Fort Worth City Council members spent more than $167,000 on taxpayer-funded travel in less than two years, according to expense reports obtained by the Fort Worth Report.
The cumulative spending accounted for the travel of Mayor Mattie Parker and 10 sitting council members, plus two council members who left office this year.
In interviews and statements to the Fort Worth Report, council members emphasized how traveling to other cities, states and countries to attend governmental conferences or be a part of delegations enhances their ability to serve Fort Worth’s 1 million-and-counting residents.
“Travel is necessary. I think (anywhere we travel) is necessary to the city of Fort Worth, especially if it’s going to help move the city forward,” council member Chris Nettles said. “But it’s just like anything — you’ve got to eat, but if you eat too much, it’s not good for your body.”
The council receives “valuable exposure to best practices, fresh ideas, and proven solutions to the challenges facing our city” by traveling to conferences, legislative summits and other programs, council member Alan Blaylock said in a written statement.
“All travel is carefully reviewed to ensure the responsible use of taxpayer funds,” he wrote.
In September, city officials said they couldn’t release public information detailing how much each council member spent on city-funded travel because of discrepancies in how expenses were tracked. Officials vowed to reconcile all travel spending records through a line-by-line review of expenditures dating back to 2021.
Council members interviewed by the Fort Worth Report said they aren’t sure what the council’s travel spending budget is, as city staff are tasked with reviewing, approving and booking travel.
Sana Syed, the city’s interim chief communications officer, declined to detail how trips are vetted and approved or to share each council district’s allotted travel budget.
That disclosure came after the Fort Worth Report obtained documents detailing council travel for 2022 and 2023 and filed an open records request to access similar documents for subsequent years.
Under Texas law, the public has the right to access and inspect government records by requesting information from such agencies. Government entities are legally required to release the requested information within 10 business days but may request permission from the Texas attorney general’s office to withhold information deemed exempt under the law.
City staff released 2024-2025 expense records to the Fort Worth Report on Oct. 7.
Syed declined to comment on the process for reconciling discrepancies or to share how the city will track council travel spending moving forward.
“No one from the city is available for further comment on this,” Syed wrote via email.
Documents reviewed by the Fort Worth Report last month — which city officials emphasized could be inaccurate because of inconsistent recordkeeping — showed council members spent about $145,000 on travel from October 2021 to September 2023.
That brings the cumulative travel spending from October 2021 to August 2025 to about $312,000.
The Fort Worth Report contacted the mayor and council members for comment on their travel spending and how the trips benefited their roles as elected officials. Council members Charlie Lauersdorf and Macy Hill, as well as former council members Gyna Bivens and Jared Williams, did not return requests for comment.
Council member Mia Hall wrote in a statement that as a new council member, her travel has helped her learn from elected officials of other cities facing challenges similar to Fort Worth’s.
“City-funded travel supports responsible and cost-conscious professional development for elected leaders, ensuring they bring valuable resources and ideas back to the community,” Hall wrote.
Council members may seek reimbursement for city-related travel by reporting expense statements and itemized receipts, according to the city’s administrative regulations. Those reimbursements must be approved by the city’s chief of staff or chief communications officer. In their absence, the city manager or an authorized assistant city manager may give approval.
“Travel and expenditure accounts are open to the public and must be able to sustain the test of public review,” the regulations policy states. “Economy, prudence and necessity are of primary concern, when planning and paying for travel and non-travel related out-of-pocket expenditures. The use of city funds to accommodate personal comfort, convenience and taste should be minimized.”
Council member Carlos Flores wrote in a statement that his travel spending followed city policies.
Trump inauguration, international visits detailed in council travel
Council member Michael Crain spent the highest dollar amount in each of the past two years reviewed, reporting about $56,000 in travel, according to the new records released. That accounts for about one-third of the total spending among the council and about $30,000 more than the next highest spender.
Crain said in a written statement that he is committed to ensuring the city stays “at the forefront of best practices” by participating in national conferences, legislative summits, Fort Worth Sister Cities exchanges and professional development.
Sister cities are municipalities that enter into citizen-driven, diplomatic, cross-country relationships to share cultures, host each other and build a global relationship, according to the program’s website.
“I take my stewardship of taxpayer dollars seriously, and as such, every trip is carefully vetted and approved by the city manager and chief of staff,” wrote Crain, who represents parts of west and southwest Fort Worth. “This investment has directly enhanced my ability to serve our residents and advance key city priorities as I continue to advocate for District 3 and Fort Worth.”
Fort Worth City Council member Michael Crain listens during a work session meeting Aug. 5, 2025, at City Hall. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
His travel expenditures included $11,570 to attend Harvard Kennedy School’s five-day Leadership in Crises program in Cambridge, Massachusetts; about $5,300 on airfare for an eight-day trip to Tokyo; and nearly $3,000 for a Sister Cities trip to Indonesia.
