{"id":450159,"date":"2025-12-16T04:24:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T04:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/450159\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T04:24:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T04:24:21","slug":"how-houston-city-council-members-are-spending-your-tax-dollars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/450159\/","title":{"rendered":"How Houston City Council members are spending your tax dollars"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>HOUSTON, Texas <\/strong> \u2013 The Houston City Council asked almost every department to trim its budget this year, trying to cut costs with a $330 million deficit. But are your elected city council members taking the same cuts? <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">2 Investigates\u2019 Amy Davis is taking a look at<a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstontx.gov\/council\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.houstontx.gov\/council\/\"> all 16 members <\/a>to see who is spending the most and who is the most frugal with your money. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Houston is a big city with a $7 billion budget. Each council member has their own smaller operating budget, with a lot of discretion on how they spend the money. Money not spent at the end of each fiscal year goes back to the city\u2019s general fund, or whichever department the council member designates the leftover money.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>Houston city council budgets<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Each member gets $624,023 to run their office. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Their own salary ($62,982.92) and the pay for any district staffers come out of the same allotment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">And every time the council member makes a charge on their city-issued credit card, they use these tax dollars to pay the bill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">We reviewed credit card statements for 2023, 2024, and January through July of 2025. Some council members joined the council in 2024. Since this was the only full year reflecting the spending of all 16 current council members, we used 2024 statements for our comparison. Our analysis shows the council members racking up the most charges in 2024:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>District F council member Tiffany Thomas: $45,981.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>At-large Council member Willie Davis: $32,129.44.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Council member Edward Pollard of District J: $32,021.90.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>At-large position number 3, council member Twila Carter: $30,892.80.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>What were they buying?<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">A big chunk of expenses went to travel. We found council members went on trips to Guatemala, Mexico City, Colombia, and Monterrey, Mexico \u2014 trips to build relationships and attend conferences on your dime. Council members Willie Davis and Twila Carter did not make any international trips. Most of their expenses appear to be office-related to supplies and catering for district town hall meetings. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Council members who spent the least didn\u2019t pass along any travel expenses to taxpayers.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Sallie Alcorn, at-large #5: $8,097.83<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Council member Abbie Kamin: $6,544.56<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Council member Amy Peck: $2,699.82<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">This is how council member Tiffany Thomas\u2019 charges break down: <\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>About 25% of Thomas\u2019 charges, or $11,277, paid for travel. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>She took 10 flights in 2024 and six more between January and July 2025, traveling to cities including Washington, D.C., Tampa, Cleveland, New Orleans and Mexico City.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>When not flying, Thomas frequently paid for photography services. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>City purchase card statements show she paid Dotson Photography 38 times from 2023 through 2025, totaling $8,383.84. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>This year, she paid another photographer $1,600, bringing her total spending on photos and videos to $9,984.83.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uh.edu\/hobby\/about\/faculty\/peter-koelling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.uh.edu\/hobby\/about\/faculty\/peter-koelling\/\">Peter Koelling<\/a>, a public budgeting professor at the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs, said taxpayers have a right to know how their money is spent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThis is the taxpayer\u2019s money. And they have a right to know how it\u2019s being spent and why it\u2019s being spent,\u201d Koelling said. \u201cTransparency, transparency, transparency. If you\u2019re going to give people flexibility in what they\u2019re spending, the other side of that coin is transparency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Thomas told 2 Investigates by email, \u201cWe proudly invest in photography, videography, and communications \u2014 and will continue to do so to ensure residents can see their tax dollars at work in real time.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">She said many of the photos are used in her social media posts and District F\u2019s annual report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In May 2024, Thomas purchased a flight to Nassau Bay and paid a $750 deposit for a stay at the Atlantis Bahamas Resort. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Thomas said she canceled the trip because Hurricane Beryl hit days earlier, and she did not want to leave Houston while much of her district was still without power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">When asked about the city business she had in the Bahamas, Thomas said by phone it was a conference where she was asked to speak, but could not recall who was hosting it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The event was the 46th annual Prairie View A&amp;M alumni convention held at the Atlantis Bahamas Resort, where Thomas teaches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Thomas\u2019s Communications Manager emailed: <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cCM Thomas did not travel to the Bahamas due to a natural disaster. Although the flight was booked, it was later reimbursed. At this point, we will no longer entertain additional scrutiny of line-item expenses based on the unfounded perception that Council Member Thomas lacks integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Not all council members spent as much. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">District A Council member Amy Peck charged just $2,699.82 for all of 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe just try to be really good stewards of our tax dollars,\u201d Peck said. \u201cWe ask other departments to do the same, so it\u2019s important that we do that as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Peck said she does not use tax dollars for travel and uses campaign funds if she needs to fly to represent her district. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Other council members who did not charge any flights in 2024 include Abbie Kamin, Sallie Alcorn, and Julian Ramirez.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>The most frequent flyer on the city council was District J\u2019s Edward Pollard. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>Half of the $32,000 he charged last year paid for travel \u2014 about $16,045.92. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\">\n<p>He took 12 flights to destinations including Washington, D.C., New York, Tampa and Guatemala, where he traveled with his chief of staff.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Koelling said some travel is reasonable when it attracts business and investment, but it must be for the right reasons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cSometimes you even go overseas to attract business and investment and all of that, I think, is a reasonable expense,\u201d Koelling said. \u201cMake sure you\u2019re doing it for the right reasons. Not just a junket.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Pollard declined to comment for this story. His chief of staff said the Guatemala trip was approved in 2023 under Mayor Sylvester Turner for travel in April 2024. Pollard posted pictures of the trip on social media, writing that he was developing relationships with leadership in Guatemala. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Constituents expressed mixed feelings about the spending.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThese flights are not benefiting our community at all,\u201d one resident said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Another said, \u201cIs it illegal? Nope. If it\u2019s not illegal, I don\u2019t see the issue. As long as it\u2019s not on her personal time to go on vacation or splurge or something like that, I wouldn\u2019t see anything wrong with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>New city policy to oversee spending<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">At the end of 2024, Mayor John Whitmire created a new policy requiring prior approval before any council member pays for food or travel with city credit cards. This should ensure a record of the approval process.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2025 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON, Texas \u2013 The Houston City Council asked almost every department to trim its budget this year, trying&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":450160,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[206897,206898,4345,51079,358,3187],"class_list":{"0":"post-450159","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-2-investigates","9":"tag-city-spending","10":"tag-houston","11":"tag-houston-city-council","12":"tag-texas","13":"tag-tx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115727346173225139","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=450159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450159\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/450160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=450159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=450159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=450159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}