Councilmember Ramirez’s ordinance (item 38) to increase transparency in campaign‑finance reporting was amended and approved. The amendment requires the city secretary to notify the Texas Ethics Commission if a filer appears to have failed to file and to publish a list of missing reports, with safeguards so the secretary can verify obligations before publishing.

Multiple commenters urged Houston City Council to reopen discussion of automated license-plate readers and Flock Safety camera deployments, warning about mass-surveillance risks and alleging live-streaming of cameras at community pools and gyms.

Parks Director Kenneth Allen told City Council that HISD moved up a termination timeline for its long-standing agreement at Grimes Park, prompting the department to salvage $1.5 million in amenities and find alternate sites for youth leagues. Councilmembers pressed for clearer notice procedures and faster community communication.

Kenneth Allen, director of Houston Parks and Recreation, outlined actions taken after HISD terminated a long-running Grimes Park agreement, described efforts to relocate youth leagues and salvage amenities, and previewed the administration's $60 million 'Let's Play Houston' initiative to renovate 25 neighborhood parks.

City officials outlined a plan to meet the U.S. Department of Justice's WCAG 2.1 AA requirement and to migrate city sites to a cloud content platform; staff emphasized human testing, departmental training and a phase-2 gap analysis ahead of the April 26, 2027 compliance deadline.

City officials presented a digital accessibility roadmap tying a website migration and department training to DOJ WCAG obligations, reporting pilot site audits that found roughly 73–80% conformance and committing to a phase‑2 gap analysis ahead of the April 26, 2027 compliance deadline.

City staff proposed a package of amendments to Chapter 44 that would require a municipal-wage floor, prevailing construction pay, workers' compensation, health-benefit certification, apprenticeship thresholds and stronger compliance tools for tax abatement agreements.

Hundreds of Houstonians and several public commenters told the City Council the Department of Justice Model Cities grant appears to require cooperation with immigration enforcement and National Guard deployments; the mayor withdrew the application from the agenda pending federal clarification.

Multiple public speakers urged Houston to forgo the Department of Justice Model Cities grant, saying the program’s guidance appears to require cooperation with immigration enforcement; councilmembers said they are seeking DOJ clarification and item 26 was pulled from the agenda.

Clear Channel Outdoor and OutFront Media presented a proposal to permit some digital billboards in Houston under a trade‑in model; council members and Scenic Houston urged more study and public input while nonprofits and law‑enforcement partners said digital signs can speed emergency messaging and help find missing children.

Clear Channel Outdoor and OutFront Media told the City Council’s Economic Development Committee they would support a sign-code update allowing conversion of existing billboards to digital displays under a proposed 3-for-1 trade (three static square feet removed for one digital square foot). Councilmembers and public commenters pressed companies on safety studies, spacing, e‑waste, fees and where digital faces would be allowed; nonprofits urged the city to consider digital boards for Amber Alerts and emergency messaging. No ordinance was filed and the committee took no action.

Skaters, coaches and youth athletes told the City Council they need help to prevent or delay the planned demolition of Memorial City Ice Rink, calling for an extension of operations and a public–private partnership to build a replacement.

City of Houston emergency management officials briefed council on preparedness steps — lowering Lake Houston one foot, staging high-water rescue vehicles and boats, and monitoring a Gulf system likely to become Tropical Storm Arthur — and urged residents to follow National Weather Service guidance.

City Pulse reported Houston began demolition days in Cashmere Gardens, using $30,000,000 from the Stormwater Fund to remove long-abandoned, hazardous structures and address illegal dumping and drainage problems; the broadcast said seven more demolitions are scheduled the next day across neighborhoods including Kingwood and Southwest Houston.

Houston City Council approved Mayor Whitmire’s $7.5 billion budget in a 15–1 vote. Hosts on City Pulse said the plan preserves long-term stability without raising taxes and mentioned a $5 monthly administrative fee that viewers will see on utility bills starting in August; the show did not clearly state whether that fee applies to trash, water bills, or both.

City Pulse showcased the new Downtown Main Street promenade and restoration work at Hermann Park’s Japanese Garden, introduced visiting Japanese designers, and reported city public-safety measures for FIFA World Cup 2026 — including a no-trafficking awareness campaign, stadium signage and undercover police at venues.

Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia convened a Houston press conference marking 14 years of DACA and urged the House to pass the American Dream and Promise Act as multiple DACA recipients described renewal delays that they say are costing jobs and risking detention or deportation.

City of Houston officials activated the emergency center, warned residents not to drive through standing water and said Metro will adjust service in real time as a tropical system is forecast to pass offshore of Galveston; cooling centers and high-water rescue resources were pre-staged.

Commissioners approved a plat and variance for a proposed warehouse distribution center, but residents told the commission they feared commercial truck traffic through nearby neighborhoods and asked staff to limit access; staff required no vehicular access from a nearby residential street.

Quality Director Jackie Morrell told the board that client services case management reassessment is scheduled for Dec. 10, internal safety/facilities audits found minor security nonconformances, and Signature Sciences notified HFSC of an intake‑phase inventory technician error; the Texas Forensic Science Commission reviewed the disclosure and took no further action after corrective measures.

At its Nov. 13 meeting the Houston Planning Commission approved the majority of staff‑recommended plats and variances, denied a requested 30‑day extension and replat for Common Park Place after resident objections and deed‑restriction questions, and heard public concern about flooding, traffic and environmental impacts.

CFO David Leach presented HFSC's audited financial results for fiscal 2024–25, reporting stable total revenue year‑over‑year with a shift in sources; the City of Houston provided an additional $2.5 million in the 2025 budget directed to biology and outsourcing-to-payroll transition, and payroll rose about 13%.

At a ceremonial groundbreaking in Hermann Park, the Miller Theater Advisory Board announced the Gateway Plaza project—funded by several foundations and donors—with construction planned through 2026 and design features aimed at accessibility and crowd management.

Board heard that firearms testing is the lab's largest unresolved backlog due to a national shortage of trained examiners; HFSC has five examiner slots planned and issued an RFP for external training but expects extended timelines for apprenticeship-style training and pay‑level implications for recruits.

HFSC told its board that one QTOF mass spectrometer is installed and operational, a transition team is moving evidence from an old facility, and non–sexual-assault backlogs have dropped about 60% to roughly 200 cases; sexual‑assault kit work is nearly current, with only a few dozen kits older than 90 days.