2024 in review: Take a look back at Mayor John Whitmire's first year in office

HOUSTON, Texas -- Mayor John Whitmire started his first year as Houston's mayor with a series of challenges and promised initiatives, whether it's addressing transportation and the city's street infrastructure, homelessness, or public safety.

With 2024 coming to a close, take a look at what Whitmire has promised, what he has or hasn't achieved yet, and what initiatives should be looked out for in 2025.

Road and street infrastructure

Whitmire started off his tenure by aiming at Houston roads and streets, with Houston Avenue being one of the first streets to see changes to its infrastructure.

In December 2023, medians and curbs were implemented on Houston Avenue as part of a $100,000 project spurred by then-District H City Council member Karla Cisneros to improve cyclists' and pedestrians' safety.

Whitmire would reverse this in Feburary by removing the medians, with officials citing that the reduced lane capacity restricted vehicles from turning.

Later in March, Whitmire paused all transportation projects that would modify or change the use of vehicle lanes, giving the administration time to review projects and decide which roads need to be redesigned.

This pause was first made public when Whitmire tasked the Houston Public Works Department with evaluating the effectiveness and impact of the 11th Street Bikeway project.

The project was aimed at addressing traffic safety concerns along the 1.5-mile segment from Shepherd Drive to Michaux Street in the Heights neighborhood, as well as creating a protected bikeway for people biking from 11th Street to Stude Park.

The Shepherd-Durham reconstruction project was intended to reduce the number of traffic lanes on each road from four to three, adding a protected shared-use path and installing sidewalks. However, the project was put on pause in March. A compromise was announced in June by Whitmire's office, with the project now including:

• Preserving the standard widths of general-purpose lanes on Shepherd and Durham and two blocks of 11th Street

• Re-establishing four lanes on 11th Street for one block east of Shepherd

• Adding bike lanes and 6-foot-wide sidewalks for the entire project

• Installing strategically placed left-turn lanes at specific locations to improve traffic flow

One of the final projects in review is the Montrose Boulevard Improvement Project, intended to improve drainage issues along the corridor from I-69 to Allen Parkway while also improving mobility, safety, and overall beauty within the neighborhood through wider sidewalks and plans to preserve 14 ordinance-protected mature live oaks.

Again, Whitmire paused the project to review and asked for changes before he could sign off on the final construction permits. After months of deciding on the design changes, the TIRZ 27 board finally approved a design change in November, which has been sent to Houston officials.

The revised plan now includes:

• Maintaining vehicle lanes at 12 feet wide instead of reducing them to 10 or 11 feet

• Installing a HAWK signal at the West Clay Street and West Dallas Street intersection

• Upholding existing 6-foot sidewalks instead of the suggested 10-foot shared-use path

• • Adding a new median with Cypress trees along West Dallas Street to Allen Parkway to enhance traffic safety
  
  Devising 10-foot by 10-foot storm sewers and five acre-feet of detention

Homelessness

In November, Whitmire announced tentative details on a pilot program intended to deal with the city's homelessness issue.

The plan would require a $70 million annual fund with multiple sources of funding through philanthropic, private and nonprofit sectors.

The $70 million will be spent on:

• Outreach

• Rapid rehousing

• Permanent supportive housing

• A diversion program

• A navigation center

Shelter support

Hub operations

Budget

In June, Houston City Council approved Whitmire's $6.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2025, focusing primarily on public safety infrastructure and drainage.

The city's general fund totals $3.3 billion, an increase of $74.3 million from FY 2023-24. Half of the general fund goes toward the city's two public safety entities, with the Houston Police Department seeing $1 billion in the budget and the Houston Fire Department receiving $593 million. The budget also funds six police and five fire cadet classes.

The budget also used $8 million to fund a local drainage program and $800,000 to fund a generator for a Kashmere Gardens Resilience Hub.

Water bills

Amid Houstonians' frustrations with inaccurate water bills and overcharges for several years, Whitmire announced his Water Bill Improvement Plan in April. The plan saw nearly 125,000 new water usage reading equipment replaced and installed for residential and commercial customers.

Public works officials said there are still a total of 437,000 water meters across the city of Houston, with 273,000 devices in the ground that will need to be replaced in the future.

Public safety

One of Whitmire's promises during his mayoral campaign run and when he took office was prioritizing public safety through increased police recruitment and increased police oversight.

In September, Whitmire announced that new police cadets will receive a $10,000 raise when hired by the Houston Police Department, raising the base salary from $42,000 to $52,000. Once a cadet completes the probationary period, the officer's salary will increase to $62,574.

In December, a two-night initiative at Washington Avenue Corridor was announced to crack down on speeders, drunk drivers, and traffic violations and ensure clubs and outgoers followed city ordinances and did not cause noise violations.

This article comes from our ABC13 partners at Community Impact Newspapers.