Notes on the Houston City Council Meeting on January 14, 2026

Agenda

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

Mayor’s Report

Mayor Whitmire wished the Texans well in their game against the New England Patriots on Sunday. “When I leave a ball game I always reflect on what a great opportunity it is for all Houstonians to come together and be Houstonians.” Houston’s MLK Unity Parade is Monday 1/19. Houston formerly had two MLK Day parades and Whitmire remarked on the accomplishment of uniting them into one.

The Mayor invited Texas House Representative Armando Walle and Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia to remark on two items dealing with parks. Whitmire said, “We had the best legislative session in anyone’s memory.” He introduced Rep. Walle as one of the five members of the conference committee, which finalizes the state budget. “These are positions that everyone would like to serve in because you get items on (included in the budget) as a final consideration for your community.” Whitmire elaborated on the $270M in state funding coming to the city, some going to parks, water infrastructure, roads, police cars, and more.

• Rep. Walle praised the collaboration between the city, the city’s legislative team, the region’s legislative representatives, and state government. He shared some of his history, including interning for a city councilmember in 2000. “Being in the room to be able to advocate for your city and your county is an awesome experience.”
• Regarding parks, Rep. Walle said that each park should get between $1M and $3M. He did caution the city to have a development plan for the parks and said these are not the last parks to get money; he will continue to advocate in future legislative sessions.

• Rep. Walle outlined other funding, like money for Lake Houston, lift stations, flood control at the county, statewide rail safety improvement, and $10M for the Sergio Ivan Rodriguez memorial pedestrian bridge at Milby High School.
• Walle remarked on today’s Item 35, which transferred operation and maintenance of Keith-Wiess Park to the county. The park belongs to the city but is actually outside of city limits. He said the change will enable more improvements, like trails, lighting, and better security. He hopes Keith-Wiess Park will turn into a destination park.
• Many CMs spoke in support and thanked Rep. Walle for his work.
• Mayor Whitmire and Rep. Walle remarked on what it’s like to work as a Democrat in a Republican-controlled state, coming together over the budget but then fighting over social issues like immigration, human rights, healthcare, and higher education.
• CM Alcorn thanked the mayor for bringing in money from the state, part of the state surplus (“gobs of cash”) that she said we contribute to and should see come back to the city.
  • Rep. Walle explained that the state budget is largely funded by state sales tax and that population centers aka large cities are the largest contributors. “We deserve that money back.”

The mayor introduced Commissioner Garcia to remark on Item 34, which transferred operation and maintenance of Moody Park to the county. Whitmire outlined Garcia’s career history with HPD, city council, the Sheriff’s office, and now the Commissioner’s Court.

• Commissioner Garcia remarked on the importance of intergovernmental collaboration, community leadership, and the merits of these parks partnerships.
• Many councilmembers spoke in support and thanked Commissioner Garcia.
• CM Martinez remarked on the importance of city and county collaboration, especially as the tax rate remains flat and city resources are strapped. For context, CM Martinez voted with the mayor to keep the tax rate flat on October 15th.
• CM Ramirez pointed out that the county used to spend very little money within city limits. There was general consensus that this has changed for the positive.
• CM Pollard asked Garcia about any updates to the possible Ben Taub expansion, which would require taking a parcel of land from Hermann Park. Garcia said that citizens want to protect the park but also recognize the importance of Ben Taub. There will be more town halls and a vote at commissioners court in ~2-3 months.

A Public Hearing

Today’s public hearing regarded landmark status for eight properties across Houston. Mr. Williams, Deputy Director of the Planning Department, explained each property. There were three public speakers, all in support.

