Whitmire Creates New Houston City Council Committees to Address Union Activities, disaster Resilience

3/15/24 By Yilun Cheng, Staff Writer at Houston Chronicle

Two and a half months into his tenure, Mayor John Whitmire announced he has reshaped Houston City Council’s committee structure, creating new groups to focus on issues such as union activities, disaster resilience and constituent services.

Council committees play a critical role in shaping city policy. They allow appointed committee members to examine key policy proposals ahead of a full council vote. They also offer a platform for the public to participate in these discussions early on. 

Incoming mayors often choose to modify the structure and leadership of these committees based on their administrations’ priorities. Whitmire’s council will feature 12 committees, according to an email from agenda director Marta Crinejo to council members Friday afternoon. Six of these are carryovers from former Mayor Sylvester Turner's administration, some with tweaks in their names and areas of focus.

The new mayor eliminated three committees that existed during Turner’s tenure, which dealt with children's quality of life, neighborhood affairs and transportation and infrastructure policies.

Whitmire also created six new groups to focus on arts and culture, department operations, disaster preparedness, city service delivery, labor, as well as a committee to facilitate agenda setting among council members.

The initial announcement only provided a glimpse into the committee framework and included the appointed chair and vice chair of each group. Crinejo told council members that more details will follow in the coming weeks. 

Here is a list of Whitmire’s council committees.