Houston City Council

rdf:langString Houston City Council

rdf:langString Houston City Council

rdf:langString Houston City Council

rdf:langString Houston City Council Chambers, February 2016.jpg

rdf:langString Seal of Houston, Texas.svg

rdf:langString vertical

rdf:langString Houston City Council districts map .svg

rdf:langString Dave Martin

rdf:langString Martha Castex-Tatum

rdf:langString Mayor

rdf:langString Mayor Pro-tempore

rdf:langString Vice Mayor Pro-tempore

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Majority * Democratic Minority * Republican

rdf:langString officially nonpartisan

rdf:langString Houston City Council 2020.svg

rdf:langString The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Currently, there are sixteen members, 11 elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, with the most recent election being held in 2019 and the next being held in 2023 (all positions, along with that of the Mayor who is elected separately, are up for re-election at the same time). Council Members are limited to two terms of four years. Under the current city charter, if the population in the city limits went past 2.1 million residents, the previous nine-member city council districts would be expanded with the addition of two city council districts. Since the threshold was passed, the city created two new districts. The Council works with the mayor in a strong mayor-council model. The City Council monitors the performance of city agencies, confirm the mayor's appointments, and makes land use decisions as well as legislating on a variety of other issues. The Mayor chairs meetings of City Council and has a vote in the proceedings in all cases. In the event of the Mayor's absence, the Mayor Pro-Tem, a member of the Council chosen for the position by the mayor, presides over Council meetings. Should both the Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem be unavailable, the Vice Mayor Pro-Tem, chosen for the position by fellow Council Members, will preside. City Council and the Administrative Office of City Council (AOCC), a division of the Finance Department which serves administrative duties for the council, are housed in the City Hall Annex in Downtown Houston.