Watch the officials
What they own, spend, bury and hide
Read straight from the bodies' own agendas and vote records: the big money that went through without a separate vote, every closed session and its stated reason, and each official's week of votes.
Showing Stafford MSD Board of Trustees only. Every government →
Buried on consent
A consent agenda passes as one vote, with no discussion unless a member pulls an item off it. These are the largest dollar items that went onto consent in the last 90 days, with the figure as the agenda states it.
"On consent" counts only agendas that label a consent section, and Legistar items the clerk flagged as consent. A body whose agenda has no consent section shows zero.
- Financial Statements - August 2026 Payroll Amounts - August 2026 Vendor Payments over $50K - August 2026 Check Register - August 2026 Disbursement Summary - August 2026 Credit Cards - August 2026 Donations - September 2026Oct 19, 2026 · consent agenda · figure as written: $50K
- 13.C) Financial Statements - August 2026 Payroll Amounts - August 2026 Vendor Payments over $50K - August 2026 Check Register - August 2026 Disbursement Summary - August 2026 Credit Cards - August 2026 Donations - September 2026Oct 19, 2026 · consent agenda · figure as written: $50K
- Financial Statements - July 2026 Payroll Amounts - July 2026 Vendor Payments over $50K - July 2026 Check Register - July 2026 Disbursement Summary - July 2026 Credit Cards - July 2026 Donations - Aug 2026Sep 14, 2026 · consent agenda · figure as written: $50K
- Financial Statements - June 2026 Payroll Amounts - June 2026 Vendor Payments over $50K - June 2026 Check Register - June 2026 Disbursement Summary - June 2026 Credit Cards - June 2026 Donations - July 2026Aug 10, 2026 · consent agenda · figure as written: $50K
Closed sessions
Texas lets a body meet in private only for the reasons listed in the Open Meetings Act (Government Code 551.071–.089). Each closed-session item below is shown with the reason its agenda cites.
- 5. Closed Meeting - Closed meeting will be held for the purposes authorized by the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Section 551.071 - 551.076 concerning any and all purposes permitted by the Act, including but not limited to the following sections and purposes: Texas Government Code S…Oct 19, 2026
- 5.A) 551.074 For the purpose of considering the appointment, employment, resignation, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of a public officer or employeeOct 19, 2026
- 5.A)1. Consider hiring of professional personnel;Oct 19, 2026
- 5.A)2. Consider reassignments, renewals, non-renewals and terminations of contracts for professional personnel.Oct 19, 2026
- 5.B) 551.076 For the purpose of considering the deployment, specific occasions for, or implementation of, security personnel or devicesOct 19, 2026
- Closed Meeting - Closed meeting will be held for the purposes authorized by the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Section 551.071 - 551.076 concerning any and all purposes permitted by the Act, including but not limited to the following sections and purposes: Texas Government Code Sect…Oct 19, 2026
- 551.074 For the purpose of considering the appointment, employment, resignation, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of a public officer or employeeOct 19, 2026
- 551.076 For the purpose of considering the deployment, specific occasions for, or implementation of, security personnel or devicesOct 19, 2026
- Closed Meeting - Closed meeting will be held for the purposes authorized by the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Sections 551.071–551.076, concerning any and all purposes permitted by the Act, including, but not limited to, the following sections and purposes: 551.071 and 551.074Sep 14, 2026
- Obtain legal advice regarding agenda itemsSep 14, 2026
- Deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline and/or dismissal of SMSD employeesSep 14, 2026
- 2023-2026 Safety Audit ResultsSep 14, 2026
- Closed Meeting - Closed meeting will be held for the purposes authorized by the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Section 551.071 - 551.076 concerning any and all purposes permitted by the Act, including but not limited to the following sections and purposes: Texas Government Code Sect…Aug 10, 2026
- 551.071 For the purpose of a private consultation with the Board's attorney on all subjects or matter authorized by lawAug 10, 2026
- 551.072 For the purpose of discussing the purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real property:Aug 10, 2026
- 551.073 For the purpose of discussing negotiated contracts for prospective gifts or donationsAug 10, 2026
- 551.076 For the purpose of considering the deployment, specific occasions for, or implementation of, security personnel or devicesAug 10, 2026
Records fights
When a government wants to keep a requested record secret, Texas law makes it ask the Attorney General. Each ruling below was addressed to a Houston-area body. The site reads every ruling the Attorney General posts, in number order.
City of Houston 256 rulings, 194 let it withhold Harris County 206 rulings, 114 let it withhold Houston ISD 29 rulings, 15 let it withhold City of Pasadena 20 rulings, 3 let it withhold Katy ISD 15 rulings, 7 let it withhold City of Missouri City 11 rulings, 7 let it withhold Harris Central Appraisal District 8 rulings, 0 let it withhold Cypress-Fairbanks ISD 6 rulings, 6 let it withhold City of Pearland 6 rulings, 5 let it withhold Humble ISD 5 rulings, 5 let it withhold City of Baytown 5 rulings, 2 let it withhold City of Stafford 4 rulings, 0 let it withhold City of Humble 4 rulings, 0 let it withhold City of Friendswood 4 rulings, 3 let it withhold Spring ISD 3 rulings, 1 let it withhold City of Seabrook 3 rulings, 0 let it withhold City of La Porte 3 rulings, 0 let it withhold Port Houston 2 rulings, 0 let it withhold City of Waller 2 rulings, 0 let it withhold Tomball ISD 1 rulings, 0 let it withhold Spring Branch ISD 1 rulings, 0 let it withhold Pasadena ISD 1 rulings, 1 let it withhold Galena Park ISD 1 rulings, 0 let it withhold City of Tomball 1 rulings, 0 let it withhold City of Galena Park 1 rulings, 0 let it withhold City of Bellaire 1 rulings, 1 let it withhold Alief ISD 1 rulings, 0 let it withhold
- No ruling addressed to a Houston-area body read yet. The reader works through the year's rulings in order.
