Coverage of Houston city government: City Council votes, the mayor’s office, the city budget, tax increment reinvestment zones, and the ordinances that decide what residents pay for. Attributed, linked, and written for people who do not have time to sit through a five hour council meeting.
METRO’s board adopted a $1.7 billion fiscal 2027 budget with $40 million for roads and sidewalks, down 60 percent, in the same week it booked $29.2 million in unbudgeted sales tax.
Council member Alejandra Salinas wants wage, benefit and contractor conditions on Houston tax abatements. The city does not publish how many agreements it holds.
Chris Hollins opened a formal investigation into a $127,000 mayoral adviser on June 15. The city attorney required a nondisclosure agreement before he could see the records.
The METRO board votes Wednesday on a fiscal 2027 budget that cuts the road and sidewalk program by more than half, after cutting 177 jobs and restructuring debt.
A $1.76 billion utility refunding secured by water and sewer revenue, and $850 million of airport bonds secured by United’s lease payments. The savings on the first are 0.25 percent.
The city denied a student’s claim, then the mayor arranged a replacement car through the police union. Houston pays 23 percent of the damage claims that come out of police work.
The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority publishes capital plans for Northpark Drive. The costs officials gave at a September 22 town hall run about $20 million and $24 million higher.
The Model Cities notice requires no cost share. Page 6 says every award carries a condition to reimburse the cost of federal law enforcement help in a future surge. No ceiling is stated.
Council voted unanimously Wednesday to publish late filers and refer missed deadlines to the Texas Ethics Commission. Up to 25 percent of candidates had filed late or not at all.
Houston pulled its $150 million federal crime grant application from the council agenda again. The Justice Department’s deadline was Sept. 1, and its conditions reach immigration enforcement.
74 HPD Flock cameras vandalized in 2026, up from 38 a month earlier. ABC13 says the city will not say who pays. Its own July story says the police budget does.
Speaking at Houston City Council takes a 3 p.m. Monday reservation, a street address, a mailing address, a phone number and a ten-word subject line. The city’s own page lists two different start times.