Abby Church

Houston

City Hall Reporter at Houston Chronicle

covering city hall, its policies and personalities @houstonchron. your newsroom cheerleader. tips: [email protected] // signal: abbschurch.07

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Articles

Court grants Mayor Whitmire’s drainage settlement agreement

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church

Houston city administrators and elected officials stand with Mayor John Whitmire as he discusses details of his balanced budget during a media briefing in Houston, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Kirk Sides/Houston ChronicleA drew digs a ditch on 24th Street in the Heights on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 in Houston. This area is one of the Stormwater Action Team projects that are being funded by Build Houston Forward.
Houston is offering $0 to address housing needs post-Hurricane Beryl, derecho

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church |Rebecca Schuetz

Roughly a year after a derecho and Hurricane Beryl wreaked devastation in the Houston area, city officials released May 23 an analysis that listed housing as the city’s top unmet need, a reflection of the tens of thousands of homes damaged by falling trees and other debris. The same document outlined plans for how to spend federal recovery dollars for the disasters. Zero of the $315 million plan would go to housing.
Storm recovery group urges judge to deflect Whitmire’s drainage settlement

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church

A Houston storm recovery nonprofit is urging the judge in a longstanding drainage case to stick to its ruling to fully finance the city’s drainage fund, posing a potential challenge to Mayor John Whitmire’s settlement with its plaintiffs. In 2010, voters approved a ballot measure that would put more of their property taxes toward street and drainage projects.
Houston police chief ends traffic ticket quotas amid reform push

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Ryan Nickerson |Matt Degrood |Abby Church

The head of the Houston Police Department has formally rescinded a policy requiring officers to make at least one traffic stop per day, just before a City Council vote that could outlaw such quotas. In a memo to Mayor John Whitmire’s office, Police Chief Noe Diaz said the directive no longer aligns with best practices for patrol work. “Effective immediately, we are rescinding this directive,” Diaz wrote. “New guidance will be distributed to all patrol stations, emphasizing officer discretion.
Advocates file petition against Whitmire over transportation council membership

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church

Lawyers for advocacy group Fair for Houston have filed an injunction against Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston City Council after urging the city to comply with a local law to give the city more representation on the region’s transportation board. Houston City Council voted in October to renew its membership on the Houston-Galveston Area Council, a body that’s tasked with distributing federal funds for infrastructure, climate mitigation and workforce development.
Here are the winners and losers in Mayor John Whitmire’s 2026 Houston budget

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church

Budget season is in full swing in Houston, and Mayor John Whitmire’s consolidation efforts have blasted through all of the city’s departments to create cuts across the board — some larger than others. The department with the largest cut: Neighborhoods. Houston’s Department of Neighborhoods is in charge of addressing concerns in each of the city’s neighborhoods.
Why aren't Houston officials tracking police reforms after George Floyd's death?

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church |Matt Degrood

When George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis under a police officer’s bent knee, it sent shockwaves more than 1,200 miles away in Houston. Floyd grew up in Houston’s Third Ward, and his death sparked not only outcries for change, but soul-searching by city officials who promised to reform the Houston Police Department. That quest for change led to hundreds of pages of ideas from residents, community advocacy groups and Houston City Council members.
Which Houston department took the brunt of Whitmire’s retirement program?

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church

Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s administration offered voluntary retirement packages to around 3,047 eligible employees in an effort to boost cost savings, but how did the exits affect each city department? Of Houston’s 22,000 employees, around 1,070, or nearly 5%, ended up retiring, according to data from Whitmire's office. Article continues below this adThe Houston Chronicle ran an analysis on all city departments to figure out which one was hit the hardest.
Houston renters would be warned about 'high-risk' apartments under new plan

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church

Council Member Letitia Plummer plans to put forward a proposal to help Houston renters better understand the dangers of buildings they might be living in or moving into. The council's Proposition A Committee will dive into a suggested change Tuesday that would add a “High-Risk Rental Building” designation to apartment complexes with 10 or more habitability complaints in a year.
Could a later start time give residents more say with the Houston City Council?

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Abby Church

One Houston City Council member wants to change city policy to make weekly public comment meetings more accessible to residents. Mario Castillo – who represents parts of Houston’s downtown, East End and Northside – plans to bring a proposal to the city’s Proposition A Committee next week to change the start time for public comment meetings from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in an effort to boost public participation.