, IN FACT, MOST OF THE TIME IT SHOWS THE DISTRICTS THAT WERE IN BALANCE 10 YEARS AGO ARE NO LONGER IN BALANCE BECAUSE OF SHIFTING POPULATION. AND SO UNDER THE ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE PRINCIPLES, YOU HAVE TO REDRAW THEM TO GET THEM EQUAL, RELATIVELY EQUAL IN POPULATION. AND SPECIFICALLY, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE WITHIN A 10% MAXIMUM DEVIATION. AND THAT MEANS THE SMALLEST DISTRICT. THE DISTANCE OR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SMALLEST DISTRICT AND THE LARGEST CANNOT EXCEED 10%. SO IF THE LARGEST IS FOUR PERCENT OVER THE IDEAL AND THE SMALLEST IS FIVE PERCENT UNDER FROM PLUS FOUR TO MINUS FIVE, THAT'S NINE PERCENTAGE POINTS, AND THAT IS WITHIN THE BALANCE. AS FOR OUR OLD PLAN, WHEN WE LOOKED AT IT IN LIGHT OF THE NEW CENSUS, IT WAS IN BALANCE 10 YEARS AGO AND OUR DEVIATION AFTER CHANGES IN POPULATION WAS 38 PERCENT. SO WE HAVE TO CHANGE THAT. AND SOME DISTRICTS HAVE TO GET SMALLER, SOME HAVE TO GET LARGER. WE HAD A DRAWING SESSION A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, WHATEVER, AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL HAD SUGGESTIONS AND WE MADE CHANGES AND CAME UP WITH THIS PLAN, WHICH IS NOT NECESSARILY THE FINAL PLAN. IT CERTAINLY MAY CHANGE TOMORROW, BUT. BOB, IF I COULD, THIS MAP HAS SOME WISH LIST ITEMS BY SOME OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT I SENT UP AFTER THAT? OH, IT DOES. THAT'S RIGHT, JOSH. CORRECT, YES. THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY THE PLAN D BECAUSE YOU HAVE THAT THING WE WORKED ON [00:05:04] THE OTHER DAY ON FOUR. SURE. JUST GIVE ME ONE SECOND AND I WILL MOVE BACK. YEAH, I HADN'T. THANKS FOR NOTICING THAT. YEAH, I NOTICED THAT. IT WOULDN'T. YEAH. WE PUT THE THE OTHER ONE UP, BUT SO ANYWAY, WE'RE HERE TO HEAR WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY AND. GOOD, AND ONCE HE GETS IT UP. JOSH, IF YOU COULD SORT OF DO MORE OF A CLOSE UP IF THAT'S POSSIBLE, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY DISTRICT SIX, WE DON'T SHOW ALL OF DISTRICT SIX BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IT GOES TO THE WEST END OF THE ISLAND AND. SO, YOU KNOW, THE EASTERN BOUNDARY IS THE IMPORTANT PART OF THAT. RIGHT. SO WHY HE'S PUTTING THAT MAP UP? JUST TO REITERATE, WE'RE WORKING FOR THE PUBLIC'S KNOWLEDGE. WE'RE WORKING OFF OF THE LATEST DRAFT FROM INPUT FROM COUNCIL AND SO FORTH OF PLAN D, AS IN DAVID. AND THAT'S A DRAFT I THINK HAS BEEN CIRCULATED ON THE COMMUNITY ALSO. SO THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR. IS THAT MAP READY TO GO BOB? JOSH, HAVE YOU GOTTEN IT? JUST I'M JUST ROLLING BACK THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE MADE IN THIS PLAN FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT FIVE. ALL RIGHT, WHILE WE'RE DOING THAT, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING, IF I COULD. AND IT'S 6:07 P.M. I'M GOING TO FORMALLY OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON OUR REDISTRICTING PROPOSAL PLAN D. WE HAVE IT UP NOW. HAVE IT UP. ALL RIGHT. VERY GOOD, THANK YOU. FIRST OF ALL, LET'S CHECK, I WANT TO DOUBLE CHECK WITH OUR CITY SECRETARY, IS THERE ANYONE ON THE LINE? JANELLE, WE DO HAVE ONE PERSON ONLINE, MR. FINNEY. ALL RIGHT. WOULD HE LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT, A PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS? HE'S NO LONGER ONLINE. HE'S NO LONGER ON THE LINE. ALL RIGHT. ANY WRITTEN COMMENTS THAT HAVE COME IN, JANELLE? NO, SIR. NO WRITTEN COMMENTS. NO WRITTEN COMMENTS. ALL RIGHT. VERY GOOD. LET'S OPEN UP THE PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION HERE IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS. NORMALLY, WE ALLOCATE THREE MINUTES TO PUBLIC COMMENTS. BUT SINCE THIS IS A SOMEWHAT OF A UNIQUE MEETING TONIGHT FOR OUR REDISTRICTING PLAN, WE WILL HAVE SOME LEEWAY ON THAT. IF THE INDIVIDUALS WANT TO TALK A LITTLE LONGER ON