Council Member Sue Lovell sponsored the ordinance passed by City Council on Wednesday that calls for annual fire inspections of child-care homes. The ordinance was approved by Council on a unanimous vote.

Council Member Lovell especially thanks Houston Fire Department Chief Terry Garrison, HFD Captain Beda Kent, and the City of Houston Legal Department under City Attorney David Feldman for their work on the ordinance as well as all of the families affected by the February 24 fire at Jackie’s Day Care that participated in the process.  Following the fire, Council Member Lovell worked with the administration, the Fire Department, and the Legal Department to develop the ordinance.

“If there was something that we could do, we needed to do it,” Council Member Lovell told the Houston Chronicle. “It may not be the total solution to the problem, but we couldn’t just stand by and not do anything.”

“There are some things that humans do that are hard to prevent,” as Chief Garrison was quoted in the Chronicle. “But I would believe that if someone would have had an opportunity to walk into that day care, walk into that home have a discussion with Ms. [Jessica] Tata, make sure she had a working smoke detector, and just have a conversation with her about her responsibility as a home care giver, it may have changed her outlook. We feel that anything we can do that may change that outcome that happened that day, it’s our responsibility to do that.”

Council Member Sue Lovell extends condolences to the family of Houston Police Department Officer Kevin S. Will, who was killed in a traffic accident while on duty on May 29. Officer Will, who was sworn in as an HPD officer in 2009, was assigned to the Vehicular Crimes Division. Officer Will is survived by his wife and two children.

Funeral arrangements for Officer Will have been announced. A visitation will be held on Wednesday, June 1, from 6 until 8 p.m., at Klein Funeral Home (16131 Champion Forest Dr.). The funeral service will take place on Thursday, June 2, at 10 a.m., at Champion Forest Baptist Church (15555 Stuebner-Airline Rd.).

Officer Will was struck by a car on Sunday at about 3:45 a.m. on the North Loop East near Yale. Officer Will was conducting an investigation of an accident when a car driven by the suspect, Johoan Rodriguez, broke through a police barricade blocking the freeway and struck Officer Will. Rodriguez was taken into the custody at the scene. Rodriguez is charged in the 183rd State District Court with intoxication manslaughter of a peace officer, felony evading in a motor vehicle, and possession of a controlled substance.

In an interview on KTRH radio that aired this morning, Council Member Sue Lovell supported the “conversative” 2012 City of Houston budget proposed by Mayor Annise Parker, which does not call for the firing of police officers or fire fighters. “I know that we’re all sad that that there’s going to be a closing of some of our pools and community centers, but at this point and time the priority really is public safety,” Council Member Lovell told KTRH.

Read the KTRH coverage at www.ktrh.com/cc-common/news/sections/.

At the City Council meeting yesterday, the child-care home ordinance was tagged (which means postponed by a Council member until the next meeting). Council Member Sue Lovell was very disappointed that there has been a delay in ensuring the safety of the children of Houston.

The ordinance authorizes the Houston Fire Department to inspect licensed child-care homes and registered child-care homes at least once every 12 months. This inspection aims to ensure the health and safety of children and workers at child-care homes. Inspectors will not only enforce fire safety codes, but they will also report any child-care home violations to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

The ordinance will be on the agenda at the June 1 Council meeting (there is no Council meeting on May 25, because of a Council break week). The ordinance was reviewed at a March 24 joint meeting of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Aviation Committee (chaired by Council Member Lovell) and the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee (chaired by Council Member Melissa Noriega).

Today the Houston City Council passed the new Council redistricting map with a 14-1 vote. The vote was a culmination of work between Mayor Parker’s administration, City Council, and Houston citizens. The new map adds two Council districts and reapportions districts to ensure equal representation. Council Member Lovell expressed appreciation for the citizen involvement and stated:

“Thanks to Mayor Parker and her team for a transparent process that allowed all of the citizens to have a voice and to be encouraged to bring their ideas forward. Having been through redistricting before, I am  proud to be a member of a City Council that conducted itself in a very professional manner. Thank you to everyone who took time to participate in the redistricting meetings, to come to City Council to express their opinions, and who sat down and drew up redistricting maps to present. Thank you for taking the time to care about our city.”

The redistricting map is available at www.houstontx.gov.

At City Council Public Session yesterday, Council Member Sue Lovell presented a proclamation to Betty Chapman honoring her for distinguished work in historic preservation. Mrs. Chapman is the recipient of the 2011 Mayor’s Citizen Award for Historic Preservation, and she is the immediate past chair of the Houston Archeological and Historical Commission.

Mayor Annise Parker presents the award for outstanding efforts in historic preservation. It is awarded during May, which is National Historic Preservation Month.

Mrs. Chapman has spent the past 25 years researching, teaching, and writing about the history of Houston. She has written a weekly column, “Houston Heritage,” for the Houston Business Journal since 1993.  Her books include Houston Then and Now and Houston Women: Invisible Threads in the Tapestry. She is a frequent lecturer at the Rice University School of Continuing Studies, and she has served as consultant for a variety of historical projects in the city.

When she accepted the proclamation, Mrs. Chapman pledged that she has no plans to retire from public service and will continue to work for historic preservation and education in our city.

The physical education program at Yellowstone Academy, a private school in Third Ward, now has a new bicycle for students, donated by Council Member Sue Lovell. Principal Cherie Singleton, Physical Education Lead Teacher Jane Jackson, and Yellowstone students recently posed with the bicycle on the Yellowstone Academy campus.

Principal Singleton reports that the Yellowstone physical education staff will use the bicycle in lessons with students who are first learning to ride a bike.

The bicycle was part of the yearly bike-donation program sponsored by the City of Houston Solid Waste Department in partnership with Keep Houston Beautiful and DRC, Inc.

Council Member Sue Lovell presented awards to the winners of the Public Service Recognition Week poster contest at a ceremony at the Houston Garden Center on May 6. This annual contest is open to youngsters, ages 5-18, who are related to City of Houston employees. Every year, the contest demonstrates that City of Houston families include some great artistic talent. The winning posters are currently on display in the first-floor lobby of the City Hall Annex (900 Bagby).

Council Member Sue Lovell was recently invited to speak to a group of paralegals students at the ITT Technical Institute campus on the North Freeway. ITT Tech particularly encourages its students to get involved in community service and volunteerism. Council Member Lovell encouraged the paralegal students, “You want to make a difference, then step up and get in!”

Today, Mayor Annise Parker praised Council Member Sue Lovell’s leadership in amending the City of Houston SafeClear ordinance. Changes to the SafeClear program, which will save the city millions of dollars and assure continued service for drivers, were approved by City Council today. “I want to commend Council Member Lovell’s work in bringing to Council the changes to the SafeClear program,” Mayor Parker said.

SafeClear tows, which had previously been paid for by the City of Houston, will now be charged directly to customers at $50 per tow and $30 for roadside service. (Regular tows cost $150.)  This will save the City of Houston $3.2 million every year. For those unable to pay at the scene, vehicles will be towed and placed in SafeClear storage facilities for up 48 hours at no charge to the customer.

Criteria similar to those used for the Water Fund Assistance Program have been established to assist vehicle owners who qualify for help with the $50 charge.

The ordinance was passed unanimously by all Council Members present (Council Member Jolanda Jones was absent).