Crain also reported spending about $1,500 for a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Crain declined to answer questions about how those trips enhanced his ability to serve Fort Worth residents or why his travel expenditures outpaced what colleagues spent.
Council member Jeanette Martinez was the second-highest spender, reporting almost $26,000 in travel expenses during that two-year time frame. These were the first city-related travel expenses she reported since taking office in June 2023 to represent parts of east Fort Worth.
Martinez’s travel included a roughly $6,500 trip to Bandung, Indonesia, as part of a Sister Cities delegation this year. In 2024, she reported about $2,800 in expenditures to attend the National Association of Latino Elected Officials in Las Vegas, and $2,700 to attend a National League of Cities conference in Washington, D.C.
During her Indonesia trip, Martinez learned how that country uses subsidized housing to reduce homelessness and public transit to help with its congestion, which are persistent issues in Fort Worth, she said. Also during her travels, she said she’s learned about student-led advisory bodies to city councils, an initiative she’s currently working to implement with high school students in her district.
“I know that some people are critical (of council travel), but I have definitely learned a lot and have been able to implement some of those ideas in District 11,” Martinez said.
She added that some of her travel was paid for through grants, which may not be reflected in the expense reports the city released to the Fort Worth Report. The documents note reimbursements for some council members’ expenditures but others are not detailed.
For example, the city records show council member Elizabeth Beck paid $3,000 for a Sister Cities trip to Italy — an expense she said was reimbursed to the city because she wasn’t able to make the trip. The council member, who represents downtown and the Near Southside, reported $13,000 in expenditures over the two years, which includes the trip she did not take.
Syed, the city spokesperson, declined to answer questions about the discrepancies.
Fort Worth City Council member Jeanette Martinez listens during a work session meeting Aug. 5, 2025, at City Hall. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Lauersdorf and Hill, who took office in mid-2023, have not reported any travel spending during their tenure on the council.
The third-highest spender was Nettles, who represents southeast Fort Worth and the Historic Southside. He reported about $18,000 in travel to attend conferences across the United States, such as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual legislative conference in Washington, D.C., last month. That trip cost about $2,400.
In 2024-2025, the mayor reported spending about $10,000. Her highest expense was $1,596 for “ground transportation” while in D.C. this year, but documents did not specify the reason for the trip. She also spent just over $1,000 in expenditures to travel to Washington, D.C., for the Yale Mayors College and Yale School of Management’s CEO Caucus.
Parker reported attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2024 and 2025, with attendance costing $1,500 each time.
“From testifying on important Fort Worth issues at the State Capitol to attending U.S. Conference of Mayors meetings, I take traveling on city expenses incredibly seriously and ensure every trip I do take is necessary to serve in my role as mayor to the best of my ability,” Parker said in a written statement.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker speaks during a work session meeting Aug. 5, 2025, at City Hall. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Of the council members who reported spending, the lowest spender was Deborah Peoples, who was elected this year to represent the majority of east Fort Worth. So far in office, she spent $245 to attend the Texas Municipal League’s orientation for newly elected city officials in Waco and $660 to register for the National League of Cities’ annual conference in Salt Lake City next month.
“I make decisions with the city’s money like I do my own money — I try to spend it well and try to get things out of it,” Peoples said.
Council commits to transparency, accountability in travel spending
Moving forward, administrative city staff will review council travel expenses to ensure accurate records and compliance with city policies, according to a Sept. 26 email from senior administrative assistant Joanna Hudspeth to council members and their staff.
Hudspeth wrote that the city’s financial management department would train staffers on new policies and procedures related to budgets, travel and purchasing to “ensure everyone is on the same page moving forward,” according to a copy of the email reviewed by the Fort Worth Report.
Fort Worth City Council members Elizabeth Beck, right, and Chris Nettles listen during a council meeting for public comment Sept. 23, 2025, at City Hall. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Beck, Martinez, Nettles and Peoples said they weren’t privy to the details of staff’s reconciliation process, but they’re confident that staff exercised diligence in reviewing spending.
Beck wants the council to implement policies that ensure greater “transparency and accountability” in how they spend public dollars. For example, she’s considering a proposal to require council members to disclose publicly during their meetings each trip they’ve taken.
Fort Worth City Council member Deborah Peoples speaks during a council meeting Aug. 5, 2025, at City Hall. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)
To Peoples, “all politics are kitchen table politics,” meaning local or national elected officials are dealing with many of the same practical issues that residents face, such as managing their household with a responsible budget. She said she’s committed to frugality with spending public funds on city travel, and she hopes her colleagues are as well.
“Clearly, when people elect us, they expect us to be good stewards of their tax dollars, and that’s it,” Peoples said.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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