THAT, OF COURSE THAT WOULD BE ALLOWED. LET'S START IN THE ROOM HERE. LET'S START ON THE LEFT SIDE. IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE ROOM ON THIS LEFT SIDE THAT WANTS TO MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT THIS PLAN D REDISTRICTING PLAN? LET'S MOVE TO THE RIGHT SIDE, ANYONE ON THE RIGHT SIDE HERE THAT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT. DO WE HAVE TO COMMENT NOW OR CAN WE COMMENT AFTER CONVERSATION ABOUT? WELL, LET ME CLARIFY THIS, LEON, WOULD YOU COME TO THE MICROPHONE, SIR, AND STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE? LEON PHILLIPS 1212 38TH STREET, GALVESTON, TEXAS. LEON, YOUR QUESTION WAS, DO YOU NEED TO COMMENT NOW OR WAIT FOR COUNSEL'S DISCUSSION? COUNCILS DISCUSSION WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW MORNING AT 9:00 A.M. OUR MEETING THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS EVENING IS JUST FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. OK. FROM THE PUBLIC. SO IF YOU HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS, WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE THEM. NOW WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION TOMORROW AT OUR DECEMBER 2ND MEETING TOMORROW MORNING. SO YOU COULD COMMENT THEN ALSO IF YOU'D LIKE. WELL, SINCE I'M HERE. I GOT THE MIC. SINCE YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? I GOT THE MIC. I GUESS THIS IS MORE OR LESS POINTED AT THE GENTLEMAN RIGHT HERE, I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE. [00:10:01] I THINK AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS, SOMETHING WAS SAID THAT OUR DISTRICT ONE REPRESENTATIVE HAD TO GIVE UP 860 SOMETHING INDIVIDUALS TO DISTRICT TWO. AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, WE CAN SEE THAT DISTRICT 2'S LINES HAVE BEEN MOVED IN SOME SENSE, BUT IN OUR CONVERSATIONS FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS WE'VE LOOKED AT DISTRICT ONE. AND THE IDEA WAS TO GIVE UP THE EAST, THE WEST SIDE OF 25TH STREET, FROM BROADWAY TO O. TO GIVE UP FROM 25TH STREET TO 45TH STREET, THE NORTH SIDE OF O, TO GO DOWN 45TH TO L AND GIVE UP THE AND MAKE A LEFT ON L AND GIVE UP THE SOUTH SIDE OF L, GO OVER TO 43RD AND COME BACK UP TO O, WHICH WOULD GIVE THE EIGHT HUNDRED AND SOMETHING INDIVIDUALS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR WITHOUT DIGGING DEEP OFF INTO DISTRICT ONE OR TRYING TO RECONFIGURE SOMETHING SOMEWHERE ELSE THAT WOULD MAKE THE LINES JUST ALMOST WHAT YOU ALL WOULD SAY GERRYMANDERING. GOT THAT. WELL, LET ME MENTION THIS, LEON, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THE BOUNDARIES ON PLAN D HERE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT YET? YES, I HAVE. DOES THAT MEET? ARE YOU SAYING THAT'S NOT MEETING YOUR APPROVAL OR. WELL, I DON'T KNOW. WHETHER IT'S MEETING OUR APPROVAL. OR WHETHER IT'S APPEASING THE NUMBERS THAT WERE ASKED FOR IN THE BEGINNING. IN THE BEGINNING, THE 800 AND SOMETHING IS WHAT HAS STUCK IN MY MIND AND FROM WHAT I'M SEEING THAT HAS BEEN REDONE. IT'S NOT THERE. WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND ON THAT, LEON. SHARON, YOU MIGHT WANT TO GET WITH LEON AND MAYBE KIND OF GO OVER THAT WITH HIM. I'M NOT SURE IF THAT CAUSE YOUR COUNCILWOMAN LEWIS HAS KIND OF GUIDED US ON DISTRICT ONE. AND SO SHE WOULD HAVE, I THINK, MORE KNOWLEDGE OF THAT TO LET YOU KNOW WHERE WE STAND ON THAT. OK, OK, THAT WORKS. AND IF I MIGHT MENTION SOMETHING, ONE OF THE THINGS, WE REALLY LOOKED AT TWO THINGS. ONE OF THEM, OF COURSE, IS ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE TRYING TO GET EVERYTHING EQUAL AND THE OTHER IS ON THE DISTRICTS THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT MINORITY POPULATION. WE DIDN'T WANT TO DIMINISH THOSE BECAUSE THE VOTING RIGHTS PROBLEMS, AND WE DIDN'T. NOW IT'S SORT OF HARD NOT, YOU KNOW, BUT BUT WE DIDN'T. WE KEPT THEM AT LEAST AS. A MINORITY POPULATION AS IT HAD BEFORE. WELL, ONE OF THE