Houston City Council today voted 13-0,  to award a $5,176,000 contract to Huff & Mitchell, Inc. for Garden Villas Storm Sewer improvements.  Photos

The city council voted 12-1, with Shelley Sekula-Gibbs opposed, to authorize a $135,000 legal services contract with Baker Botts L.L.P.

On a motion by Ada Edwards, the city council unanimously voted to delay for another week, action on an ordinance related to the Holcombe Square Design Project in the Texas Medical Center, which she tagged last week.

On a motion by Mark Goldberg, the city council unanimously voted to delay for two weeks, action on a legal services contract with Mladenka-Fowler, Adams & Associates which was tagged last week by Wiseman, Sekula-Gibbs, M. J. Khan, Pam Lawrence and Ronald Green.

On a motion by Adrian Garcia, the city council voted unanimously to delay for one week, action on an ordinance authorizing a communication equipment license with Nextel of Texas.  The item had been postponed by consent at the February 16 meeting.

Several items were tagged, or delayed for one week, by individual members of the city council.

Kahn tagged the proposed increase in the maximum contract amount in an intergovernmental agreement with Office Depot.

Sekula-Gibbs tagged a proposed agreement with the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County for a Houston Freeway Mobility and Safety Improvement program.

Also tagged was action on a bid from The Relizon Company for traffic, non-traffic and parking citations for the Municipal Courts; and a proposed two-year extension of the water meter replacement parts contract with Hersey Meters, Inc., Neptune Technology Group, Inc., Badger Meter, Inc. and National Waterworks, Inc.

All other items were unanimously approved. Carol Galloway and Addie Wiseman were absent.

"I have been very much bothered by this issue of abandoned buildings and the gap between what we say we’re doing and what we’re doing for the last several decades," White said. "You know, we can say, ‘Well, we took down almost 800 last year compared with 300 the year before.’ But there are thousands."

White also acknowledged a lack of concern about certain areas of town.

"I can assure you this would not happen if it was in River Oaks," he said.