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 City of Webster only. Every government →
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Ratify increase in total property tax revenue for fiscal year 2026-2027
Required separate vote to ratify property tax revenue increase reflected in the fiscal year 2026-2027 annual budget, as mandated by Texas Local Government Code Section 102.007.
Oct 20, 2026 agenda, item 10: the agenda's words
CONSIDERATION/ACTION to ratify the increase in total property tax revenue as reported in the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Annual Budget for the City of Webster, Texas.
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Adopt ordinance setting tax rate at $0.38663 per $100 of taxable value
Establishes ad valorem tax rate of $0.38663 per $100 taxable value for fiscal year 2026-2027, exceeding the no-new-revenue rate but not the voter-approval rate. Increases taxes on average homestead by $22.82 or 2.45% from previous year.
Oct 20, 2026 agenda, item 9: the agenda's words
CONSIDERATION/ACTION to adopt an Ordinance of which the caption reads:
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One-time fee for notification of owner of towed vehicle
Establishes a new $50 fee for notification of vehicle owner when a vehicle is towed. Vehicle owners will pay this fee.
Oct 6, 2026 agenda, item 6: the agenda's words
One - time fee for notification of owner of towed vehicle: $50.00
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Ordinance 38663 adopts FY 2026-2027 tax rate
Ordinance adopting the city's tax rate for fiscal year 2026-2027 (2026 tax year). The specific rate is not stated in the agenda item text.
Sep 22, 2026 agenda, item 5: the agenda's words
CONSIDERATION/ ACTION to adopt an Ordinance of which the caption reads:
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Public hearing on Fiscal Year 2026-2027 proposed annual budget
Public hearing held on the city's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-2027. Budget adoption would establish spending and potential tax rates for the fiscal year.
Sep 22, 2026 agenda, item 4: the agenda's words
PUBLIC HEARING on the Fiscal Year 2026- 2027 Proposed Annual Budget for the City of Webster, Texas.
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Adopt FY 2026-2027 annual budget and appropriations
City Council adopts the FY 2026-2027 annual budget with appropriations for stated purposes. Budget reflects tax rate of $0.38663 per $100 of taxable value.
Sep 22, 2026 agenda, item 20: the agenda's words
2 6 , that notice of said Public Hearing was provided in accordance with all applicable law, that all parties desiring to participate and be heard at said Public Hearing were heard until no more evidence was offered, and such hearing having been concluded, the City C ouncil of the City of Webster made no changes to the budget as presented ; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEBSTER, TEXAS: Section 1. The facts and matters set forth in the preamble of this ordinance are found to be true and correct. Section 2. The City of Webster Fiscal Year 202 6 - 2 02 7 Annual Budget attached hereto is hereby a pproved and adopted and the same shall be and is hereby filed with the City Secretary. Section 3. The amounts specified for the purposes state d in said budget are appropriated for such purposes. Section 4. The City Secretary is directed to file copies of th is Ordinance and of the adopted budget with the County Clerk of Harris County, Texas , and to cause such budget to be posted on the City’s In ternet website along with the record of the City Council’s vote to approve . Section 5 . This ordinance shall become effective after its approval and adoption upon first and final reading and its publication pursuant to law. PASS ED , APPROVED, AND ADOPTED on first and final reading this ________ day of Se ptember 20 2 6 .
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Propose maximum ad valorem tax rate for FY 2026-2027
City proposes maximum ad valorem tax rate of $0.38663 per $100 of taxable value for fiscal year 2026-2027, which exceeds the no-new-revenue rate of $0.35556.
Sep 22, 2026 agenda, item 6: the agenda's words
CONSIDERATION/ACTION to propose a maximum ad valorem tax rate for Fiscal Year 2026 - 2027 (2026 tax year).
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Public hearing on FY 2026-2027 proposed annual budget
Public hearing on the City of Webster's proposed annual budget for fiscal year 2026-2027. Budget amounts and tax rate will be considered.
Sep 22, 2026 agenda, item 4: the agenda's words
PUBLIC HEARING on the Fiscal Year 2026 - 2027 Proposed A nnual Budget for the City of Webster, Texas.
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.