REASONS I THINK THAT I GO INTO THAT IS BECAUSE DISTRICT ONE SINCE 2000 HAS ACTUALLY LOST A GREAT POPULATION OF ITS MINORITIES. I WOULD HAVE TO SAY 3500 ALMOST BECAUSE OF THE PUBLIC HOUSING UNIT, WHICH WERE 85 TO 90 PERCENT AFRICAN-AMERICANS. AND IN THE REBUILD, WE REBUILD WITH 51 PERCENT PUBLIC HOUSING, 49 PERCENT MARKET RATE. THAT STILL TOOK HALF OF THAT MINORITY POPULATION, IF THAT 51 PERCENT WAS ALL AFRICAN-AMERICANS. YOU'RE STILL LOSING HALF OF THAT POPULATION. SO THAT'S WHERE MY IT JUST LOOKS LIKE DISTRICT ONE IS LOSING ITS MINORITY STATUS THAT IN A COURT SAID THAT DISTRICT ONE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LINED OUT AS A MINORITY DISTRICT. ALL RIGHT. [00:15:02] THANK YOU, LEON. APPRECIATE THAT. ANY OTHER? MR. MILLER COME FORWARD PLEASE, SIR. UH OH, HE'S TAKING HIS JACKET OFF SO. MY WIFE SAYS I SHOULD IRON THIS SHIRT. I SAID, I WANT THESE PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT. THIS SHIRT GOT WRINKLED. YOU KNOW, [INAUDIBLE] AND ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU POSSIBLY COULD ASK IS RIGHT THERE. NOW HAVING SAID THAT. [LAUGHTER] WHAT MR. PHILLIPS SAY. NOBODY EVEN ASKED ME TO GIVE MY NAME AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF CAUSE. I AM GETTING READY TO ASK YOU TO. NEVER GOING TO KNOW. WELL, DAVID, COULD YOU WOULDN'T MIND GIVE YOUR NAME AND YOUR ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, SIR. ANYWAY, MR. PHILLIPS AND I SEVERAL OTHER INTELLIGENT PEOPLE EXCEPT FOR ME AS WE WENT OVER THIS AND THIS OUR COUNCIL LADY, HAS THESE FIGURES, AS MR. PHILLIPS SAYS HE WAS WRONG ON SOME OF THE STUFF IN TERMS OF PUBLIC HOUSES, 33 PERCENT MINORITY INSTEAD OF 51 PERCENT, YOU KNOW THEM, PEOPLE UP THERE LOOK LIKE THAT THEY DON'T GIVE US NO 50 PERCENT. ANYWAY. SO MY QUESTION IS AND MY STATEMENT IS, IS I ASKED A PERSON OF MINE, WHAT WAS THE ETHNIC BACKGROUND OF ALL OF YOU UP THERE? AND THE REASON WHY I ASKED THAT IS BECAUSE YOU SIT ON THE THRESHOLD OF NOT WORRYING ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN THE COUNTY WHICH IS HORRIBLE. BUT WHAT'S BEST FOR GALVESTON AND ALL OF THE CITIZENS? YOU GOT HIM HIRED TO DO THE BEST HE CAN, AS I TOLD YOU, ONE OF THEM MEETING. WHATEVER YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE US. IT'S GOOD FOR YOU, BUT IT'S NOT GOOD FOR ME. AND SO WE HAVE WORKED OUT WHAT WE THINK IS BEST FOR DISTRICT ONE, THE COUNCIL LADY HAS IT. AND WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU ALL TO TAKE DEEP CONSIDERATION OF THAT. YOU KNOW, YOU'VE BEEN ON TO COLLEGE, MR. BROWN, SOMETIME WHEN I COME TO COUNCIL MEETING, SO I ASK, DID YOU ALL GO TO CHURCH SUNDAY? AND THEN I'LL TELL YOU, DON'T ANSWER ME. THE REASON WHY I ASKED TO GO TO CHURCH FOR THE NEXT THING IS, WHAT DID YOU GO FOR? IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE EVERYBODY AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE EQUAL TO GET JUSTICE IN THIS CITY AND YOU GOT A WHOLE DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUP ON THIS COUNCIL, WHICH CAN, WHICH SHOULD, AND WHICH OUGHT TO DO THAT? THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MILLER. APPRECIATE IT. ANYONE ELSE IN THE ROOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THIS SUBJECT? IT IS 6:18 P.M. I'M GOING TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT HEARING TIME. REMIND COUNCIL AGAIN THAT TOMORROW MORNING AT 9:00 A.M., WE WILL HAVE OUR MEETING TO LOOK AT THIS. I THINK THAT'S THE TIME SHARON. IF YOU WANT IT TO BRING ANY THOUGHTS FORWARD, WE'LL BE ENTERTAINING THOSE AND LOOKING AT THAT, OF COURSE, AND ANY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER THAT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS FOR THEIR DISTRICTS. WE HAVE GONE THROUGH ALL THE ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA. IT IS NOW 6:18 AND I AM GOING TO ADJOURN THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THANK. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.