The Fine Print: Houston
What they put in the agenda
Every agenda the site reads, from Commissioners Court and City Council to the port, the transit authority, the college districts and the school boards, is checked item by item. Anything that adds a rule, a fee, debt, surveillance or land control, or that happens behind closed doors, is logged here with the agenda's own words. Anything that cuts or repeals one is logged too, as a rollback.
Showing Houston City Council only. Every government →
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Revise tax abatement guidelines and add infill development subsection
Amends Article IV of Chapter 44 relating to tax abatement agreements, revising guidelines and criteria and adding new subsection for infill development applications.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 25: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE AMENDING ARTICLE IV OF CHAPTER 44 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, HOUSTON, TEXAS, relating to Tax Abatement, including Revising and Reauthorizing Guidelines and Criteria Governing Tax Abatement Agreements and including a new Subsection for Infill Development Applications; containing findings and other provisions relating to the foregoing subject; providing for an effective date; providing for severability; and containing a savings clause TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBERS FLICKINGER, CASTEX-TATUM, DAVIS and CARTER This was Item 10 on Agenda of October 21, 2026
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Authorize eminent domain for water line project
Authorizes acquisition of fee simple or easement interests in two parcels for 66-Inch Water Line Project along Veterans Memorial Drive and West Gulf Bank Road using gift, dedication, purchase, or eminent domain; authorizes payment of acquisition costs including appraisals, relocation assistance and expert witness fees.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 23: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE finding and determining that public convenience and necessity for the acquisition of real property interests in connection with the Public Improvement Project known as the 66-Inch Water Line along Veterans Memorial Drive and West Gulf Bank Road Project; authorizing the acquisition of fee simple or easement interest in two parcels of land required for the project, and situated in the G. Green Survey, Abstract No. 281, Harris County, Texas, by gift, dedication, purchase and the use of eminent domain and further authorizing payment of the costs of such purchases and/or eminent domain proceedings and associated costs for Relocation Assistance, Appraisal Fees, Title Policies/Services, Recording Fees, Court Costs, and Expert Witness Fees in connection with the acquisition of fee simple or easement interest to the two parcels of land required for the project - DISTRICT B - JACKSON Ordinance Report - 20SW07 Coversheet Location Map - 66 Inch
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Apply for HUD Sunnyside Agricultural Hub grant
Authorizes application to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for grant funding for Sunnyside Agricultural Hub and Training Center Project.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 20: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE ratifying approval and authorization of submission of application for Grant Assistance to the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT for Sunnyside Agricultural Hub and Training Center Project, declaring the City’s eligibility for such Grant; authorizing the Director to act as the City’s representative in the application process, accept the Grant Funds, and expend the Grant Funds, as awarded, and to apply for and accept all subsequent awards, if any, pertaining to the Grant; approving and authorizing Grant Agreement with Agency for Grant
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Apply for HHS opioid overdose naloxone training grant
Authorizes application to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration for First Responder Opioid Overdose Naloxone Training grant.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 19: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE ratifying approval and authorization of submission of application for Grant Assistance to UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE ADMINISTRATION for First Responder Opioid Overdose Naloxone Training and Linkage into Needed Evidence-Based Services, declaring the City’s eligibility for such Grant; authorizing the Director to act as the City’s representative in the application process, accept the Grant Funds, and expend the Grant Funds, as awarded, and to apply for and accept all subsequent awards, if any, pertaining to the Grant
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Apply for FEMA SAFER Grant for fire and emergency response staffing
Authorizes application to Federal Emergency Management Agency for FY2025 Staff for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant, with Fire Chief as City representative to accept and expend grant funds and cash match.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 18: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE ratifying approval and authorization of submission of application for Grant Assistance to FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FY2025 Staff for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program, declaring the City’s eligibility for such Grant; authorizing the Fire Chief to act as the City’s representative in the application process, accept the Grant Funds, and expend the Grant Funds, as awarded, and to apply for and accept all subsequent awards, if any, pertaining to the Grant; providing for Cash Match; approving and authorizing a Grant Agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Security installation and maintenance services contracts
Approves contracts with three vendors for security installation systems and maintenance services over three years with two one-year renewal options, maximum $30,075,000.00 from General and Other Funds.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 16: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE approving and authorizing contracts with 3:5 GROUP, LLC d/b/a MID SOUTH, DIGITAL AIR CONTROL, INC dba DAC, INC and INTERTECH SECURITY, LLC for Security Installation Systems and Maintenance Services; providing a maximum contract amount - 3 Years with 2 one-year options - $30,075,000.00 - General and Other Funds
