Mayor's Press Release
City Hall Update for March 18-22, 2024
March 26, 2024 --
Hello friends,
Welcome to Houston, Mr. President
On Thursday, Mayor Whitmire welcomed President Joe Biden to Houston when Air Force One landed at Ellington Field.
"It was an honor to welcome President Biden to Houston, a city full of great people and endless opportunities. My administration is committed to ongoing collaboration with the federal government to ensure Houston's property thrives," said Mayor Whitmire.
Government Transparency
Historic Agreement Reached to Resolve Eight-Year Firefighter Contract Impasse
Mayor Whitmire discusses firefighter settlement agreement during Houston City Council
This week, Mayor Whitmire discussed the historic $650 million agreement reached between the City of Houston and the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association to resolve all outstanding pay issues for Houston firefighters dating back to 2017.
On Monday, the City and the union appeared in court to discuss the terms, and the judge granted us more time to work on our additional details.
Meanwhile, the mayor and city attorney answered councilmembers' questions about the deal. You can read the answers and find more information here.
"A world-class city like Houston deserves a well-funded fire department to attract and retain talented individuals who are willing to risk their safety for us during our times of need," said Mayor Whitmire. "Houston's fire department should be at or near the top among the major cities in our state. This agreement resolves a long-festering pay dispute with firefighters, avoids unnecessary litigation costs, and allows us to move forward together."
Independent Review Committee goes to work
One week after Mayor Whitmire appointed a committee to review and validate the Houston Police Department's work on thousands of suspended incident reports, the committee met in person to chart the course forward.
The committee's respected and experienced members include former Women's Center CEO Ellen Cohen, Texas Ranger Captain Jeff Owles, Deputy Inspector General Christina Nowak, City Attorney Arturo Michel, and strong community advocate Rev. Leon Preston. Read the press release.
As Houston Public Media reported, Mayor Whitmire created the committee to ensure transparency, maintain public trust, prioritize the victims who reported crimes, and seek justice.
"Criminal justice is a system; any component that is broken affects the entire system," Mayor Whitmire said. "And we have discovered a broken component in our local criminal justice system."
In the News
The mayor welcomed thousands of CERAWeek attendees to the Energy Capital of the World, a city leading in the energy transition.
Special guests included U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who spoke about how the Biden administration has helped create more than $200 billion in clean energy investments in the U.S.
Houston kicks off CERAWeek 2024 as participants from 85 countries come to discuss energy. Read More About CERA Week.
Houston City Council Passes Tax Exemption for Child-Care Facilities
Houston City Council passed an amendment to provide a tax exemption for qualifying child-care facilities as soon as the 2024 tax year.
Following the successful passing of Proposition 2 in November 2023, which allowed cities and counties to provide property tax exemption for child-care facilities, the new amendment, Section 44-30, would allow qualifying child-care facilities to claim a partial or complete exemption from their property taxes.
Child-care providers must participate in the Texas Rising Star program and maintain a minimum 20% enrollment of children receiving subsidized services through the Texas Workforce Commission, among other criteria outlined in the Texas Tax Code. This exemption is intended to provide vital support to child-care providers and ensure the availability of quality care for families across Houston.
The new amendment will significantly impact child-care providers and the families they serve. It represents a step towards creating a supportive environment for families and their children in the city.
Applications for the tax exemption are being developed, and the county has advised that qualifying child-care providers stand by for the official release sometime this week or early next week.
In the Community
A Warm Welcome
The 25th annual Ramadan Dinner drew hundreds of people for Iftar, an evening meal Muslims eat to break their fast during Ramadan. Despite some activists' calls to boycott the traditional event, the crowd warmly greeted Mayor Whitmire and thanked him for his friendship, public service, and dedication to supporting the Muslim community.
Celebrating City Employees for their Public Service
30+ Years of Service! Mayor Whitmire was honored to personally congratulate 482 municipal employees for their dedicated careers as public servants.
From solid waste workers and paramedics to data analysts, municipal judges, clerical workers, first responders, public works and health department employees, and more, the City of Houston is a great place to build a career serving the public.
If interested in applying use this link to see current job openings! https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/houston/
Upcoming Events
2024 Tour de Houston registration NOW OPEN!
This year's Tour de Houston will be held on Sunday, April 7th. Registration to ride is now available.
Whether you ride for fitness or fun, the 2024 Tour de Houston promises to take you on an adventure through some of Houston's unique neighborhoods.
The event raises funds to benefit the city's RE-Plant Houston program, which is dedicated to reforesting Houston parks and greenspaces managed by the Houston Parks and Recreation Department.
Housing and Community Development Meetings
Don't miss the chance to connect with Housing and Community Development (HCD) staff and discover more about our programs and the assistance we offer. The upcoming in-person Spring 2024 Community Meeting will feature an open house where you can engage in discussions about HCD's 2024 budget of $50 million as outlined in the Draft 2024 Annual Action Plan.
Visit https://bit.ly/Public-Hearings to explore additional opportunities to engage and gain further insights or to discover details about the upcoming virtual meetings.
Houses of Worship
The Ofice of Emergency Management extends greetings to all Houstonians during the Spring Religious Observance period. This Ramadan, Passover, and Easter remember that houses of worship can be targets for violence with unique challenges in safety preparedness.
Houston OEM has a new webpage on large event and worship service safety.
