This Week at City Hall

Feb. 15, 2013Office of Council Member Ellen Cohen

Progress Made on Sexual Assault Kit Backlog

Mayor Annise Parker and the Houston Police Department reported to Council that Houston’s backlog of over 6,600 untested sexual assault kits is on track to be cleared within approximately 14 months. Last June, Council allocated $5 million from the FY2013 budget for testing these kits.  Though previously expected to cost over $1,100 per kit to test, the City was recently able to acquire testing at only $400 per kit. An ordinance passed last year by Council Member Cohen will help the city fund sexual assault kits going forward.
Houston Chronicle Article on Backlog »

District C Capital Improvement Plan Meeting Set

The annual District C CIP Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 5th, 2013, 6:30pm at the West Gray Metropolitan Multi-Service Center. The Public Works and Engineering Department will present upcoming infrastructure projects that will affect the district. A portion of this meeting will be devoted to suggestions from the community regarding projects they’d like to see in their neighborhoods. Please be sure to attend so you can hear and be heard!

On the Consent Agenda

To streamline the Municipal Courts system, Council authorized additional funding for the creation of an in-house case management system, called “CSMART.” This will allow the city to better track and process constituent court cases and the documents relating to them.

What’s Happening in the Annex

NBA All-Star Weekend is here! Council Member Cohen met with city officials to finalize logistics for accommodating the expected influx of tourists. In District C, a temporary no-parking zone will be enforced on some streets along the Washington Corridor. Though on-street parking is normally available on Washington Ave. and Center St, parking will be temporarily restricted on the north side of each of these streets over the weekend to allow access for emergency vehicles. Please keep these restrictions in mind when planning your weekend!