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 Lone Star College Board of Trustees only. Every government →
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Contract for Cisco Smartnet hardware licensing, replacement, and support services
The Board authorized purchase of Cisco Smartnet hardware licensing, replacement, and support services from Netsync Network Solutions for a total sum not exceeding $2,875,000 over up to a five-year term. This contract was placed on the consent agenda and exceeds $1,000,000.
Oct 1, 2026 agenda, item A.10: the agenda's words
Auth/Interlocal Agrmnts & Amends/Tomball ISD Nutt
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Adopt resolution levying total ad valorem tax rate for Tax Year 2026
The Board adopted a resolution establishing the total ad valorem tax rate for Tax Year 2026, combining the M&O and I&S components previously approved.
Oct 1, 2026 agenda, item A.3: the agenda's words
Apprvl/Motion & Adopt/Resolution Levying Total Tax Rate Year 2026 Vienne
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Levy I&S property tax component for Tax Year 2026 debt service
The Board approved the Interest and Sinking component of the ad valorem tax rate for Tax Year 2026 to support debt service obligations. The specific rate amount was not disclosed in the agenda item summary.
Oct 1, 2026 agenda, item A.2: the agenda's words
Apprvl/Motion/Levy/I&S/Tax Rate Year 2026 Vienne
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Levy M&O property tax component at $0.0839 per $100 assessed valuation, 7.98% increase
The Board approved the Maintenance and Operations component of the ad valorem tax rate for Tax Year 2026 at $0.0839 per $100 of assessed valuation, representing a 7.98% increase over the prior year. This rate will generate revenue to support the college system's general fund expenditures for FY 2027.
Oct 1, 2026 agenda, item A.1: the agenda's words
Apprvl/Motion/Levy/M&O/Tax Rate Year 2026 Vienne
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Notice of intent to hold public hearing on ad valorem tax rate
Board considers approval for Lone Star College System to provide notice of intent to hold required public hearing and set the ad valorem tax rate for tax year 2026. This is a procedural step preceding formal tax rate adoption.
Sep 16, 2026 agenda, item IN.2: the agenda's words
C onsideration of A pproval for Lone Star College System (the “System”) to Provide Notice of Intent to Hold the Required Public Hearing and to Set the Ad Valorem Tax Rate for Tax Year 202 6 (ACTION ITEM 2) (Kristy Vienne)
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Approval of higher interest and sinking tax rate for 2026
Lone Star College System requests board approval of an interest and sinking (I&S) tax rate of $0.0219 per $100 of taxable assessed valuation for tax year 2026, which exceeds the rate of $0.0138 determined under Texas Tax Code Section 26.05(a-1). Taxpayers in the college system's jurisdiction would be affected.
Sep 16, 2026 agenda, item IN.1: the agenda's words
Consideration of Approval of a Higher Interest and Sinking (“I&S”) Tax Rate Under Tax Code Section 26.05(a - 1) for Tax Year 2026 (ACTION ITEM 1) (Kristy Vienne)
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Notice of intent to hold public hearing and set ad valorem tax rate
Lone Star College System seeks approval to provide notice of intent to hold a required public hearing and to set the ad valorem tax rate for tax year 2026. The action precedes formal tax rate adoption and affects all taxable property within the district.
Sep 10, 2026 agenda, item IN.2: the agenda's words
C onsideration of A pproval for Lone Star College System (the “System”) to Provide Notice of Intent to Hold the Required Public Hearing and to Set the Ad Valorem Tax Rate for Tax Year 202 6 (ACTION ITEM 2) (Kristy Vienne)
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Approval of higher interest and sinking tax rate for 2026
Lone Star College Board of Trustees seeks approval of an interest and sinking (I&S) tax rate of $0.0219 per $100 of taxable assessed valuation for tax year 2026, which exceeds the statutory rate of $0.0138 per $100. This rate increase affects all property owners within the college district's taxing jurisdiction.
Sep 10, 2026 agenda, item IN.1: the agenda's words
Consideration of Approval of a Higher Interest and Sinking (“I&S”) Tax Rate Under Tax Code Section 26.05(a - 1) for Tax Year 2026 (ACTION ITEM 1) (Kristy Vienne)
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.