Sunny Side /South Park Super Neighborhood

Have You Seen a City Council Member

Jul 05, 2007

Memorandum

To: Councilmember G. Quan
From: Charles X White
Subject: Super Neighborhoods Governance and Due Process
Date: February 28, 2005

Due Process ?– The need for policies and procedures

?• Item 4 ?– Governance, Policies and Procedures - related to the city employees/public servants - director of planning?’s authority of over Super Neighborhoods and Super Neighborhood Alliance over a deliberative assembly?’s authority or due process for neighborhood governance. (Reference ordinance 1025 and past and current published super neighborhood materials)

1. Did the Planning Director or staff have the authority to make changes in a super neighborhood governance without adhering to established protocols; or affording us the right of answering concerns presented to the planning department by part of an existing board or stakeholders, before a decision was rendered to change our structure without notification or justification; or does the planning director have the authority not to answer questions from the stakeholders; does the planning director have the authority to alter the process for qualifying a super neighborhood without public notification and comment.

1a.There was no policy in place during this period; however, there were several acknowledged protocols that the city accepted in similar matters to be resolved at the neighborhood level.
o Reference: email confirmation from (1) Steve Tinnermon (4/18/02), (2) Robert Litke email 8/14/02, (3) 20 participants, additional correspondence and (4) existing and prior printed super neighborhood guiding principles.

1b. Is the super neighborhood alliance based on a democratic process? If so, please find out how it was established and the governing process and its responsibility to other super neighborhood?’s autonomy. Is the super neighborhood alliance the sole authority or voice to the planning department and the mayor? If so, what are the other super neighborhoods purposes?





City of Houston?’s Authority vs. Community Based Volunteer Elected Board

?• Item 5 ?– Filing an OIG Governance Policy Request - Your recommendation before filing an official request to the OIG requesting a policy format to improve and clarify the authority of the planning director or / city employee?’s over a super neighborhood council?’s governance, by ?– laws, duly elected board, and notification and due process from the planning department concerning any complaint related to a local super neighborhood issue. (Reference OIG Web Page ?– Mission, First OIG request past and present published super neighborhood guiding principles) The item number references are part of the original packet that we presented to you at city council meeting in January 2005.

2. Are super neighborhoods volunteers for the planning department? If so, city ordinance 1025, needs to make that clear. Why are we using by-laws, elections, and having planning meetings if the final decisions rest on the planning director and the mayor with no established recourse? Does the OIG mission statement not include helping stakeholders?

Councilmember Quan, I am sending this to you so that you would have snap shot of the need for understanding the scope and nature of the new ordinance 1025 which is very unclear.

As you know with super neighborhood 68?’s request, there was no communications or identified process to respond in a timely manner from the planning department as of yet over 90 days. The verbal response that I received from Allan Parker was -- to the affect that they were waiting on the stakeholders.

We want to thank you for your effort in taking the time to help us resolve a matter that needs serious attention.