Houston City Council Meeting - November 4, 2026

Mayor and Council convened at Houston City Hall on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the morning after the 2026 midterm elections. Pastor Alexander Johnson, chair of the police oversight board and pastor-elect of Brentwood Baptist Church, gave the invocation. The official agenda and minutes were not available; this summary is drawn from the raw transcript. Council approved routine consent items, heard extensive public testimony on demolition of the historic Kirby Mansion and preservation policy, reviewed the monthly financial report, and took action on bond ordinances and other agenda items.

Opening, Mayor's Report, and Announcements

• Mayor said elections, relationships, and experience matter, and described early conversations with newly elected state and county leaders, including support for a state House speaker candidate and continued city-county collaboration.
• Councilmembers congratulated newly elected officials and made announcements: a District A town hall for November 5, the Magnolia Park drainage and pavement project groundbreaking, a Labor Committee meeting on the MWBE court ruling and pay-or-play, and a November 21 Thanksgiving drive hosted by the Controller's office.
• Councilmember Alcorn criticized HPD practices related to ICE, saying officers were going beyond state law by holding people for ICE and appearing to call ICE on crime victims; she asked the administration to change policy.
• Councilmember Evans praised the appointments of new HR Director Herbert Sims and Neighborhoods Director Rebecca Williams. Councilmember Jackson requested investment in Pleasantville Manor Park.

Consent Calendar and Separate Agenda Items

• Minutes of October 27 and 28, 2026, were adopted by voice vote.
• The consent calendar was approved in grouped voice votes. Item 26 was pulled; items removed for separate consideration included items 4, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 28, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, and 47.
• Item 4 passed; Councilmember Martinez expressed support for continuing small-business opportunity work after the federal lawsuit ended the MBE requirement.
• Item 9 passed; it funds a grade separation in the East End and Magnolia Park area. Councilmember Martinez noted a student was struck by a train near Milby High School and credited Senator Alvarado with state funding.
• Items 15, 16, and 17, the CUS bond ordinances, were initially tagged by Councilmember Pollard, later untagged, and passed. The Controller said they modernize the master bond ordinance and add bondholder protections.
• Items 28, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, and 47 also passed. Highlights: Item 39 preserved a historic property in Freedmen's Town; Item 47 funded repair of the Hirsch Road bridge, which had been closed for two years.
• Item 10, involving an Ernst & Young airport consulting contract, was tagged by Councilmember Pollard and was discussed but not voted on.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jennifer McCaprail, Preservation Houston: called the Kirby Mansion destruction heartbroken; urged proactive preservation policy, temporary demolition delays, salvage rules, and a citywide historic survey.
• Mark Hall, architect: said it was embarrassing that Houston, as the fourth-largest U.S. city, has no zoning; he supported zoning if it were on the ballot.
• Teresa Brown: asked for a 90-day moratorium for demolition of buildings over 75 years old and for architectural salvage before demolition; she said out-of-town owners showed no regard for health or community.
• Jason Fuller, downtown resident: said he trespassed early Friday to confront workers and stop demolition; he said demolition was done after a red-tag/cease order and without a permit, breaking city and state laws. He supported private property rights but not lawless demolition, and he was not a zoning proponent. He identified the owners and said public outcry was large.
• Manette Bosal, former Archaeological and Historical Commission chair and former Heritage Society president: asked the Mayor to form a task force to strengthen the preservation ordinance, conduct historic surveys, and consider demolition pauses such as San Marcos' 80-year rule.
• Phoebe Tudor, National Trust for Historic Preservation chair: called the demolition a watershed moment; said Houston's historic structures are less than 1% of buildings; asked for historic properties to be flagged when sold, inclusion in the fuel-station ordinance review, landmark designations, and a stronger preservation ordinance.
• Joe Wilson, Glenbrook Valley Civic Club: supported the preservation speakers.
• Lydia Bermudez: requested coordination among the City, Houston Public Works, and Midtown Redevelopment Authority on a sewer solution for her Third Ward triplex restoration; cited a sewer connection cost of $85,000 to $150,000 and prior misuse of affordable-housing funds by a former Midtown official.
• Maureen McNamara, Art House Houston: thanked council for helping save the Garden Oaks Theater; said more than 900 Houstonians donated, and the group was closing on a bridge loan the next morning, though the demolition permit was retained.
• Kimberly Robinson Alexander: announced a Dec. 10, 2026, 'Breaking Bread Together' community meal event in Houston.
• George LeBlanc: requested release of his OIG investigation file, citing a 2016 Texas Third Court of Appeals ruling; the Mayor said the request would be reviewed.
• Anna Wakat: asked council to help a man held in ICE detention after calling 911 to report a shooting and requested more transparency in police reporting.
• Additional speakers raised personal legal and court-related concerns; council did not comment on those matters.

