Houston City Council

The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U. S. state of Texas. The Council has sixteen members: eleven from council districts and five elected at large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, with the most recent election being held in 2023 and the next being held in 2027. All positions are up for re election at the same time. Council Members are limited to two terms of four years. Under the current city charter, if the population in the city limits went past 2.1 million residents, the previous nine member city council districts would be expanded with the addition of two city council districts. Since the threshold was passed, the city created two new districts. The Council works with the mayor in a strong mayor council model. The City Council monitors the performance of city agencies, confirm the mayor's appointments, and makes land use decisions as well as legislating on a variety of other issues. The Mayor chairs meetings of City Council and has a vote in the proceedings in all cases. In the event of the Mayor's absence, the Mayor Pro Tem, a member of the Council chosen for the position by the mayor, presides over Council meetings. Should both the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem be unavailable, the Vice Mayor Pro Tem, chosen for the position by fellow Council Members, will preside. City Council and the Administrative Office of City Council (AOCC), a division of the Finance Department which serves administrative duties for the council, are housed in the City Hall Annex in Downtown Houston.

Between the Reconstruction and the enacting of court ordered city council redistricting in the 1970s, none of the city council members were black. Until 1972 all of the members of the city council were white.

District B serves areas in northern Houston and northeast Houston. Chris Moran of the Houston Chronicle said that the district "is considered an African American stronghold." and George Bush Intercontinental Airport. the runoff for District B had not yet taken place even though the first round of the election occurred in 2019. After a year long delay the runoff election for District B took place Dec. 12, 2020, between Tarsha Jackson, an advocate for criminal justice reform, and Cynthia Bailey, head of a non profit focused on helping local kids. Jackson defeated Bailey with 68.5% of the vote.

District C extends from an area north of the 610 Loop, through the Houston Heights area, down to the Braeswood area. The current District C includes most of the Houston Heights, Montrose, the Houston Museum District, and some communities around Rice University. almost all of Oak Forest. Because of the inclusion of the Montrose, Heights, and Rice University areas, it has the nickname "Hipstrict" for what Chris Moran of the Houston Chronicle refers to as its "progressive, urban ethic." Historically District C has covered areas within the "Inner Loop" (areas inside the 610 Loop) and western Houston. 20 years before 2011, Montrose was moved from District C to district D to avoid putting too many minorities in a single city council district. Kristen Mack of the Houston Chronicle said that District C, which "covers a diverse swath of southwest Houston", was "One of Houston's most economically diverse districts, it ranges from leafy Southampton near Rice University through more modest subdivisions and vast apartment warrens in the city's far southwest." Jerry Wood, a former city planner and neighborhood expert, said that all of the regions of District C were active in terms of politics. As 2011 city council redistricting approached, some members of Houston's gay community and some Houston area bloggers proposed returning Montrose to District C.

District D extends from the northernmost area within Midtown southward to Beltway 8. and it also includes the Third Ward. District D is home to Texas Southern University and the University of Houston. 20 years before 2011, Montrose was moved from District C to district D to avoid putting too many minorities in a single city council district.

District F serves areas in southwestern Houston. and as of 2013 the Vietnamese are more politically active than the Hispanic majority. District F includes much of the Alief area, In 2011 Briarmeadow and Tanglewilde, areas south of Westheimer Road which were previously in District G, were moved to District F, while the Bellaire Boulevard areas and Sharpstown were moved out of District F.

Briarmeadow and Tanglewilde, two communities south of Westheimer Road, were previously in district G until 2011, when redistricting moved them into District F. During that year, Chris Chandler, a political candidate for District G, said, as paraphrased by Cobb, that Lamar Terrace was the "most troubled sector" of District G "and could stand a thorough cleanup by the Solid Waste Management Department." areas in the Northside region extending to Little York Road, and some areas east of Downtown Houston. It also includes most of Downtown Houston.