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Items 7, 8, and 9 accepted final work and approved the final payment for ditch maintenance across the city.
• Item 14 approved $598K over one year for mobile printers and paper for HPD vehicles. “These printers are essential for officers to immediately produce traffic and parking citations, criminal citations, incident reports, and other required documentation without returning to a fixed workstation.”
• Item 19 updated the guidelines for one of the city’s affordable housing programs. CM Thomas spoke in support and said this will increase affordability.
• Item 20 approved a $100K grant for an infant and early child care program at Covenant House. CM Kamin said, “We have a lot of unhoused youth at Covenant House that are parents … and to see this money going towards programming that not only supports the parents, but those little children as well, is very meaningful.”
• Item 23 approved an additional $1.3M to complete restroom upgrades in Terminal A at IAH. The city has already spent $9.9M.
• Item 25 approved $239K for an architecture firm to begin design work on upgrades for the Magnolia Multi-Service Center. CM Martinez said this is the only city-owned community building in the area.
• Items 29-32 approved the 2026 budgets for the Downtown, OST/Almeda, Gulfgate, and Memorial City TIRZs.
• Item 34 approved the transfer of the operation and maintenance of Moody Park to the county. The city will maintain ownership of the park but the county will operate and maintain it for twenty years, and improve soccer fields in anticipation of activity around the upcoming World Cup. “The County shall be solely responsible for all existing structures, improvements, mowing every fourteen days, litter removal every three days, illegal dumping, security, and maintenance of trees within the park.” This is the item Commissioner Garcia was at council to support.
• Item 35 approved a similar transfer of the operation and maintenance of Keith-Wiess Park to the county. This is the item Rep. Walle was at council to support.
• These items were not voted on today: Items 11, 15, 24, and 47 were pulled by the administration. CM Kamin tagged Item 36.

Council Member Pop-Off

• CM Evans-Shabazz remarked on a meeting last Thursday with Hermann Park Conservancy and Harris Health regarding the possible expansion of Ben Taub into park-owned land. She plugged the Texans YMCA legends breakfast on 1/19 at 9am.
• CM Castillo plugged a town hall on 1/24 at 10am at Clark Park. He complained that an elevator was broken for weeks at Independence Heights Senior Living and advocated for incentives and accountability for property owners to properly maintain facilities.
• CM Davis plugged a town hall at the West Gray Multi-Service Center in February.
• CM Flickinger lamented the METRO bus shooting on January 7 and advocated for bond and bail reform because the suspects have previous offenses.
• CM Kamin agreed with CM Flickinger regarding the METRO bus shooting and said, “These kids should have never had a firearm to begin with.” Kamin praised a fire department drone pilot program (partially funded with District C funds) that was able to provide aerial imagery during a recent firefight at a church. She wished the Texans well. She honored the life and legacy of Dr. King but added, “We have critical fights that are ongoing. We have critical work that must continue today.”
  • Mayor Whitmire said the church that caught fire was an abandoned building owned by TxDOT. “I don’t want to get into the storm water drainage fee, but if you were at the site as I was, the drainage was impacted, stopped up culvert and debris brought on largely by the homeless.” He called it a “living example” of how abandoned buildings contribute to drainage issues.
• CM Ramirez said, “There’s nothing that brings Houstonians together like a playoff run or a hurricane. And I think we’d all much rather see a playoff run.”
• CM Thomas shared that the District F annual report is available. She praised the city’s response after the recent METRO bus shooting and said that it is still safe to ride the bus. There will be a Housing committee meeting on 2/5, which Thomas called “the Super Bowl of housing.” She shared news of two infrastructure projects on the west side. There will be a community worship service in the park on 3/8 at Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church. She referenced a Channel 11 news piece on the problem of auto shops in Piney Point.
• CM Castex-Tatum plugged a shred event on 1/24 from 9-12 at Westbury Church. On 1/22, Superneighborhood 40 will introduce their revised bylaws at the Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center. She plugged the MLK Day parade on Monday which will have a council float. She shared a quote from Bernice King: “As this week begins, my hope is that we move beyond remembrance and recommit ourselves to action, to learning, to practicing non-violence and to building the kind of world my parents believed was possible, one grounded in dignity, compassion and shared responsibility.”
• CM Pollard referred to Dr. King as his Morehouse brother. Pollard said Dr. King was seen as an agitator in his day, and because we still face many of the same issues, the best way to honor his legacy is continuing to do the work. Pollard asked Mayor Whitmire to speak to the police chief about authorizing his request to use his district funds for police overtime in District J. Pollard said he is the only councilmember facing this issue and asked for the mayor’s help.
  • Mayor Whitmire said, “We only have one police chief, and he will decide where the resources go and not let you or other officials dictate and use it as a promotion for your office.” Whitmire told Pollard the police chief has decades more experience than him and, “We’re not going to politicize police services.” Then he abruptly adjourned the meeting before Pollard could make any reply.

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/crime/2026/01/08/540248/metro-bus-shooting-houston-police-surveillance-photos/

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.