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Contract with Harris County for election services
Approves contract with Harris County to provide election services for November 3, 2026 general and special elections at maximum cost of $1,982,389.57 from General Fund.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 9: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE approving and authorizing a contract with HARRIS COUNTY to provide Election Services for the General and Special Elections to be held on November 3, 2026; providing a maximum contract amount - $1,982,389.57 - General Fund
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Issue Combined Utility System First Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds
Authorizes issuance of Combined Utility System First Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds, hedge agreement termination, and defeasance of certain outstanding obligations.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 8: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE supplementing the City of Houston, Texas Combined Utility System Master Ordinance No. [2026-___] relating to the issuance of Combined Utility System First Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds in one or more Series; authorizing the Mayor and City Controller to approve the Amounts, Interest Rates, Prices, and Terms thereof and certain other matters relating thereto; making other provisions regarding such Bonds including the use of one or more Preliminary Official Statements and authorizing the Preparation and Distribution of one or more Official Statements and matters incident thereto; awarding the sale of the Bonds; authorizing the Defeasance, Final Payment, Discharge of certain outstanding Combined Utility System Obligations; authorizing the termination of qualified Hedge Agreements and the payment of Termination Payments; authorizing the Execution and Delivery of one or more Bond Purchase Agreements, Paying Agent/Registrar Agreements, authorizing the Execution and Delivery of one or more Escrow Agreements; authorizing the Purchase of and Subscription for certain Escrowed Securities; authorizing Escrow Verification and Engagement of an Escrow Agent; ratifying a Co-Bond Counsel Agreement and a Special Disclosure Co-Counsel Agreement; authorizing the Execution and Delivery of a Paying Agent/Registrar Agreement and other related documents; making other provisions regarding such bonds; and declaring an emergency This item should only be considered after the passage of Item 6 ab
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Issue Combined Utility System First Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds
Authorizes issuance of Combined Utility System First Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds in one or more series to refinance existing obligations, with Mayor and City Controller authorized to set amounts, rates and terms.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 7: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE supplementing the City of Houston, Texas Combined Utility System Master Ordinance No. [2026-___] relating to the issuance of Combined Utility System First Lien Revenue Refunding Bonds in one or more Series; authorizing the Mayor and City Controller to approve the Amounts, Interest Rates, Prices, and Terms thereof and certain other matters relating thereto; making other provisions regarding such Bonds including the use of one or more Preliminary Official Statements and authorizing the Preparation and Distribution of one or more Official Statements and matters incident thereto; awarding the sale of the Bonds; authorizing the Defeasance, Final Payment, Discharge and/or Tender of certain Outstanding Combined Utility System Obligations and other related Procedures, Provisions and Agreements pertaining thereto; authorizing the execution and delivery of one or more Bond Purchase Agreements, Paying Agent/Registrar Agreements, Dealer Management Agreements; Approving Amendments to a Co-Bond Counsel Agreement, and a Special Disclosure Co-Counsel Agreement; and such other agreements relating to the Bonds or the security therefor; and declaring an emergency This item should only be considered after the passage of Item 6 above
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Issue Combined Utility System Revenue Obligations
Authorizes issuance of revenue obligations for the Combined Utility System, establishing terms, conditions, covenants and fund management related to repayment from utility revenues.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 6: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE providing for issuance of City of Houston, Texas, Combined Utility System Revenue Obligations, providing for the payment thereof; making other provisions regarding such obligations and matters incident thereto, including Covenants and Agreements relating to the operation and management of the Combined Utility System, the Revenues derived from its operation and ownership, the establishment and maintenance of funds and accounts for the payment of such obligations, specifying the terms and conditions for the issuance of such obligations and other matters incident and related to their issuance and security; and declaring an emergency
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Establish reporting requirement for City infrastructure projects
Amends City Code Chapter 2 to add Section 2-140 requiring reporting on City of Houston infrastructure projects.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 5: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 2 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES HOUSTON, TEXAS, adding Section 2-140 relating to establishing a Reporting Requirement for City of Houston Infrastructure Projects; containing findings and other provisions relating to the foregoing subject; providing for severability Ordinance Report - 20INA252 Coversheet Infrastructure Reporting Adopting Ord
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Designate ten properties as Protected Landmarks or Landmarks
Public hearing to designate ten residential and church properties as Protected Landmarks or Landmarks in Houston, restricting future alterations or demolition. Property owners applied for designations.
