HOUSTON—The day after the 11 News Defenders revealed how hundreds of run-down, crime-infested properties across the Houston area are actually owned by the city and Harris County, big-name officials were vowing to take swift action.
Both Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said they must be better neighbors when it comes to the neighborhood eyesores owned by the government.
"I was shocked and embarrassed," Parker said.
The mayor called the situation "unacceptable" and said the city should be "leading by example."
"I’m taking immediate steps to make sure the city-owned lots are taken care of, and you’re probably going to see some personnel changes in the wake of this information," Parker added.
She wouldn’t comment if that shake-up would mean somebody’s job, only saying she was "looking at who’s responsible for the lots in the city inventory."
At the county level, Emmett agreed that the properties pose a problem.
"It’s a problem, and we’ve got to be good neighbors as Harris County to the people who live around these properties," Emmett said.
The properties, which were tax-delinquent, failed to sell at public auction and were turned over to Harris County. Over time, some turned into breeding grounds for crime. One property in the Third Ward was "known for prostitution and drug use," according to Houston police reports.
Neighbors said they are afraid of the properties and the people who frequent them.
Emmett said officials have a responsibility to the public to take care of the properties, but that will require more manpower to inspect the lots and more money dedicated for maintenance.
Emmett said he hopes to have a formal recommendation to the Harris County Commissioners Court within weeks.
More manpower is coming to the city, too.
Parker recently authorized hiring eight more neighborhood protection inspectors, which should help with a massive backlog of citizen complaints.
The Defenders found that it can take six months to a year – and sometimes as long as two – for the city to check out the properties citizens have complained about.
