HOUSTON -The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs announces City Council approval of approximately $128 million of Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) revenue for arts and culture grants over the next five to seven years through a new contract with Houston Arts Alliance.

The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) advises the mayor on cultural policy and sets the vision and goals for the City’s cultural investments. With the City’s adopted Arts and Cultural Plan as the guide, MOCA has achieved a high level of fairness, equity and transparency in the grants programs.

State law provides municipalities the use of some HOT revenues for the support of the arts to promote tourism and advance the convention and hotel industry.

Calendar year 2020 marks the 42nd year a Houston public/private partnership – exemplified by the contract with the Arts Alliance — in support of the arts in Houston. Collaboration has proved highly effective in developing the nonprofit arts community and providing vital services to residents and visitors in Houston.

“I commend and thank the arts community for working together to reach the contract approval to continue the City of Houston’s investment in cultural services,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “I see first-hand the diversity of creative expression available every day across our city and all of the ways the arts contribute to the image of Houston as a great place to live and visit.”

“The work we have done over the last four years has strengthened our systems because they reinforce our values and respond to community concerns,” said MOCA Director Debbie McNulty. “This is the fairest contract in the city’s recent history by instituting a new uniform grants application process that recognizes the contributions of nonprofit organizations of all sizes and disciplines as well as artists.”

Arts and culture offerings provide benefits to residents and improve quality of life through lifelong learning, student success, social and civic engagement, as well as significant economic benefits and jobs.

The local nonprofit arts and culture sector is a $1.2 billion industry that employs a wide range of professions, generates local and state government revenue and pumps more than half a billion dollars into restaurants, hotels, retail stores, parking garages, and other local businesses.

IHOT-funded groups draw total audiences of about 11 million people per year and over half of the events are free to the public.The new contract ensures residents and visitors will continue to have access to a full range of cultural offerings from the largest institutions to neighborhood-based groups throughout Houston, providing film, choir, literary works, visual art, jazz, dance, theatre, musicals, outdoor sculpture, classical music, opera, murals, poetry, craft, folk & traditional arts, photography, and more.

Houston Arts Alliance administers City-funded competitive peer review grant programs to support the delivery of cultural services through over 300 non-profit arts and cultural organizations, individual artists and special art projects.

As the local arts agency, HAA also administers a city-funded cultural calendar open to any organization or event. It will also serve the single point of contact for MOCA’s disaster-related communications going forward.

To learn more about the City’s cultural programs visit https://www.houstontx.gov/culturalaffairs/index.html and follow the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs on Facebook @HoustonMOCA.

The City of Houston and the Houston Fire Department have been moving to increase the fleet’s capability. This week, the department has placed 4 new fire trucks in service. Three new ladder trucks and one new tower will replace existing trucks with an average age of over 10 years, thus reaching a milestone.  Once the new tower is placed in service, all 5 of the departments front-line towers will be 6 years old or less. The new trucks will be assigned to Stations 31, 51, 67 and 64. Crews from the stations receiving these trucks were trained on the use and maintenance of the new apparatus last week.

These trucks represent a nearly $4 Million investment approved by Mayor Sylvester Turner and City Council. 

“The four new fire trucks come equipped with modern features that will allow first responders to more efficiently serve the public during their time of need,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “Over the last three years, the city has invested more than $31 million for fire truck replacements. We will continue to make public safety a priority,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. 

In order to maximize the City’s investment, Fire Chief Sam Peña implemented a department wide fleet replacement plan.  

“The Houston fire department has a sizable fleet made up of 88 frontline engine trucks, 35 ladder trucks, 5 tower trucks, 103 ambulances and over 200 light & medium duty vehicles and reserve apparatus.  We have been focused on properly resourcing the replacement and maintenance of our entire inventory. There will always be more needs than money, but our goal is to ensure we have appropriate turnover of the fleet.  Our firefighters and our residents deserve the best equipment we can provide,” Chief Sam Peña, Houston Fire. 

Since July of 2018, the department has received

• 18 fire engines,
• 5 ladder trucks
• 2 tower trucks
• 24 ambulances
• 7 Incident command crew cab vehicles and
• 10 emergency rescue/support 4×4 crew cab units

Charges have been filed against a suspect wanted in the fatal shooting of a man at 5455 Court Road about 9:05 p.m. on November 30.

The suspect, Cory Alexander Houck (b/m, 24), is charged by the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office with murder in the 250th State District Court.  He is not in custody.  A photo of Houck is attached to this news release.

The victim, Tremond Garrett, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene.

HPD Homicide Division Sergeant J. Horn and Detectives K. McDonald and M. Condon reported:

Mr. Garrett and the suspect were involved in a verbal altercation in the parking lot of a corner store at the above address.  The altercation escalated and the suspect pulled a gun and shot at Garrett, who was struck in the chest.  

Further investigation identified Houck as the suspect and he was charged in Fort Bend County since the incident occurred in the county’s limits.  

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Cory Houck is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.