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 Galena Park ISD 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.
- Consider approval to renew RFP 26 - 001 Instructional Materials for the term of November 1, 2026, through October 31, 2027, at an estimated annual expenditure of $1,000,000. With the following vendors: Abecedarian ABC, LLC Accelerat e Learning Inc. Advanced Technologies Consultants Arbor Scientific…Oct 5, 2026 · consent agenda · figure as written: $1,000,000
- Consider approval of the award of CSP 26 - 202 Concrete Work for the term of October 6, 2026, through September 30, 2027, at an estimated annual expenditure of $700,000 with the following vendors: Comex Corporation GC Commercial Construction, LLC M&J International Purchasing Co. Inc. MMS - TX Group…Oct 5, 2026 · consent agenda · figure as written: $700,000
- Consider approval of the purchase of Charter Bus & Student Group Travel Services for the term of October 6, 2026, through July 31, 2027, from Sa m’s Limousine and Transportation, Inc. via Klein ISD RFP #25 - 150 renewal at an estimated amount of $300,000.Oct 5, 2026 · consent agenda · figure as written: $300,000
- Consider approval of the a greement with Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District to host the 2027 GPISD Graduation Ceremonies on Saturday, May 22, 2027, at an estimated amount of $150,000.Oct 5, 2026 · consent agenda · figure as written: $150,000
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.
- Section 551.071 Attorney/Client Consultation - For the purpose of a private consultation with the Board's attorney on any or all subjects or matters authorized by law.Oct 5, 2026
- Section 551.072 Real Property - Discuss or deliberate purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property.Oct 5, 2026
- Section 551.074 Personnel - Deliberate appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of a public employee.Oct 5, 2026
- Section 551.076 - Deliberation Regarding Security Devices or Security AuditsOct 5, 2026
- Section 551.089 - Deliberation Regarding Security Devices or Security AuditsOct 5, 2026
- CALL TO ORDER/ANNOUNCE QUORUM II. ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION ACCORDING TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551.001 ET SEQ.Oct 5, 2026
- INFORMATION A. Wanna Giacona, Chief Administrative Officer, presented: 1. Early Head Start Policy Council Meeting Minutes - August 2026 2. Early Head Start Update and Fund 205 Expenditure Report Summary - August 2026 B. Ben Pape, Chief Financial Officer presented: 1. Tax Collection Report - August …Oct 5, 2026
- ADJOURN BOARD WORKSHOP If during the course of the meeting covered by this notice, the Board should determine that a closed session of the Board should be held or is required in relation to an item noticed in this meeting, then such closed session as authorized by Section 551.001 et seq. of the Tex…Oct 5, 2026
- Consider Board Member responsibilities. 2. Consider Superintendent responsibilities. 3. Consider approval of the employment of contractual personnel. C. Section 551.087 - Economic Development Negotiations - Discuss or Deliberate Financial Information from Business Prospect for Economic Development …Sep 14, 2026
- Section 551.071 Attorney/Client Consultation - For the purpose of a private consultation with the Board's attorney on any or all subjects or matters authorized by law.Sep 14, 2026
- Section 551.074 Personnel - Deliberate appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of a public employee.Sep 14, 2026
- CALL TO ORDER/ANNOUNCE QUORUM II. ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION ACCORDING TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE 551.001 ET SEQ.Sep 14, 2026
- RECONVENE FOR POSSIBLE ACTION ON ITEMS DISCUSSED IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION IV. REGULAR MEETING V. PUBLIC COMMENT ITEMS Patrons wishing to address the Board, may do so by registering by 9:30 a.m. the day of the meeting at: https://www.galenaparkisd.com/Page/1139Sep 14, 2026
- INFORMATION A. Wanna Giacona, Chief Administrative Officer, presented: 1. Early Head Start Policy Council Meeting Minutes - June 2026 2. Early Head Start Update and Fund 205 Expenditure Report Summary June 2026 3. Early Head Start Update and Fund 205 Expenditure Report Summary July 2026 B. Ben Pape…Sep 14, 2026
- ADJOURN BOARD WORKSHOP If during the course of the meeting covered by this notice, the Board should determine that a closed session of the Board should be held or is required in relation to an item noticed in this meeting, then such closed session as authorized by Section 551.001 et seq. of the Tex…Sep 14, 2026
- Consider Board Member responsibilities. 2. Consider Superintendent Responsibilities. VII. RECONVENE FOR POSSIBLE ACTION ON ITEMS DISCUSSED IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION VIII. ADJOURN If during the course of the meeting covered by this notice, the Board should determine that a closed session of the Board…Aug 25, 2026
- Section 551.074 Personnel - Deliberate appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of a public employee.Aug 25, 2026
- RECONVENE FOR POSSIBLE ACTION ON ITEMS DISCUSSED IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION V. ADJOURN If during the course of the meeting covered by this notice, the Board should determine that a closed session of the Board should be held or is required in relation to an item noticed in this meeting, then such clos…Aug 25, 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
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