CM Castillo
Council Member Mario Castillo, District H, will hold his final Town Hall for this year on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. It will be a virtual meeting, and you are requested to RSVP for the event at wkf.ms/4hlmuaq, or you can scan the QR code on the invite.
This is your opportunity to meet your council member and his team, ask questions, offer comments, and hear updates coming in 2025. In addition, you can find out more information regarding available city resources.
The WHCA held a Special Member's Meeting on Tuesday, February 18, in The Great Room at Zion Lutheran Church on Beauchamp Street. We nearly filled our new venue with neighbors drawn to a focus on security matters. We invited several special guests, including;
Constable Alan Rosen, Pct 1
Council Member Mario Castillo, COH District H
Deputy Constable Jacob Lemmons, Pct 1
Deputy Constable Amanda Suggs, Pct 1
Sergeant Graham, HPD Central Division
Lt James Mancango,HPD Central Division
The first order of business for the gathering was to announce a change to the Woodland Heights Constable Patrol program. WHCA Co-Director of Security Beth Sorensen began by giving an overview of the program and its benefits to the community.
She was followed by WHCA Treasurer Doug Carroll, who explained the numbers that illustrate why the board felt it necessary to raise the program's membership cost. The current $350/yr rate was established in 2019. That price has remained unchanged, even as the cost of the contract has increased every year.
In point of fact, the Constable Patrol Program has been losing money for many years. For a time, that loss was offset by revenue from special events, including the Home Tour and Lights in the Heights. When COVID hit, special event revenue imploded. We missed one entire cycle of Home Tour. And Lights in the Heights actually lost money for several years, only just returning to break even in 2024.
With revenue sources declining and costs increasing, the board unanimously decided to raise the price for the Constable Patrol. We considered several possible rates, eventually settling upon $420/yr. This new rate will take effect on April 1, 2025. That's just $1.15 a day.
From a purely analytical perspective, this change is a 20% increase over the 2019 price, even though the contract cost has increased 26% over that time. Further, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports inflation (CPI) as 25% over the same period.
Much of how the change is enacted is dictated by the credit card payment processor used by our web host. Most CPP supporters participate in the program by way of auto-renewing subscriptions. They will receive a message notifying them of the change and when it will impact them. If your subscription renews before April 1, 2025, you'll already be paid up for the year. You won't pay the new price until 2026.
The Constable Patrol had been an issue being considered by the board for several months. We had already been planning a meeting to go over those details when, on January 27, the neighborhood was rocked by the assault of a young girl on her way home from Travis Elementary School. To address this matter in depth, we invited local government and law enforcement representatives.
Constable Alan Rosen was the first to address the gathering. He was very well informed about the situation, going into depth about the perpetrator, Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, a registered sex offender, released in 2024, who, as of this writing, remains a fugitive. The constable was able to detail this person's criminal history and how he was released in Harris County without local law enforcement being alerted to his presence.
The constable took questions from the crowd for 30 minutes.
Council Member Mario Castillo, District H, addressed the gathering regarding his concern for public safety and the additional resources and initiatives his office has taken. In particular, he highlighted a program funded through his office called the District H Patrol initiative.
"This new public safety initiative includes community patrolling by the Houston Police Department's Differential Response Team (DRT), the use of two new Polaris vehicles, and the community-led District H Patrol Task Team." District H Patrol website
CM Castillo noted, "This program is not meant to just be enforcement, but it's also meant to be educational. And so we have done workshops in the past. We did a firearm safety storage and handling workshop where we also gave folks gun safes so they can properly store their firearms. We're in the in the works of planning a CPR one and we're open to ideas. If there are other workshops that communities want to do, as part of this initiative, we can bring one to the Woodland Heights or to the surrounding area. But I do want to make sure that y'all utilize the program."
Council Member Castillo stressed the importance of using other resources provided by the City of Houston and Harris County Precinct 1.
COH 3-1-1 system - Call for non-emergency access to city services
9-1-1 - Call to report a life-or-death emergency that requires an immediate response from police, fire, or ambulance personnel.
(713) 755-7628 - Precinct One Constable Dispatch number for the WHCA Constable Patrol
Sergeant Graham from HPD Central Division stepped up to describe the Central Division, which includes Woodland Heights. He emphasized how HPD and the Constables work in partnership and noted,
"Regarding the incident on the 27th, I do know that they are actively trying to track where the suspect is. He's sold all his property and is not in Harris County right now. I can tell you that much. Because if he was, we would find him."
Sergeant Clayton addressed numerous further questions from the crowd. Questions he could not answer were addressed by some of the many Deputy Constables and HPD officers in attendance.
