Houston Mayor John Whitmire questioned about rules over adding agenda items

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houstonians voted to give Houston City Council members more power but are getting it? In 2023, Proposition A passed with 83% of the vote, allowing three or more city council members to request in writing an addition to the council agenda. But at least one council member told ABC13, it's not as simple at that under the current administration.

Houston has a strong mayor with a lot of power. That includes controlling the agenda, and while council members were supposed to have more say for their constituents, implementing it is not so simple.

There are sixteen city council members. There is only one mayor. And until last year, it was only the mayor who could put items on the agenda at meetings. Council had no authority. And while Proposition A changed that at the ballot box, putting it into practice may have proved more challenging.

ABC13 reported in April 2024 that Houston Mayor John Whitmire created a committee to review council-led agenda items, prompting confusion. Some council members said it was an attempt to wrestle power and tip the scales back to a strong mayor system.

Now, some 14 months later, ABC13 has learned that before any council-led agenda items get to the agenda, they must go through city legal.

Mayor Whitmire says it's just part of due diligence, and he's transparent with the council and wants them to have access to department directors.

"You need to vet things instead of just coming along with an idea. In all due respect, I've been more transparent and cooperative with the council," Whitmire told ABC13. "Previous administrations would not even let council talk to the directors because previous administrations said those are my directors."

Prop A was intended, in part, to give Houstonians a bigger voice by having their closest connection to city hall, their council members have a say at what gets discussed around the table and ultimately impacts neighborhoods directly---whether its roads, housing, water, or safety. Whitmire seems to say it's not as simple as that, but that doesn't mean there's not transparency. In fact, he argues it's the opposite of that.

"Prop A sounds great. I support it," he said. "I want public input, but you can't do something if you haven't heard from the public. That's all. I want the committee system to work better at the city of Houston."

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