Can anyone explain to me why we’re spending $15,000,000 on fancy water meters that aren’t vandal-proof and won’t pay for themselves while we have to borrow money to make our pension obligations? I’m just askin’ is all…

And why did council just approve over $200k in remediation expenses to clean up the site of the new fire station they’re building to replace the one Lee Brown sold to developers? (Items 1. & 1.a.) Seems it would have been better to keep the original, since it was in a better place.

It was located in 1895 at Polk and Crawford, Polk and Crawford again in 1958, Polk and Crawford again in 1970 and will be closed in 2001. Stations 1 and 8 were combined and relocated to the corner of Milam and St. Joseph and Station 8 was reopened in June of 2001.

Seems someone wanted to put a basketball arena there for some reason.

Other fun things on the agenda that passed:

A refund of $44,000 to a water department customer? Someone sure got overbilled. (Item #4)

A twenty percent cost overrun for “people movers” at Bush Intercontinental? (Item #6)

Giving away public land (Items #15 & #16)

Begging the feds for money (#18-21, #27)

Begging the state for money (#26)

Doing a money swap to fund construction of low income apartments from a different fund.( #29)

Hey, when and why did the Houston Small Business Development Corporation change to Houston Buisiness Development, Inc. I’m kinda concerned about dropping the “small” from the name, you know… (#31)

Finally replacing decrepit water lines in the Lindale area (#45)

A land swap with Memorial Hospital (#50) and a land giveaway to someone, possibly an apartment owner? (#51).

Various vehicle purchases, and funding a drunk driver enforcement program. Just the usual stuff….