Council Discussion: Historic Preservation

• Several councilmembers thanked the speakers and pledged to work on preservation proposals. Councilmember Alcorn said violators should be fined to the full extent; Councilmembers Carter, Panzarella, and Castillo offered to work with preservation advocates; Councilmember Davis asked about zoning.
• The Mayor noted that the administration was already working with preservation staff on related language.

Financial and Audit Report

• The Finance Director presented the three-plus-nine report for the period ending Sept. 30, 2026. General fund revenue and expenditure projections were unchanged. A $331,000 budget transfer was made from Houston Health to Houston Police for the Crisis Call Diversion Center and CERT program, with $216,000 for the diversion center and $115,000 for CERT.
• August sales tax receipts were $76.2 million, 5.70% higher than the prior year and 3.28% above budget; remaining months would need to come in about 1% below the prior year to hit the $942 million estimate.
• The Finance Department projected an ending general fund balance of $351.6 million, or 13.4% of expenditures excluding debt service and pay-as-you-go, which is $155 million above the 7.5% reserve target. The October report will reflect the adopted property tax rate change, estimated at about $63 million, lowering the balance to roughly 10-10.5%.
• The City Controller projected a lower ending balance of $306 million, or 11.7%, about $45.5 million below the Finance Department's projection because of lower revenue assumptions. The FY2027 projection assumes $104 million in right-of-way fee revenue; without that fee, the balance would fall to about $202 million, or 7.7%, leaving only about $5 million above the reserve target.
• The Controller reported a record Harris County midterm turnout; no exact figure was clearly transcribed.
• Regional indicators included nonfarm employment of 3.495 million in August 2026, up 1.2% year over year; unemployment of 5%; September single-family home sales down 5.7% year over year; and median home price down 0.3% to $325,000.
• The Controller's office flagged P-card issues: transactions above $3,000 limits, spending concentrations, possible split payments, and third-party payment platforms.
• A hiring audit covering 12,000 hires from FY2023 through Q3 FY2026 found the average time to fill a position fell from 94 to 42 business days during a hiring freeze, but some departments still averaged up to 66 days. None of the sampled executive hires had a completely documented conflict-of-interest disclosure, hiring package, or documented offer authority. Human Resources agreed to corrective actions by June 2027.
• The Controller reported the city's general investment pool at $7.12 billion, with an AAA rating and a 4.085% yield, and swap fair value of negative $32 million.
• The Controller called on the city to end voluntary partnership with ICE, citing an ICE agent's indictment after striking a Houston resident, spending on HPD overtime, lost tax revenue, and reduced crime reporting.

Key Outcomes

• Adopted the October 27-28 minutes and approved the consent calendar and separate agenda items as listed; item 10 remained tagged and item 26 was pulled.
• Approved the quarterly financial report for the period ending Sept. 30, 2026.
• Approved CUS bond ordinances, items 15-17, modernizing the master bond ordinance, with the Controller noting the right-of-way fee remains subject to approval by the Texas Water Development Board and Texas Attorney General.
• No formal preservation ordinance changes were voted on; councilmembers and the Mayor indicated ongoing or future work on preservation policy.
• No council vote was taken on ending ICE cooperation; the Controller's request was made during the financial report.
• Several public requests were referred for follow-up, including the OIG file request and the Third Ward sewer coordination request.