Houston City Council Notes, prepared by Emily J Hynds

Notes on the Houston City Council Meeting on June 3 and June 4, 2025

Budget Meeting Part 3 of 3

Agenda

1. Public Comment
2. Monthly Financial Report
3. Mayor’s Report
4. Consent Agenda (items that require a vote, like purchases, resolutions, ordinances, etc.)
5. Council Member Pop-Off

These notes cover the budget discussion and vote. Notes on the public speakers, monthly financial report, and non-budget agenda items are in the previous two editions.

The Budget for Fiscal Year 2026

These notes are part three of my budget season series and cover all things budget related during the meeting on June 4, 2025. There was also budget discussion during the monthly financial report, which I go over in part two of this series.

Houston’s fiscal year lasts July through June. The budget is named for the end year of the fiscal season. So, we’re getting ready for fiscal year 2026, aka FY26. The annual budget funds every department (Solid Waste, Public Works, Police, Fire, etc) and many of their programs. Funding for the budget includes tax dollars, state and federal money, investment returns, and more.

11 Council Members proposed amendments to the budget. You might wonder what many of these amendments have to do with the budget, and the answer is absolutely nothing! The budget amendment process is just one of the ways CMs can exert influence, so some of them choose to do so. Out of the 71 proposed amendments, 14 passed.

There were about 60 people in the audience, which is quite a lot. On May 28, there were 44 public speakers. On June 3, there were 35 public speakers. They covered a variety of topics but many criticized the mayor’s proposed budget.

Budget Amendments

CM Ramirez, At-Large 1, proposed eight amendments. Here is a selection.

• R1.01 originally proposed using $875K of the general fund to create 7 positions across the legal department, the Administration and Regulatory Affairs (ARA) department, and Houston Public Works (HPW). To accommodate disagreements, Ramirez split it into three smaller parts.
  • R1.01 part 1: $315K to pay for two lawyers and one paralegal to focus on human trafficking, nuisance violations, and more.
  • R1.01 part 2: $150K for two full-time employees in ARA for permitting.
  • R1.01 part 3: $250K for two full-time employees in HPW for code enforcement.
    • CM Castex-Tatum wants each district to have a dedicated inspector. This led to a ~whole discussion~ that I will not go into, but there was much debate on what that would look like and no conclusions were reached. Ramirez ultimately withdrew to be sent to the Quality of Life committee.
  • CM Carter said the Ernst & Young study suggested we should cut staff, so why is Ramirez proposing to add more back in? Excellent question! She suggested we lean more on HPD for code enforcement, especially since they got a pay raise.
  • In response to some of his colleagues’ comments, Ramirez suggested that beefing up code enforcement could generate revenue because of increased fine collection. Responding to CM Carter, he said HPD is overworked and does not want to deal with these issues. “This is to get at those things that our police are not doing and maybe should not be doing.”
  • R1.01 part 1 ($315K to pay for two lawyers and one paralegal) passed. CMs Martinez and Pollard voted no.
  • R1.01 part 2 ($150K for two full-time employees in ARA) passed. CMs Thomas, Huffman, Martinez, Pollard, Castex-Tatum, Davis, and Carter voted no.

• R1.02 proposed using $125K from the general fund for one full-time employee in the Department of Neighborhoods (DON) for language translation services. Ramirez said language access is critical, “especially during emergencies, when that language barrier can become life threatening.”
  • Mayor Whitmire said he doesn’t want to micromanage department heads. He invited Herbert Sims, Director of DON, to remark on whether this position is needed. His remarks were a bit confusing, but he did say that they lost a full-time employee due to retirement and that having another one would be good.
• R1.08 was co-sponsored with CM Jackson and proposed a transparency tool for drainage projects. Mayor Whitmire said this was not budget related and that HPW is already working on this. Ramirez withdrew it, which drew loud boos from the crowd. CM Plummer said the public needs to know how drainage projects are chosen and advocated for a “worst first” policy. The crowd cheered.

CM Alcorn, At-Large 5

• A5.01 would put $10M from the general fund into a trust for OPEB (Other Post Employment Benefits). CM Alcorn explained pension reform and said, “We need to do more than just pay the minimum on our credit card.” She said OPEB trusts are common in other cities and this is a smart financial decision. The administration supported this amendment and it passed.

CM Peck of District A proposed 30 amendments, the most by far and a new record for her. The HTV feed was awful during this section — unwatchable and almost completely useless. I requested help from HTV but have received no response as of June 11, 2025.

• P6.01 proposed putting 1% of the general fund into the Budget Stabilization Fund if the general fund is higher than expected. This amendment passed.

CM Jackson of District B

• J7.02 proposed using $20M of the Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Fund (DDSRF) for the ditch reestablishment program.
  • The crowd in the chamber started getting loud here, an officer entered, but the mayor said it was okay and indicated things were under control.
  • CM Huffman advocated for an even spread of funding across the districts while CM Plummer advocated for a “worst first” spending strategy.
  • This amendment passed.

CM Huffman of District G

• H12.03 proposed distributing 1% of the remaining general fund balance across each council district for drainage projects like ditch maintenance, storm drains, curbs, and gutters. This would equal ~$289K per district. This amendment passed.

CM Kamin of District C

• K8.01 proposed using $10.8M of the general fund to bring the Budget Stabilization (BSF) fund up to $25M, increasing the amount required in the BSF from $20M to $25M, and decreasing the replenishment period from two years to one.
  • CM Kamin said we need to revisit standards because extreme weather happens more often now. (There have been ten federally declared disasters within the last nine years.) She complained about the lack of emergency response funding within individual departments, which received applause from the audience. Kamin said that FEMA, NOAA, and the NWS are a mess and that we can’t rely on federal funding. Additionally, Houston housing codes do not require builders to protect against category 4 and 5 storms. “We know the storms are coming. We’re on borrowed time.”
  • Mayor Whitmire said this was not a budget item and should be taken up with the Finance Committee. Kamin said, “I respectfully would contest that determination.”
  • Kamin ultimately withdrew this amendment, “under protest,” after Mayor Whitmire agreed to consider her funding and policy demands.

