The Thomas Telegraph | Vol. 7, Issue 16 – August 29, 2025

Buckle up—this one’s packed with updates you need to know.

Texas Legislative Changes and Local Impact – Very Important
In 2023, the Texas Legislature passed the so-called “Death Star” bill, which stripped cities like Houston of local control over certain ordinances. Houston challenged this law in court, but after a Travis County judge ruled it unconstitutional, the Third Court of Appeals overturned that decision—allowing the bill to go into effect. City Council voted on Wednesday, to adopt to not be out of compliance with state law.
What does this mean for us?

• City cannot revoke permits for noise violations if the permit is issued under state law standards.
• The City cannot revoke permits for mobile food vendors as before. (Think of Food Truck park on Hullsmith and Dairy Ashford)
• Enforcement will rely on complaint-driven inspections only, unless otherwise required by state law.
• The City can no longer enforce stricter regulations than those allowed by the state regarding food trucks and mobile food vendors.
• COH can still enforce general noise ordinances under local police powers but cannot use permit revocation as leverage for compliance.
• This reduces the City’s ability to regulate generator noise, music, and amplified sound from food trucks as part of the permitting process.

Replacement Bins
Two weeks ago, I asked District F residents waiting months for replacement bins (waste or recycling) to reach out. We’ve confirmed 172 pending requests and are coordinating with SWD for delivery. Don’t be surprised if your bin shows up soon—we’re leveraging the District F Hot Spot Team to help move this along. Questions? Email Sarai.Robinson@houstontx.gov.

AliefVotes Fellowship Application
As you all know, youth engagement and programming are paramount to our outreach work, and I am happy to share the AliefVotes Fellowship Application. The AliefVotes Fellowship Application for the 2025-2026 School Year is open to all Alief ISD high school students. Apply here by September 21, 2025. It is a year-long intensive that provides students with interactive civic engagement training, leadership opportunities, and a $250 stipend. Please direct questions to aliefvotes@gmail.com and learn more by visiting aliefvotes.org. Check out the flyer for more information.

Empty Shelter Project – Animal Welfare
Saturday, September 20 at the Alief ISD Center for Careers for the largest spay/neuter event for owned pets on the westside. 500 pets expected to be served. Click here to volunteer.  This event is targeting the following zip codes 77036, 77074, 77072, 77082, 77083, and 77099. Registration will go live on September 8.

Hilcroft Avenue Paving Project
METRO will soon begin a milling and paving project on Hillcroft from Westheimer to Westpark to improve road quality and mobility for our community. Work is scheduled to start on August 25, 2025, and is expected to last about two months, depending on weather. Crews will begin with the outside lanes to help manage traffic flow. The project will include resurfacing the roadway, sealing pavement, and adding both temporary and permanent markings. This project will be conducted by METRO’s contractor, MBN. For questions or more information, please contact Linda Treviño at METRO Public Engagement: Linda.Trevino@ridemetro.org. Special thanks to our partners at METRO for their collaboration in improving the quality of our roads and mobility in District F.

Public Safety

• National Night Out is Tuesday, October 7^th in Texas and in District F we have several neighborhoods actively planning events. Please share details so we can share in the newsletter, attend and hang out with your neighbors. If you are interested in District F presence on National Night Out, please register here. We would love to visit and be prepared to share updates on projects, safety and simply have fun together.

• Meadows on Mews: HPD’s Westside Gang Unit apprehended the suspect in the tragic shooting of a 13-year-old boy within five days. I’m convening a community meeting with landlords, HPD, and residents from Meadows on the Mews, Ashton Village, Ashton Park, and Westpark Village to address ongoing safety concerns. Updates will be shared at the SN 17 meeting on October 8.

• Brays Village East: I’ll be at your clubhouse on October 8 at 6 PM to discuss the $160,000 sidewalk repair investment and other issues. Please attend—my entire staff will be on site to assist with constituent matters. Also, note that several sidewalk panels were removed for water leak repairs (6611 Gladewell). The leak is resolved, and sidewalk restoration is scheduled for Saturday, August 30. Thank you, Houston Public Works, for getting this resolved.

• Briarmeadow: After recent rainfall, some streets became impassable. HPW’s camera inspections revealed root intrusions in several drains. A work order is in place with completion expected by August 28. Thank you, Leanne, for flagging this. Please keep reporting drainage issues to 311 for tracking. Thank you, Houston Public Works, for moving expeditiously.

• Wellington Park: The $461,000 concrete street panel replacement project is complete, improving safety and mobility. However, an emergency water leak late Saturday disrupted service for several neighborhoods. I’ve asked HPW to include Council Offices in weekend emergency notifications moving forward.

Streetlights

• Eight additional applications were completed and submitted late spring. We are awaiting updates from CenterPoint about the installation timeline. Remember, if there are dark intersections in your community, please complete this application and allow us to install new lighting fixtures to improve visibility and ultimately, safety.