As I conclude this report, let me share the board's primary message to the neighborhood. We are working to ensure the WHCA Constable Patrol Program's future by stabilizing its financial path.
First, I encourage you to subscribe to the program. The new price, $420 a year, going into effect on April 1, 2025, is less than a cup of coffee a day at your favorite shop. Personally, I think it's a pretty good investment to provide increased security for your family and your neighbors.
Second, if we can secure funding to sustain the two patrol shifts and we get an overwhelming response from our neighbors, we could look into adding a third shift. That would provide 24-hour security with dedicated officers patrolling Woodland Heights streets. Their ability to respond to neighborhood crime when it happens is key. Officers you know, looking out for you and your family, is priceless in a city as large as Houston.
Finally, if we are not able to raise enough funding to add a third patrol but have enough to have two patrols with some additional funding left over, we could consider some new strategies. Both the Constables and HPD have spoken highly of the Flock Safety camera systems. These surveillance cameras monitor traffic at key entry points to the neighborhood, logging vehicle information, including license plates.
Our own Deputy Lemmons devoted many hours to reviewing Flock footage from elsewhere in the city to help identify the truck associated with the January 27th incident. This is how they ID'd the suspect. Just imagine how useful such a system could be if we had cameras closer to home! But this system is on our wish list and is on standby until we're able to get our financial footing again for the WHCA Constable Patrol as it currently stands.
I know this is a lot of words, but I hope you understand how much work, discussion, and even debate your WHCA Board has had over this issue. I hope you understand and join us in supporting the program. We thank you in advance for that support.
Recently, I’ve heard it said that the past week feels like a month or more. It certainly has been odd, with more snow than I’ve seen since I arrived here in 1998. As January comes to a close, I find myself looking forward to 2025 while also casting one last look back at the final word on Lights in the Heights 2024.
Looking Forward - District H Townhall Meeting Update
Council Member Mario Castillo, District H, held a town hall meeting at the Woodland Park Community Center on Saturday, Jan. 25th. This is the second in a series of meetings that he's arranged. The purpose of the meeting was to review initiatives and accomplishments in 2024, detail plans for 2025, and garner feedback from the community.
The council member mustered significant support from various city, regional, and state services. Many tables were set around the room, with people available to answer questions. These included Houston 311, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) on I-45 and I-10 projects, COH Solid Waste Management, METRO, COH Department of Neighborhoods (DON), COH Fire Department (HFD), Houston Land Bank, The Harris County Area Agency on Aging, Friends of Woodland Park (FWP), COH BARC, and the Houston Parks & Recreation Department.
The presentation lasted a solid 90 minutes, including a spirited question-and-answer session. It covered more than I can address here, but I will mention a few highlights that stand out to me.
When traffic calming was implemented in Woodland Heights in 2016, White Oak Drive and Houston Avenue were considered significant feeder streets. We were not allowed to deploy traffic cushions on those roads. In 2024, CM Castillo worked with a neighbor on White Oak Drive to recategorize that street. As a result, it's now possible to consider traffic calming measures along White Oak Drive in the future.
Pedestrian safety is to be improved along Houston Avenue. The new crosswalks at Parkside Drive and North Street were described previously. The council member showed a work-in-progress design for a new pedestrian island planned for the crosswalk at Bayland Avenue. This will significantly help people walking to & from Travis Elementary School.
Representative Garcia took a few minutes to address federal issues at the gathering. She offered some interpretation of some things resulting from the recent spate of executive orders from the incoming president. She noted a "red card" that's available that details a citizen's rights when dealing with an immigration enforcement agency like ICE.
She further noted that a recent White House pause on federal funding may impact some major construction projects (I-45) involving federal funds. That received a small round of applause from the audience.
The Q&A session was lively. The single largest concern appeared to be trash collection, including heavy trash and tree waste. The council member explained the constraints faced by the solid waste department (staffing and equipment shortages). Mr.Richard A, Nguyen from Solid Waste noted they are just as frustrated as residents. They work seven days a week with equipment often beyond its intended lifespan.
Given the difficulty of sticking to a fixed schedule, it's worth monitoring the COH Solid Waste social media channels. These typically have schedule updates. The HTX Collects app for smartphones is also useful.
There was a question about the $240M deficit in the city budget. CM Castillo noted that's "a big number." Also, a pair of studies are underway that will (hopefully) provide some guidance on how to address the matter.
One thing is clear to me: CM Castillo is busy. His first year in office was definitely ambitious. The next may be less frantic but hopefully just as productive.
Michael Graves
