Notes on the Houston City Council Meeting on February 25, 2026

Agenda

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

The Mayor’s Report

Mayor Whitmire said, “Apple has chosen Houston for a large manufacturing project. We continue to attract the business community from around the country, which will provide jobs and improve revenue and quality of life.”

The city will host a Go Texan Day “Rodeo Roundup” on Friday from 11am-1pm in front of City Hall. He said the trail riders will be entering the city on Saturday for the parade. “This is a huge event that helps us with scholarships and jobs, and it’s just really a good time.”

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 7 accepted final work and approved the final payment of $5.1M for the new Montrose Library. CM Kamin praised the new library, calling it an “incredible facility” that served 7,720 people, including 1,500 students, in January. Regarding the old Montrose Library, Kamin explained a reverter clause that would return the building to St. Thomas University if not used as a library within a certain number of days. She said St. Thomas offered the city $1M for the building in 2024, which the city rejected as a lowball offer, but then allowed the reverter clause to go into effect, which resulted in no money for the city. “For it to lapse is of concern when money is so tight at the city.”
• Item 12 approved $209K, funded by the federal government, for a consultant firm to do election security training, including “comprehensive lecture series, seminars, and interactive workshops.”
• Item 13 approved $14M over five years for landscaping services at parks and esplanades. The company, Workquest, “links individuals with disabilities to meaningful career options.” This item uses the General Fund but CM Alcorn suggested the Storm Water Fund could be used for maintenance of storm drains.
• Item 14 approved $450K for a study to determine the most efficient and safe way to operate the Lake Houston Dam.
• Items 15-17 confirmed support for affordable housing developments in Districts D and I.
• Item 27 approved an additional $960K for the Houston Forensic Science Center, bringing their fiscal year 2026 budget up to $34M.
• Item 28 approved $143K for pre-construction services for the Third Ward Multi-Service Center renovation.
• Item 29 approved $12M for the construction of a new community center at Nottingham Park.
• Item 31 extended the contract with the company that disposes of tires for the city for one more year. CM Flickinger remarked that he plans to review the city’s tire ordinance at the next Government Operations committee meeting. CM Kamin suggested review of new tire-recycling technology. CM Alcorn suggested including the Clean City Commission’s recommendations at the committee review.
• Item 33 approved the 2026 budget ($23M) for the Upper Kirby TIRZ.
• The following items were not voted on: Item 3 was pulled by the administration. CM Pollard tagged Item 22. Item 23 was not received.

Council Member Pop-Off

• CM Huffman encouraged early voting and wished a safe rodeo for all.
• CM Ramirez criticized disparity in TIRZ spending across the city, citing a Baker Institute study presented in December 2024 which said the TIRZ system “regressively redistributes the city’s property tax revenue in a way that’s unfair to many Houstonians.” He suggested tweaking TIRZ policy, including revising the tri-party agreements and changing the increment TIRZs are required to send to the city’s General Fund. (If you don’t know what this means, don’t worry … neither do I! We are in this together.)
  • Mayor Whitmire said, “They criticize it, but they’re short on solutions.”
• CM Thomas encouraged voting and said to look up your ballot at harrisvotes.com. She reviewed the apartment inspection town hall last week and plugged the next one on 3/5 at 6300 Irvington. The resulting apartment inspection ordinance will go to committee on 3/30. Thomas thanked Controller Hollins for his Black History Month programming. She will be at the rodeo parade on Saturday riding a horse. She joked that she had “a spicy horse last time,” and, “Keep me in your prayers.”
• CM Castex-Tatum provided an update on the Cambridge Village Park and Ramblewood drainage project that should be complete this summer. She plugged the Building a Side Hustle workshop at the Walker Library on 3/4 from 4pm-5pm. She plugged the Willow Waterhole Music Festival on 3/28 from 11am-8pm. She also encouraged voting.
• CM Peck plugged the Public Safety committee meeting on Monday 3/2 at 10am. Topics include the PATH Transparency Hub and records management. She said the Briar Branch stormwater project should be done in two months.
• CM Martinez will participate in the East End Youth Leadership Academy Mock City Council on Saturday. Friday is the last day to vote early. He thanked partners who collaborated with him on a community conversation on immigration this past Saturday.
• CM Pollard asked Mayor Whitmire to invite HISD Superintendent Mike Miles to council to answer questions about the closure of 12 schools. Mayor Whitmire said that Miles has already declined the invitation. CM Pollard pressured him to use his influence, especially since “the elected body of HISD has no authority … and residents don’t have the ability to speak to them directly in a public forum.” Mayor Whitmire deflected, said Miles intends to do community meetings, accused Pollard of politicizing the issue, and asked, “Can we get back to city business?”
• CM Alcorn praised the work being done on the apartment inspection ordinance. The Budget and Fiscal Affairs committee meeting is Tuesday 3/3 at 10am. Topics include: the open space ordinance, electricity exposure, the East Water Purification Plant.
• CM Carter encouraged people to join the Point In Time count, which counts unhoused people in the region.
• CM Castillo plugged a District H Town Hall this Saturday 2/28 at 10am at Shady Lane Park.
• CM Kamin praised the work being done on the apartment inspection ordinance. Work on the Turkey Gully drainage project should begin this fall. She remarked on the new FEMA flood maps, how they don’t take into account recent mitigation efforts, and said she hopes “we work with both state and federal level departments to make sure that they’re incorporating accurate information so that we don’t unnecessarily put homes and businesses in that shouldn’t be there.” She wished a happy rodeo to all.

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/technology/2026/02/25/544388/apple-houston-jobs-ai-mac-mini-computers/
https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/houston-tax-increment-reinvestment-zones-regressively-redistribute-property-tax-burden

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.