CM Castillo of District H

• C13.01 proposed creating an LGBTQ+ Economic Empowerment Coordinator in the Office of Business Opportunity. Castillo agreed to withdraw and said he would submit it as part of his Council District Service Funds budget in July.
• C13.03 proposed using money from the general fund for kennel-cleaning at BARC. Castillo advocated for a long-term plan to help BARC, because amendments like these are just one-year fixes. This amendment passed.

Around this time, some of the crowd in the chamber became more active. 4-5 people wearing Northeast Action Collective shirts moved to the front holding a large banner that read “HOUSTON SAYS NO TO MAYOR WHITMIRE’S UNDEMOCRATIC BUDGET.” Some people were chanting “Houston says no!” A police officer entered the scene, spoke with some people, and things quieted down.

The crowd became unsettled again, loudly chanting and becoming physically agitated. Mayor Whitmire said, “You’ve made your point. We’ve been very cooperative. I would ask the leadership, and you know who you are, to please show some leadership.” The unrest increased, the mayor and council talked amongst themselves, then the mayor called a recess. The HTV feed stopped here.

Because HTV stopped their feed, I watched video taken by people who were there and interviewed two people. Protesters stood on benches, in the aisles, and chanted “Houston says no,” and, “When the streets flood, we flood the streets.” Some people delivered diatribes. Some CMs came down into the audience to talk with people. At least one person was physically removed by a police officer, although not handcuffed. One person I interviewed said that some people standing in the hallway were shoved around by plainclothes people who did not identify themselves. There were also people in the audience not actively protesting. It took about thirty minutes for HPD to herd everyone out of the chamber as people continued to chant.

When the video started up again, the chamber had been cleared. CM Thomas asked for an explanation of what just occurred for public record. Mayor Whitmire said, “You saw with your own eyes. We couldn’t conduct our business … And so at the urging of a number of council members, for safety and order, we asked that individuals be removed.”

When pressed by CM Thomas, the mayor said he would not press charges. Whitmire said these protesters were hurting their own cause and encouraged them to engage with the city in the prescribed manner. When CM Thomas pressed him again on the question of arrests, Whitmire said, “Well, I can’t speak to what happens when they go outside… On behalf of the City of Houston for disrupting the council, we did not press charges. But when they go outside and get in the face of officers … I’ll put it this way, noise does not get anybody arrested. If they want to get physical, that’s the judgment of HPD.” I found this statement to be, frankly, chilling. The mayor chose to make an authoritarian, threatening statement that encouraged HPD to use force and make arrests. He didn’t have to do that.

CM Thomas advocated for the people and said, “This is the people’s City Hall.”

CM Ramirez noted that there were still 8-10 members of the press in the council chamber, “and a few members of the public.” CM Flickinger praised the mayor’s patience and restraint.

Back to the amendments, there was a bit more discussion of CM Castillo’s amendments, which I won’t go into. CM Martinez proposed six amendments but withdrew them all. He remarked on the need to generate more revenue and most of his proposed amendments reflected that, such as a couple of solid waste and MWBE fees.

The Budget Vote

Mayor Whitmire said there’s no such thing as a perfect budget, criticizing people who complain but don’t offer solutions. “We need to now talk to Houstonians going forward about what type of city they want to live in. I will lead. I’ll be very transparent.” Regarding the shortfall, “I think it was the second month I was here … I said we were broke. Well, that was reality, and we’re still broke. But we’ve managed to put a sound, balanced budget together.” He mentioned collaborations with the county, successes in the Lege, and support from the federal government. “We have partners that want to help Houston.”

CM Pollard said this budget has more expenses than revenue and the deficit continues to grow. “Last year we were in the same predicament. And you said, ‘Trust me, I got this.’ And now we’re here again and we have less money in the fund balance. And you’re saying, ‘Trust me, I got this.’”

CM Thomas said, although there was much to support in the budget, “My resistance to supporting the budget really lies between the workforce reduction and the financial cuts to the departments.” She said, “It’s okay to dissent, as we saw earlier today.”

CM Kamin thanked everyone for their work on the budget but said she plans to vote no. She complained about cuts to healthcare, OT spending, the wasteful ripping up of infrastructure, the lack of financial planning for disasters. She said she hopes the administration will not seek retribution against her district because of her vote.

This ~$7B budget proposal passed. CMs Kamin, Thomas, and Pollard voted no.

Who took these notes? And what resources did they use?

My name is Emily Hynds. I am a writer, small business owner, producer of the monthly storytelling series Grown-up Storytime, and lifelong Houstonian. I am not a journalist or government official. I am a local government enthusiast who believes meaningful change starts at home. These notes are presented from my point of view and with my framing and are not comprehensive. Your notes will certainly be different and I would love to read them if you attend.

I watched this City Council meeting via HTV: https://www.houstontx.gov/htv/

While compiling these notes I used the following sources:
https://houston.novusagenda.com/agendapublic
https://houwatch.com
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/city-of-houston/2025/06/04/523177/houston-city-council-passes-mayor-john-whitmires-7-billion-budget-after-protest-disrupts-meeting/
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/whitmire-budget-protest-20331474.php

You can find your City Council Member and their contact info at: https://www.houstontx.gov/council/whoismycm.html

Thank you to the volunteers who proofread these notes.

My Patreon is patreon.com/emilytakesnotes.