Mayor John Whitmire
A Harris County District Court judge on Friday approved Mayor John Whitmire’s settlement agreement with plaintiffs to phase in payments to the city’s drainage fund, his office said.
The final confirmation comes after more than a month of tension among the mayor’s office, Houston Controller Chris Hollins and drainage advocates over the settlement agreement’s effect on the city’s $7 billion budget and residents who have been waiting years for flooding relief in their neighborhoods.
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In a note to City Council members Friday, Whitmire appreciated the court’s attention to the matter. His office expects Hollins to certify the budget.
“Judge (Christine) Weems’ approval of the joint request from the City and Mr. Jones and Mr. Watson allows the City to meet its obligations to Houstonians without jeopardizing parks, health, and other neighborhood-centric programs,” he wrote. “We look forward to allocating an amount of funding to streets and drainage projects across Houston enabled by the settlement agreement as endorsed by the Court.”
Hollins on Friday said the court’s settlement approval removed a “major obstacle” to adopting this year’s budget.
“It’s a step forward, but Houston still faces serious financial challenges,” Hollins wrote in a statement. “Hard truths remain, and my office will continue providing the transparency and accountability needed to move the city toward long-term stability.”
A spokesperson for West Street Recovery wrote in a statement Friday that Houstonians deserved to have their votes respected, and that the settlement agreement didn’t reflect what the voters wanted or upheld the spirit of the court’s ruling.
“There are still legal paths we can take to make sure Houstonians get the flood protection we all count on,” the statement reads. “We’ve been righting for functional infrastructure for years. Today, Houstonians are more informed, organized and energized about the city’s financial decisions than ever. This work us still going strong, and we’re not backing down.”
See here and here for the background. This whole thing has been an interesting ride, but in the end that’s a win for the Mayor. Controller Hollins has some more questions, and Council hasn’t had its chance to propose amendments and vote on the budget, so we’re not done yet. I don’t know what other legal paths West Street Recovery may have in mind, but barring any further plot twists this at least moves the budget closer to approval and makes the path smoother. We’ll see what next week brings.