Director's OfficeThe Administration & Regulatory Affairs Department (ARA) provides a wide variety of administrative services to the City of Houston’s departments, such as 311 service request routing, payroll processing, asset disposition, citywide policy management, internal mail services, records management, and insurance risk management.

Our Mission is to efficiently deliver superior administration and regulatory affairs services to our customers through the efforts of a highly dedicated and professional staff committed to world class customer service and excellence in everything we do.

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About the Director

As the first Hispanic director of the Administration and Regulatory Affairs (ARA) Department, Paez was unanimously confirmed by the city council in May of 2013. She has dedicated nearly 30 years as an employee for the City of Houston including 10 years as director of ARA, preceded by 10 years as deputy director. Before joining the City, she worked for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

As director of ARA, Paez is responsible for oversight of 18 functional units representing a diverse cross section of City services including the BARC Animal Shelter, 3-1-1 Information Services, ParkHouston, Regulatory Permitting, Utility Regulation ... Read more About the Director ...



ARA In the News

Many Cars in Third Ward

Third Ward residents are fed up with ‘turn-ups’ and street takeovers. The city needs a plan now.

July 1, 2025 -- ... Still, it's not enough to quell the effects of the wild partying along Emancipation Avenue in Third Ward that spills into the surrounding residential community and wreaks havoc on their quality of life. ... Read More ...

Lieutenant Governor Press Conference

Texas leaders broke promises to hold CenterPoint accountable after Hurricane Beryl. Here are 5 takeaways.

June 26, 2025 -- As Houstonians sweated through days of power outages in the wake of Hurricane Beryl last year, one culprit emerged: CenterPoint Energy, the region’s primary electric utility. ... Read More ...

Police Cars on the Street

Is Houston's noise ordinance working? Here's what the data shows

June 8, 2025 -- When loud music shakes the walls late at night, many Houston residents reach for their phones to report a noise complaint. But often, police arrive long after the noise has stopped — leaving residents frustrated and the city's noise enforcement largely ineffective. ... Read More ...