District J has a new name and a new identity.
One of the 11 City Council districts nestled in southwest Houston, District J will officially be called ‘J City,’ according to City Councilmember Edward Pollard.
According to the Council District Demographics report of 2022, a majority of the district’s 202,357 residents are people of color, including 16.4% Black and 65.6% Hispanic or Latino residents.
J City will be run with services and programs specifically tailored for its residents, supplementing the city departments’ efforts to address constituent concerns.
“We look at District J as its own municipality the size of a mid-size city in America…It’s very difficult for our city departments to be able to answer all the calls and all the questions and concerns in a very prompt fashion,” Pollard said. “And so we wanna supplement the work that they do.”
Areas of focus
Pollard says he plans to focus on a number of areas.
“I want people to see that the issues and concerns that we have in District J are being resolved in creative and innovative ways,” Pollard said. “And we believe that these programs and services that we’re providing to J City residents can be a citywide model.”
The services will include a District J patrol, which is a community patrol initiative that will allow district residents to report low-level crimes and violations in their neighborhoods. Residents who use districtjpatrol.com to report these crimes will be routed to a specialized HPD unit. According to Pollard, the team’s patrol vehicles will also patrol the entirety of the district.
Pollard said this service will receive a quicker response than dialing 311, which usually handles traffic fines, sewer concerns, pothole issues, and neighborhood complaints.
The programs also include a supplemental maintenance team to maintain the weekly mowing of right-of-ways, medians, public lots and ditches. In contrast, a beautification team will be responsible for graffiti abatement, clearing of scattered debris, and addressing illegal dumping.
Pollard also plans to introduce an animal welfare team, which will help pet owners provide medical treatment, free pet food, and neighborhood sweeps for strays in partnership with the Houston Humane Society, BARC, Hope Clinic, and Pets for Life. The Good Neighbor Program, on the other hand, will provide exterior home repair for seniors, disabled, or military veteran residents.
Who comprises these teams?
Pollard said he introduced these services because of the unique challenges residents face daily in District J and the shortage of city labor to address them. He intends to hire more people to each team “to get the job done faster.”
“Putting the dollars toward personnel and our projects will stretch that money much longer, and we’ll have more hands whenever you have issues either around your house or in your work of employment,” Pollard said.
Funding the services
Pollard has a plan to pay for these services.
“Each year, each council district office gets a million dollars,” he said. “We’ll match that with management districts, with TIRZs, and we’ll work with our county commissioners and outside providers through nonprofits to be able to ensure that we have the resources and services that are necessary to put forth the dollars for those programs.
Many residents have “mixed feelings” about a rebranding.
“He’s recruited some outside entities that are gonna support all of the things that need to be done in the community,” said Betty Jarmin, a resident. “But one of the residents there was kinda complaining about it because she said, if some things need to be done in the community that hasn’t been done, why would he wanna venture out to separate them or isolate them and they’re not getting the services that they should be getting currently?”
Some residents believe that while the rebranding will help the district, engagement with the community is key.
“That’s kind of a dream goal of a strong community leader, is to be able to be very responsive to the needs and issues in your community,” said Charles Cave, president of the Crestmont Park Civic Association. “I think it’s crucial to engage the citizens and civic clubs.”
