Notes on the Houston City Council Meeting on May 13, 2026
Agenda
- Mayor’s Report
- Consent Agenda (items that require a vote, like purchases, resolutions, ordinances, etc.)
- Council Member Pop-Off*
*I do not cover pop-off today due to my own time constraints.
The Mayor’s Report
Mayor Whitmire mentioned a groundbreaking event for new playground equipment at Near Northside High School. He thanked Commissioner Garcia for his partnership and Houston Public Works. He said, “These things happen regularly and don’t get reported.” He congratulated the Service Employees International Union, which successfully negotiated a $5 per hour increase and one year of backpay for the George R Brown Convention Center workers.
Whitmire pivoted to the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which starts on June 11, with Houston games starting June 14. Whitmire said FIFA officials have said Houston is the most prepared city in North America. He praised the many collaborations with other entities and emphasized public safety initiatives.
Chris Canetti, president of the FIFA World Cup Houston Host Committee, made a presentation. They have been working for eight years to bring the World Cup to Houston. He praised Houston’s readiness, the positive long-term impacts, and thanked city leadership.
- Canetti said that Houston games will draw large crowds due to the teams’ large fanbases, especially Portugal, the Netherlands, and Germany. He said this will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s, who plays for Portugal, last World Cup. See http://www.fwc26houston.com for the schedule and tickets.
- Fan Fest in East Downtown will be a multi-block, walkable, free-to-attend viewing and celebration area open every day of the Cup. There will be tents for cooling, shade cover, misting stations, and emergency medical personnel nearby for heat incidents. Visit www.fwc26houston.com for street closures and other information.
- The city is expecting around 500K visitors during the tournament.
- Core city services, such as trash, water, and other repairs, will continue as usual in all affected areas.
- In the last five days, Houston has had millions of social media impressions because of the World Cup.
Many CMs praised the team for their work producing the World Cup in Houston.
CM Pollard asked about hotel reservations and ticket sales. Canetti said that all 7 Houston matches are expected to sell out, although tickets are still available. Hotel bookings are up 11% and short term rentals are up even higher. Airports report that 2900 people from Curaçao have already scheduled arrivals on chartered jets.
CM Castex-Tatum advocated for keeping affected residents informed.
CM Martinez talked about non-city funding used for the World Cup, like grants from the state and federal government. TxDOT will pause construction during the Cup but GRB expansion construction will continue. He said events like these are a financial boon for the people who work them.
CM Evans-Shabazz asked about plans for public art. Canetti said that Fan Fest will have lots of local talent performing onstage in between matches.
CM Thomas said that people all over the city are excited because “Houston is a small example of the global majority.” While advocating for more attention on the west side, she shared about a World Cup event on June 6 with the parks department. She said that Cristiano Ronaldo has more followers than Beyoncé on Instagram, which she said is “unbelievable” and “mind-blowing.”
Mayor Whitmire emphasized the city’s effort to keep events affordable, even though FIFA controls ticket prices at the Houston games. METRO is not raising prices and all of Fan Fest is free to attend. Canetti agreed and said that Houston will be making ticket donations to underserved youth.
Agenda Items, Selected Works
Before getting started on the agenda, CM Kamin recognized Eric Berger and Matt Lanza of Space City Weather, which she called an “incredible institution” Houstonians have come to rely on. She praised their transparency, explanations, and “no hype” forecasting, calling them leaders in science engaged in a labor of love that is now national through their sister site, The Eyewall, which she said is “saving lives.”
Moving on to the agenda…
- Item 5 approved $24M over three years for emergency and safety vehicle parts and repairs.
- Item 8 approved $350K for ten Derq video detection systems from MoboTrex to be installed at traffic signals along the Almeda corridor before the World Cup. CM Salinas voted for the item but cautioned about the risk of mass surveillance. She said, “I hope and trust that the contract we ultimately sign will ensure that the data is maintained locally and will ensure that it will not be used for any purpose other than traffic management.”
- Item 9 approved $450K through 2031 for work boots for city employees.
- Item 15 approved $758K for demolition services leading up to the renovation of the Northwest Solid Waste transfer station. CM Peck supported the item but advocated for another site during the two year long construction period to avoid trash delays that could lead to illegal dumping.
- Item 21 approved $999K for street sweeping downtown.
- Item 22 approved $1.1M for expenses related to the May 16 election.
- Item 23 approved $1.4M for the reconstruction of Campbell Road in District A. The county will pay for the rest. CM Peck thanked Commissioner Ramsay.
- Item 28 approved a land acquisition (funds were previously appropriated) for a paving and drainage project in Alief Forest South.
- Item 30 approved $9M for the next 730 calendar days to reestablish roadside ditches at TBA locations across the city. Yes, I know “730 calendar days” is weird but it’s what the support document said.
- Park Funding:
- Item 16 approved $850K for playground equipment at Melrose Park and Selena Quintanilla Park. CM Castillo thanked State Representatives Walle and Hernandez for the funding.
- Item 17 approved $493K for renovations to Hager Park.
- Item 18 approved $887K to renovate the Friendship Pavilion at Hermann Park.
- Item 19 approved $2.3M to renovate the Bissonnet Maintenance Facility for the parks department.
- Item 20 approved $1.3M to replace the roof at the Marian Park recreation center. CM Castex-Tatum said “This is a great day for parks in our city.”
Item 34: Campaign Finance Reform
Item 34 proposed repealing a section of the Code of Ordinances that limits the amount of campaign contributions that may be used to repay personal loans made by a candidate to their own campaign. CM Pollard used Prop A to bring this item forward, with support from CMs Evans-Shabazz and Thomas, because the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that a similar policy violated the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
CMs Carter, Peck, Martinez, and Mayor Whitmire supported campaign finance reform but all suggested sending this item to the Ethics and Governance committee. CM Peck said, “I don’t think that the proposed ordinance is the best or only way to avoid being in conflict with this Supreme Court case.” They all suggested repealing this ordinance could allow millionaires to buy elections. They all advocated for general election, ethics, and campaign finance reform after more discussion at committee. CM Martinez criticized the lack of ethics committee meetings in the past, which he has been rectifying.
CM Pollard accused his colleagues of a double standard. Recalling the recent ICE ordinance debate, he said, “This body just a few weeks ago wanted to have a whole conversation about how we don’t want to have any local ordinances that are in conflict with state or federal law. Now all of a sudden … where it is a true ruling by the Supreme Court that on its face says that it violates free speech protections, and now we want to refer to a committee and have all these other discussions about it.” Pollard said no one brought up these concerns over the last month that he was discussing this with his colleagues. He suggested they were in a “coordinated effort to prolong or sabotage this Prop A.”
CM Ramirez complained that the city doesn’t enforce anything in regards to campaign finance. He agreed with sending it to committee and advocated for robust discussion.
CM Kamin said campaign finance reform is long overdue, as well as enforcing residency requirements for city council candidates. She complained that city council is a part-time job, which limits the type of people who can run for council due to financial limitations.
The motion to send this item to the Ethics and Governance committee passed 12-5.
People who voted to send it to committee, thereby delaying it: Mayor Whitmire, CMs Peck, Jackson, Flickinger, Huffman, Castillo, Ramirez, Carter, Alcorn, Castex-Tatum, Davis
People who voted not to send it to committee: CMs Kamin, Evans-Shabazz, Thomas, Pollard, Salinas
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
budget survey: https://bit.ly/4cQi6z9
http://www.fwc26houston.com
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.