Oct 27, 2026 agenda, item 1: the agenda's words
PUBLIC HEARING regarding the designation of Landmarks or Protected Landmarks upon application by the property owners: Protected Landmark: Trinity United Methodist Church at 2600 Holman Street Protected Landmark: House at 1317 Ruthven Street Protected Landmark: Berean Seventh-Day Adventist Church at 2119 St. Emmanuel Street Protected Landmark: Irene and George Robinson House at 2322 Dunstan Road Protected Landmark: Myrle and Vernon Williams House at 2107 Tangley Street Protected Landmark: Ince-Crain House at 1914 Dunstan Road Protected Landmark: Helen and Jesse O. Webb House at 2232 Dunstan Road Protected Landmark: Myer-Jones House at 2232 Tangley Street Protected Landmark: Mae and John Wallace Donaldson House at 2306 Tangley Street Protected Landmark: Doney-McElwain-Freeman House at 2522 Calumet Street Landmark: First City National Bank at 1021 Main Street Landmark_and_Protected_Landmarks_MAP
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Consent to add 15.3 acres to Dowdell Public Utility District
Ordinance consents to addition of 15.3148 acres of land to Dowdell Public Utility District for inclusion in its district. Affects the specified acreage and district boundaries.
Oct 14, 2026 agenda, item 29.97: the agenda's words
Acre Tract Site Map Vicinity Map ORDINANCE consenting to the addition of 15.3148 acres of land to DOWDELL PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICT, for inclusion in its district Ordinance Report - 20WR646 Coversheet Maps ORDINANCE consenting to the addition of 73.794 acres of land to FORT BEND COUNTY MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT NO. 134C, for inclusion in its district Ordinance Report- 20WR660 Coversheet Maps ORDINANCE finding and determining that public convenience and necessity no longer require the continued use of a 70 square-foot, ground easement (Parecel SY26-062A) and an 854 square-foot aerial easement (Parcel SY26-062B), both out of the Robert Vince Survey, Abstract No. 77, Harris County, Texas; vacating and abandoning the said easements to CENTERPOINT ENERGY HOUSTON ELECTRIC, LLC, the underlying fee property owner, in consideration of its payment to the City in the cash amount of $12,881,.00 and other good and valuable consideration - DISTRICT J - POLLARD Ordinance Report - 20RDP10475 Coversheet HPW20RDP10475 Aerial Map HPW20RDP10475 District Map HPW20RDP10475 Parcel Map 1 ORDINANCE appropriating $8,812,515.48 out of Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Capital Fund - Ad Valorem Tax and $1,730,779.84 out of Water & Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund; approving and authorizing Joint Participation Interlocal Agreement with HARRIS COUNTY for Triway Lane to 350’ east of Gessner Road along Tanner Road Project - DISTRICT A - PECK Ordinance Report- 20INA234 Coversheet Map ORDINANCE
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Appropriate $3.15M from Water & Sewer Construction Fund
Ordinance appropriates $3,150,000 from the Water & Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund as an additional appropriation and authorizes a first amendment to a water storage tanks contract, with funding for CIP cost recovery related to water and sewer facility construction.
Oct 13, 2026 agenda, item 2: the agenda's words
ORDINANCE appropriating $3,150,000.00 out of Water & Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund, as additional appropriation; approving and authorizing First Amendment to contract with Water Storage Tanks at Various Sites; providing funding for CIP Cost Recovery relating to construction of facilities financed by the Water & Sewer System Consolidated Constructio
Deed restrictions
Houston has no zoning; deed restrictions are what keep a business out of a neighborhood, and the city's Legal Department enforces them for neighborhoods. Complaints don't go through 311: they go to drcomplaints@houstontx.gov or the city's complaint form.
