HOUSOTN -- The Houston City Council has voted to spend $245,000 in a settlement with the family of Logan Jones, a 13-year-old who drowned in a drainage culvert near his home four years ago.

Jones was playing in a ditch during a rainstorm near Cimarron Elementary School in northeast Houston when he drowned. His family sued the city and won a $2.5 million award, but that award was later thrown out. A judge ordered a new trial – but this settlement ends that process.

“I just want to apologize to the family,” said Houston City Council member Jolanda Jones. “I’m ashamed. The jury awarded millions, but I want to apologize [for the smaller settlement].”

Council members Melissa Noriega and Toni Lawrence said it’s important for parents to monitor their neighborhoods for trash piling up near drainage ditches, and to keep an eye on their children during storms. “You don’t know if a manhole cover has come off accidentally,” she said. “Talk to your children ahead of time about rushing water and the fact that it’s not safe, because it’s very seductive. It’s a little like the apartment pool issue. There’s nothing that replaces vigilance. This is a hazard every time it rains, and we don’t want to ever have to go through this again.”