Citizenship Workshop
Saturday, August 30^th from 10A to 2PM Doyenne Law Group and Vu Law Firm is hosting a citizenship workshop at 9525 Bissonnet St. 77036.

Environmental Health

• Concrete Batch Plant: A plant operates at Wilcrest & Westpark. My office is working with the Houston Health Department to install 2 air quality monitors at Wilcrest/Westpark and Harwin/Wilcrest. We’re finalizing the MOU with CenterPoint to mount them on streetlights. Living near batch plants carries proven health risks—we’re acting to monitor and inform.

Homelessness
Encampments are increasing in visibility in neighborhoods and commercial corridors—near Target on Eldridge, Ashton Village Sec 6, and Wendy’s on Dairy Ashford, among others. Thank you for reporting. Please continue to:

1. File a 311 report
2. Take a photo
3. Email it to districtf@houstontx.gov

This helps us partner with property owners to enforce trespass affidavits already on file.

Barbara Quattro
District F and Alief SN25 will host a public memorial in honor of the late and legendary Barbara Quattro on Saturday, October 25^th at the Alief Neighborhood Center with a tree planting in her honor at 9AM and 10AM celebration at the ANC – stay tuned for details as we honor one of our beloved
community leaders, neighbors, and friend.

Illegal dumping has been plaguing District F which is creating nuisances, lowering property values, and diminishing quality of life. Under the leadership of Council Member Thomas, the HOT SPOT Team is taking direct action. We’re going into neighborhoods across District F to address these issues head-on, removing debris and restoring cleaner, safer spaces for our residents.

Watch the PSA above to see the HOT SPOT Team’s work in action and learn how we’re making a difference right where you live. Call 832-393-3002 or email our office with more information about your neighborhood with a 311 number so that we can take direct action.

On Wednesday morning, Briarmeadow residents experienced severe water flooding from rain at Ann Arbor and Meadowvale (just south of Richmond).  
Our office contacted Houston Public Works immediately to have crews sent out to assess the situation. Later that afternoon, HPW reported the area was clear and the water had receded by the time crews arrived on site. Storms lines were assessed, finding root intrusions in some areas. HPW notified our office that a work order was created to address the issue and has been elevated as a priority with projected completion on August 28th.

This just days after days after reported water outages were experienced in Alief-area neighborhoods. Service was restored on Sunday evening after Houston Public Works crews spent hours repairing a water leak on Wellington Park Drive that impacted multiple neighborhoods. Council Member spoke with KHOU 11 about this issue and her concerns with lack of communication from Houston Public Works about the disruption of service.

Our office would love to hear your stories about FunPlex – reach out to our office with your fondest memories at districtf@houstontx.com

The walk served as an initial study for potential lighting improvements; next steps will involve securing funding, obtaining permits, and establishing a long-term maintenance plan.

Community involvement is key to this project’s success. A public meeting is scheduled for September 25, 2025, at the Alief Community Center, to present findings and next steps.

Agenda Item #52  STANDING, SITTING, OR WALKING ON TRAFIC MEDIANS PROHIBITED: The ordinance amends Houston’s Code of Ordinances to prohibit pedestrians from sitting, standing, or walking on median strips that are six feet or less in width or in divided roadway areas without a median. The rule aims to reduce pedestrian-related accidents and fatalities by restricting presence in these high-risk areas. Exceptions include crossing the street, emergency situations, permitted work, or prior city authorization. Violations constitute an offense under the new section, Section 45-111. 

Houston Chronicle and Houston Public Media have covered the item and shared Council Member Thomas’ thoughts and feedback on the ordinance.

His service guided our city through historic challenges and expanded vital programs that improved the health and well-being of countless Houstonians. His legacy of compassion, resilience, and public service will continue to shape Houston for years to come.

See Council Member Thomas’ Message of appreciate to Director Williams below.

Sign up here for general Volunteer Team opportunities.

Sign up here for our Volunteer Translation Team to assist with outreach and ensure all voices in our diverse district are heard.

Together, we can strengthen and support District F!

Council Member Thomas, would love the opportunity to visit your National Night Out event!
Please take a moment to fill out this form and we’ll see you on October 7th.

If you are an Alief ISD High School student, this is for you! The AliefVotes Fellowship Application is open until September 21st, apply today to be an AliefVotes Fellow and get involved.

Alief Super Neighborhood Council Monthly Meetings
Hurricane Beryl Disaster Recovery Free Home Repairs
Ibn Sina Avicena Clinics Child and Parental Health Services

Obtain additional information about permits by contacting Houston Public Works (HPW) via 311, or by visiting their Permitting Center website at www.houstonpermittingcenter.org. If you have further questions about any permits, please contact the Code Enforcement Group at 832-394-9000.