- Deed restriction cases reviewed and enforced by the city: 530 in 2024-25, an estimated 550 in 2025-26, and a target of 550 for 2026-27. Nuisance lawsuits handled: 15 in 2024-25, an estimated 10 in 2025-26. [City of Houston FY2027 budget, Legal Department]
- The city's list of reported deed restriction violations has not been updated since Oct. 20, 2015. [data.houstontx.gov]
Code enforcement
- 40% of the City of Houston's Neighborhoods code citations and 36% of Public Works citations were dismissed; the top reasons were "Nolle Prosequi" (the city dropped it), "Officer Not Present" and "Insufficient Evidence." Inspectors made 95,688 residential inspections from Jan. 1, 2024. [KPRC, Nov. 21, 2025]
- Code enforcement inspectors from Neighborhoods and Public Works have been merged into one Community Code Enforcement division in Houston Public Works. Targets for 2026-27: 13,500 weeded-lot cuts, 87% voluntary compliance, 325 demolitions. [City of Houston FY2027 budget, Neighborhoods]
- The Municipal Courts do not publish code citations and how each ended (fined, dismissed, deferred), and the city's code violation dataset was last updated in 2023.
Code and nuisance complaints to Houston 311, by type, and the average days each took to close, from the city's 311 extract.
| Case type | Cases | Closed | Average days to close |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parking Violation | 1,175 | 643 | 6.3 |
| Traffic Signal Maintenance | 1,162 | 882 | 1.2 |
| Container Replacement | 984 | 945 | 1.4 |
| Weeds/Trash/Stagnant Water on Property | 950 | 88 | 5 |
| Trash Dumping or Illegal Dumpsite | 562 | 179 | 4.8 |
| Traffic Signs | 509 | 367 | 4 |
| New Resident Container | 494 | 471 | 1.3 |
| Building Code Violation | 403 | 337 | 2 |
| Container Repair | 340 | 311 | 1.3 |
| Heavy Trash Code Violation | 335 | 119 | 5.4 |
| Health Code | 261 | 25 | 5.7 |
| Junk Motor Vehicle - Private Property | 163 | 34 | 5.1 |
| Bandit Sign - Right of Way | 157 | 148 | 1.8 |
| Traffic Signals | 104 | 54 | 4.9 |
| Dangerous Buildings | 54 | 12 | 3.9 |
| MultiFamily Habitability Violation | 49 | 28 | 1.8 |
| Fire Code Complaint | 49 | 40 | 2.6 |
| Occupancy Violation | 38 | 36 | 2.4 |
| Container Placement | 25 | 3 | 4 |
| Graffiti on Private/Commercial Property | 12 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Drainage System Violation | 11 | 5 | 4.6 |
| Donation Box Violation | 8 | 6 | 2.1 |
| Sign Code Violation | 7 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Malfunctioning Railroad Signal | 4 | 0 | |
| Graffiti - ATT Telephone Equipment | 4 | 0 |
By council district: A 707 (2.5 days) · B 978 (2 days) · C 1,066 (3.1 days) · D 1,118 (2.6 days) · E 370 (2.2 days) · F 337 (3 days) · G 512 (2 days) · H 1,037 (2.7 days) · I 822 (2.7 days) · J 328 (3.1 days) · K 557 (4.1 days) ·
Ghosts in the machine
These cities pass ordinances, set tax rates and sign contracts, and none of it appears here: their agendas could not be read by machine in the last 90 days (scanned images, script-only pages, or no posted agendas). Unseen is not clean.
- 9,613 residents · Jacinto City (0 agendas read, 0 new items; newest agenda posted is for May 28, 2026)
- 4,385 residents · City of Hunters Creek Village Its website does not answer this site's public-records reader, and has since Oct 23, 2026. Its meeting agendas are public records the city must post under the Texas Open Meetings Act; nothing it approves can be shown here until it lets them be read.
- 3,704 residents · City of Taylor Lake Village Its website answers "forbidden" to this site's public-records reader, and has since Oct 23, 2026. Its meeting agendas are public records the city must post under the Texas Open Meetings Act; nothing it approves can be shown here until it lets them be read.
- 3,128 residents · City of Piney Point Village (0 agendas read, 0 new items)
- 816 residents · City of Hilshire Village (0 agendas read, 0 new items)
Scorecard, last 12 months
Points: New rules 3 · Money 4 · Surveillance 4 · Land control 3 · Strings attached 2 · Secrecy 2 · Rollback −3 · the same weights The Fine Print uses everywhere. The Fuckery Meter adds tax rates, consent agendas, closed sessions, missing notice and withheld records.