What this is
Learn how Houston's mayor, city council, and controller make decisions that affect your daily life - plus how to contact them when you need help.
The basics
Houston is the largest city in the U.S. that uses a strong-mayor system. The Mayor runs the city. City Council makes the laws. The Controller audits the money. That is the whole structure.
The three branches
Mayor: Elected citywide. Serves as chief executive, proposes the budget, appoints department heads, and sets the city's agenda. The Mayor can veto Council actions. Current term limits: two 4-year terms.
City Council: 16 members — 11 represent geographic districts and 5 are elected at-large (citywide). Council passes ordinances, approves the budget, and confirms the Mayor's appointments. Same term limits as Mayor.
City Controller: Elected citywide. Independent auditor and chief accounting officer. Reviews city contracts, audits departments, and certifies the budget. This office is your watchdog on city spending.
How decisions get made
Mayor proposes — The Mayor's office drafts ordinances, negotiates contracts, and submits the annual budget.
Council committees review — Items go through standing committees (Budget & Fiscal Affairs, Public Safety, Transportation, etc.) before the full Council votes.
Mayor signs or vetoes — The Mayor has 3 days to sign or veto an ordinance.
Read full text
Council votes — Every Tuesday at 2:00 PM at City Hall, 901 Bagby Street. A simple majority (9 of 16) passes most items. Overriding a Mayor's veto requires 12 votes.
City departments that affect your daily life
Houston Public Works — streets, water, wastewater, drainage, trash pickup
Houston Police Department (HPD) — law enforcement, 911 response
Houston Fire Department (HFD) — fire, EMS, emergency response
Parks and Recreation — 382 parks, community centers, pools, trails
Housing and Community Development — affordable housing, CDBG grants
Planning and Development — permitting, code enforcement, land use
Houston Health Department — public health, inspections, disease prevention
311 / Houston Service Center — non-emergency city service requests
What the city does NOT control
This catches people off guard. The city government does not control:
Schools — Managed by independent school districts (HISD, Alief ISD, etc.)
County roads, courts, and jails — Harris County government
Flood control — Harris County Flood Control District
Public transit — METRO (separate elected board)
Toll roads — Harris County Toll Road Authority
Electricity — Deregulated market, overseen by ERCOT and the Texas PUC
How to participate
Attend City Council: Every Tuesday at 2 PM, City Hall, 901 Bagby. Free and open to anyone.
Give public comment: Sign up at houston.novusagenda.com or call 832-393-1100. You get 3 minutes.
Contact your Council Member: Find yours at houstontx.gov/council.
Call 311: For potholes, missed trash, code violations, downed signs — anything that needs fixing.
Vote: The Mayor and Council are on the ballot in odd-numbered years (next: November 2027).
Key resources
City of Houston main site: houstontx.gov
Council agendas and minutes: houston.novusagenda.com
City budget documents: houstontx.gov/budget
City Secretary (records, elections): 832-393-1100
Why it matters
This is part of Our Voice — civic life, elections, and accountability.
How to dig in
- 1Start with the snapshot above to know what this is in a glance.
- 2Read through to understand how it connects to the bigger picture.
- 3Get the guide using the button above.
By the numbers
Led byCommunity Exchange
Counted from the Community Exchange connection graph.