Houston City Council today voted 16-1, with Melissa Noriega opposed, to authorize the sale of a 20-inch-wide  pipeline easement across Ellington Airport and the Metro Central Water Plant site to DCP Sand Hills Pipeline, LLC for a price of $523,311.17.  Listen

“My apologies ahead of time to all of the pipeline folks,” Noriega said.  “This isn’t really about them or about anything personal with that.”

Noriega said she has questions about the city’s process for approving pipelines.

“Pipelines are dangerous and we’re a petroleum town and we’ve always just sort of put stuff through and it’s been part of what we do; and it’s a source of revenue for the city and I understand all that,” she said, explaining that her negative vote is intended to call attention to the need for a review of the process.  “What I’m asking is that we implement the appropriate procedures to evaluate the pipelines on city property and to require this evaluation prior to creating additional easements on city property.”   

The city council voted unanimously to change the name of the Acres Homes Neighborhood Library to honor Beulah Shepard. Listen   News Release

The city council voted 16-1, with Michael Sullivan opposed, to authorize an agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety for enforcement of warrants through the Denial of Driver License Renewal for Failure to Appear program.

The city council voted 16-1, with Helena Brown opposed, to pay $255,378.15 in FY 2013 membership dues to the Water Research Foundation.

The city council voted unanimously to delay for two weeks a recommendation by the director of Administration & Regulatory Affairs to adopt an Alcohol Free Zone for St. Stephens Episcopal School at 1805 West Alabama on a motion by Stephen Costello.  He said he would have used the tag rule to delay the item for one week, but because Council Member Ellen Cohen would be absent next week because of a religious holiday, Costello moved to delay consideration for two weeks.

Three items were tagged by individual members of the city council.

Sullivan tagged a proposed $757,050 contract with Johnson and Johnson, with Robert E. Johnson, Jr. as the team coordinator, to represent the City of Houston before the 83rd Session of the Texas Legislature and state agencies.

James Rodriguez tagged approval of the FY 2013 Operating Budget for the Main Street/Market Square Redevelopment Authority.

Noriega tagged a proposed lease agreement with 7100 North Loop East, Inc. for office and warehouse space.

All other agenda items were approved with unanimous votes.  Agenda

At her news conference following the meeting, Mayor Annise Parker asked the public to support efforts to end texting while driving.  Listen

“We want to join with AT&T in their campaign on texting while driving,” Parker said.  “And there is a major media campaign going on around the country and around the state about this serious problem of texting while driving.”