Meeting transcripts
City Council and Commissioners Court meetings, as text, from the meeting video's own transcript. Search every word said at the microphone.
- Harris County Commissioners Court: 75 meetings on file, newest date not stated
- Houston City Council: 10 meetings on file, newest Oct 20, 2026
Card and travel spending
Payments in the City of Houston checkbook whose purchasing type or account says they were card purchases, and payments charged to travel accounts (airfare, lodging, per diem, mileage, conferences), added up by department and by payee. The checkbook doesn't name the employee who used a card.
Card purchases (FY2027)
| Department | Total | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | $4.1M | 2 |
| Paid to | Total | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| JPMORGAN CHASE BANK NATIONAL | $4.1M | 2 |
Travel (FY2027)
| Department | Total | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Police Department-HPD | $29.1K | 16 |
| Mayor's Office | $24.5K | 6 |
| Houston Airport System (HAS) | $14.1K | 3 |
| Houston Health Department | $13K | 57 |
| Houston Public Works - HPW | $2.9K | 3 |
| Business Opportunity | $390 | 3 |
| Municipal Courts Department | $55 | 2 |
| Paid to | Total | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| * | $20K | 59 |
| TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY | $16.3K | 2 |
| LivingWorks Education USA INC | $12K | 1 |
| IFMA | $7.1K | 1 |
| GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT SERVICES | $6.8K | 1 |
| HARRIS COUNTY | $4.6K | 1 |
| ASCE - AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL | $2.9K | 3 |
| Kyle A Ramon | $2.3K | 2 |
| GENERAL ONE-TIME VENDOR | $2.1K | 5 |
| NATALIA CONTRERAS RIFFO | $2K | 1 |
| MEDSERV INC | $1.7K | 1 |
| LINDSEY TIZZARD | $1.4K | 1 |
What the auditors found
- The City Controller's fuel card audit found 1,286 city fuel cards that bought $11.8 million in fuel; 12,560 purchases were made at gas stations within three miles of a city fuel island; 91% of monthly card statements weren't reviewed; $557,000 went to premium fuel; 8 of 20 controls tested worked. City Controller, fuel card audit 2026-03
- The Harris County Auditor's purchase card audit (Jan. 7, 2025) tested 168 cards: 60% of transactions weren't reviewed within the required 5 days, reviews took 41 days on average, a spending-limit control was turned off, and $3,425 in sales tax was paid that the county doesn't owe. Harris County Auditor, Purchase Card Processes
- The city's outside efficiency study flagged purchase cards used outside the city's own rules. City of Houston Efficiency Study, final report, p. 7
Source: City of Houston checkbook file.
Personal financial statements
Personal financial statements list an official's jobs, stocks, land, loans and gifts. None of the offices that collect them for Houston-area officials publish them online as files the site can read, so this is where each one is and how to get a copy.
| Who | Where it is | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Mayor and City Council | Filed with the City Secretary each year under the city's ethics ordinance. Not posted online; the City Legal Department's 2025 ethics briefing describes filing, not publication. City Legal Department ethics presentation, Aug. 21, 2025 | Ask the City Secretary, or file a public information request with the city. |
| County Judge, commissioners and other county officers | Filed with the County Clerk. The Clerk's archive of personal financial reports sits behind a sign-in. Harris County Clerk, personal finance reports | Search the Clerk's archive, or ask the County Clerk's office. |
| County vendors and officers: conflicts of interest | Conflict of interest questionnaires (CIQ) and disclosure statements are public and searchable at the County Clerk. Harris County Clerk, conflict of interest filings | Search by name. |
| State officers, legislators and judges | Filed with the Texas Ethics Commission. The Commission does not post them; they're released on request under the Public Information Act. Texas Ethics Commission, personal financial statements | Request a copy from the Texas Ethics Commission. |
Revolving door
People who held a Houston City Council seat, the mayor's office, the county judge's office or a Commissioners Court seat (from Wikidata, the free database behind Wikipedia), checked against the Texas Ethics Commission's list of registered lobbyists and the City of Houston's checkbook payees. These are name matches: the same first and last name in both records. Two different people can share a name; check the linked record before treating a match as the same person. Wikidata's list of past council members is incomplete, so a missing name means only that it isn't in both lists.
No name matches yet (22 office-holder records from Wikidata (5 positions); 19773 lobbyist-client registrations (Texas Ethics Commission)).
Local lobbyists: Harris County keeps its own lobbyist registry. Harris County Clerk lobbyist search
Your rep's week
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Every official with a recorded vote in the last three weeks. Pick one to see each vote, what they moved and seconded, and the money their board put on its agenda. Find who represents your address →
Harris County Commissioners Court: Adrian Garcia Lesley Briones Lina Hidalgo Rodney Ellis Tom S. Ramsey, P.E.
Houston City Council: Carter Jackson Pollard Salinas Thomas
Houston ISD Board of Managers: Angela Lemond Flowers Edgar Colón Janette Garza Lindner Karen Duffy Lauren Gore Marcos Rosales Marty Goossen Paula Mendoza Ric Campo
Pasadena ISD board: Davila Fernandez Gonzalez Kendrick Phelan Sullivan