I am setting clear goals for my second (and last) four-year term as your mayor. I am thrilled about what the future holds for this great city and I look forward to how my administration will better serve the needs of Houstonians.
The city has filled more than a quarter million potholes since 2016, most by the next business day after they are reported. Those repairs will continue. But now I have asked the Public Works Department for a plan that emphasizes replacement of more street segments or entire streets. The city has fallen behind on street repairs for decades, but that’s no reason to accept present conditions. We must strive to keep pace with deteriorating streets by replacing them within their lifetime of 35 years instead of every 100 years as is current practice.
My staff and I will continue the progress toward making our city more resistant to the flooding of homes and other buildings. The federal government finally approved the initial funding for massive flood mitigation projects, and we will see them through to completion. The projects include turning the former Inwood golf course into a rainwater detention facility that could hold more water than the Astrodome; the addition of dam floodgates to quickly lower Lake Houston water levels in the next storm; and the North Canal project to divert flood water away from downtown and raise nearby bridges. Some of these projects have been planned for decades, but the combined effect of their timely construction will make Houston stronger and more resilient.
Protection from flooding is only one way your city government will be working to keep all Houstonians safe. I have added hundreds of officers to the Houston Police Department and look forward to expanding the force even more. And where we can find efficiencies in the operations of all city first responders, we will do so without reducing public safety. In the meantime, I thank every resident for helping us reduce crime. It takes a community approach and we all have a role to play. .
Residents in the 10 neighborhoods in my Complete Communities initiative are also stepping up by showing us which improvements they want first to stabilize and improve their quality of life. I will work on extending this community-driven approach to the entire city so that no neighborhood gets shorted on services and resources. No one should have to move from one part of the city to another to get the services and amenities everyone deserves.
But just like we rely on FEMA to provide its share of funding for flood mitigation, we must also rely on non-profit organizations and businesses to provide some of the money needed for quality of life upgrades.
I am accelerating my 50/50 Park Improvement Program in which 50 corporations will fund and support upgrades to 50 neighborhood parks. And now that the city has become a model for reducing homelessness, I am seeking to raise $50 million in private donations over the next two years so that the coalition known as The Way Home can further reduce the homeless population to less than 3,000 people in our city of 2.3 million.
These partnerships between local government and the private sector are crucial to the advancement of our city, especially as state and local laws limit the amount of property taxes the city can collect.
I’m excited about what is on the horizon for Houston as I work with a new city council to serve the public in so many ways — which I hope will include attracting a developer to build a new mega-amusement park to evoke our fond memories of Astroworld.
As a bottom line, the best for Houston is yet to come.
