Notes on the Houston City Council Meeting on November 4, 2026

Agenda

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

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Mayor’s Report

Mayor Whitmire remarked on the election, saying, “Elections matter, relationships matter, experience counts.” He said he has personal relations with the new statewide leadership and that collaboration has already begun. He said he supports Rep. Senfronia Thompson’s bid for speaker of the House and is helping her network, including with “those across the aisle.” He hopes that Texas will begin to focus funding and resources on urban areas, “where Texans live.”

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 1 approved the renewal of Houston’s annual membership in the Texas Municipal League for $109K.
• Item 2 approved the final payment for the recarpeting of IAH’s Terminal B and C Skyway. Total cost was $2.6M.
• Item 9 approved ~$1M for eminent domain proceedings for land that will be turned into a pedestrian bridge near Milby High School. CM Martinez mentioned the student who was killed by a car, spurring enhancements to the crossing areas. Mayor Whitmire thanked Senator Alvarado for securing state funding.
• Item 10 would have approved a ~$2M one-year contract with Ernst & Young for an audit of the airport systems, but CM Pollard tagged it, so it’s on hold for one week.
• Item 12 approved $3M over one year for health/medical supplies and services for seniors. This program is funded by a federal grant.
• Item 19 accepted a $1.2M grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for homeless services.
• Item 20 accepted a $409K grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for youth homeless services.
• Item 21 approved $974K for mobile data computers for the fire department.
• Item 22 approved $2.2M to upgrade HPD’s mobile technology devices.
• Item 23 approved $779K to upgrade more HPD tech.
• Item 24 approved $434K to continue modernizing HPD’s staffing and scheduling technology.
• Item 27 approved $7.5M over three years for on-call environmental consulting services at the airports, including FAA/EPA coordination, support for development projects, remediation of hazardous materials, support for grant applications, and more.
• Item 29 approved $2.4M over three years for helicopter maintenance and training services for HPD.
• Item 33 approved $154K in TIRZ 9 funding to purchase land that will eventually connect Simon Minchen Park and Sims Bayou.
• Items 37-41 designated properties as a Landmark or Protected Landmark in Districts C, D, and I. CM Panzarella remarked on Item 39, Protected Landmark status for a house in Freedmen’s Town, calling it an “amazing opportunity to allow Houston to continue to grow … while protecting the historical buildings that make it so special.”
• Item 47 approved $1.1M for the reconstruction of the Hirsch Road bridge in District B. CM Jackson said the bridge is an important neighborhood connector and has been down for two years. Improvements include a stronger foundation, safer rails and approaches, and better accommodation for walking and biking.

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Public Comment

Normally, public comment is on Tuesday but because Tuesday was election day, the two meetings were combined. There were 16 public speakers; here is a selection:

• Eight people criticized the destruction of a historic Kirby Mansion. They suggested ideas for how to preserve historic buildings going forward: an automatic demolition moratorium for old buildings to allow time for assessment, a historic building inventory, zoning, land regulations, permit enforcement, and strengthening the preservation ordinance. Several CMs voiced support, including Alcorn, Panzarella, Castillo, and Martinez. CM Davis polled speakers on whether they would support zoning.
• One person renovating a triplex in Third Ward asked for help navigating expensive sewer system repairs. CM Evans-Shabazz referred them to a staff member.
• One person plugged the Breaking Bread Together Initiative.
• One person was critical of ICE and advocated for the release of Juan Francisco Turuy, who has been in ICE custody for three months after calling HPD to report an active shooting.

Monthly Financial Report

Finance Director Melissa Dubowski and Controller Chris Hollins both gave their respective reports.

Director Dubowski said sales tax revenue in August was $76.2M, “which is about $4.1M or 5.70% higher than the same period last year.” She predicts an ending fund balance of $351M. The ending fund balance is like the city’s savings account. Remarking on the economy, Dubowski called the price of oil “highly variable.” She said the price of oil in September was $97.31, which is 16% higher than August and 52.1% higher than the same period last year. The median price of homes for sale in Houston is $325K.

Controller Hollins shared that 1.3M people in Harris County voted in the midterms, “The largest turnout by far of any midterm in Harris County history.” He praised voters, poll workers, and election staff. He said, “This election was a rejection of hate, a rejection of corruption and cronyism, a rejection of the do-nothing status quo, and a rejection of anything in politics or in government that isn’t in service of making our lives better.”

Hollins then pivoted to the financial report. He predicts an ending fund balance of $306M. He remarked on a Right of Way fee, the implementation of which remains uncertain, but he said if it is not implemented, the ending fund balance could be reduced to $202M, which is only $5M above the required amount.

He remarked on recent audits of city services and said, “The city has opportunities to be more efficient and more effective if we simply follow our own rules.” His office flagged several issues with P-Card use (debit cards employees use for work related purchases) and the city’s hiring process. He also criticized the city’s continued collaboration with ICE. He called this a human rights and civil rights matter, but added, “As city controller, it’s my job to protect Houston’s tax dollars from abuse. And I want to be clear here. HPD overtime is being spent on this.”

He concluded by plugging a Thanksgiving drive on November 21.

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Council Member Pop-Off

• CM Thomas told Texas voters, “You did your job last night,” congratulated winners, especially former colleagues Leticia Plummer and Abbie Kamin, and said, “It’s up in Texas.” She shared condolences for Carolyn Boozer.
• CM Castex-Tatum shared that the Spelman Detention Basin received the Building Excellence in Standards and Thinking Award. She plugged a Planning Commission meeting on 11/12 at 2:30pm regarding development at Fondren and Court Reserve in Fort Bend. She congratulated election winners.
• CM Martinez shared news about the groundbreaking on a drainage project at Magnolia Park. He congratulated election winners, praised voter turnout and said he is “excited about the new state administration that’s coming into office.”
• CM Pollard praised election results, saying, “I believe people want to be represented by those with high moral character.” He criticized “a leader at the very top who is rude, condescending, calls people losers and dumb, tells other professionals that they are stupid, makes fun of the disabled, says crude remarks about women.” He encouraged de-emphasizing party politics, disagreeing without being disagreeable, and concluded, “Whether your party won or not last night, remember, we all win when we all work together.”
• CM Alcorn congratulated election winners, especially former colleagues Leticia Plummer and Abbie Kamin.
• CM Salinas praised election results. She criticized HPD’s continued collaboration with ICE, saying, “We are continuing to see HPD go well above and beyond what state law requires. There are far too many instances where we are holding people on the side of the road for up to an hour or more … waiting for ICE to arrive. There is no state law that requires us to do it.” She also criticized HPD for calling ICE on crime victims.
• CM Evans-Shabazz praised two recent city appointments, Herbert Sims as Director of HR and Rebekah Williams as Director of the Department of Neighborhoods. She congratulated Leticia Plummer and Abbie Kamin. She said, “Thank you, Harris County, for knowing the assignment.”
• CM Castillo congratulated election winners. “We saw Congresswoman-elect Leticia Gutierrez win her election in a district that was drawn to not elect her.” He praised voter turnout, especially among young people.
• CM Davis congratulated election winners. He recapped a recent Financial Symposium.
• CM Panzarella congratulated election winners. “For the immigrant communities and for our LGBTQ communities that felt deeply impacted by the previous administration, today’s a new day.”
• CM Jackson congratulated election winners and thanked the people and organizations who work hard during elections. She advocated for resources at Pleasanton Manor Park.

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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/law-enforcement/2026/08/12/559318/ice-houston-police-shooting-witness-da/

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.

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