Whitmire blocks rogue housing panel meeting
Mayor John Whitmire on Monday evening blocked an unauthorized housing committee meeting called by District F Council Member Tiffany Thomas, who had scheduled a Tuesday discussion on a highly competitive affordable housing program.
Council committees play a critical role in shaping city policy across key areas, including transportation, economic development, housing and ethics. These committees are subject to reorganization by incoming mayors, who often choose to modify their structure and leadership.
Whitmire has not yet unveiled his committee assignments, according to the mayor’s office. But Thomas, who served as chair of the Housing and Community Affairs Committee under former Mayor Sylvester Turner, attempted to organize a committee meeting Tuesday morning to review this year’s 9% tax credit program applications. The program allows developers to charge lower rent by offsetting a portion of their federal tax liability.
Thomas posted the meeting agenda online last week and asked six other council members, including three first-term members, to attend the meeting. One of the newcomers, At-large Council Member Julian Ramirez, confirmed that he was never appointed by the mayor and said he was invited by Thomas based on his predecessor’s role on the committee.
Whitmire emailed council members Monday evening and said that the meeting would not occur.
“He does respect Council Member Thomas and her housing expertise, but this is not the way to do it,” said Mary Benton, a spokeswoman from the mayor’s office.
For over a week, the housing committee was the only one with names of its chair and members listed on the city website. Benton said Whitmire never approved anyone to post these names on the webpage. The information has since been removed.
“It’s not unusual for a new mayor to take the time to really review (committee assignments) and make sure that it’s done accurately and done the right way,” Benton said, adding that Whitmire is planning to announce committee appointments by the end of February.
Thomas acknowledged that she has not been appointed as the committee’s chair but noted that it was a “special called” meeting intended to deal with the rushed timeline of a tax credit program that has grown contentious in the past.
The program has been one of the largest drivers of affordable housing in Texas for decades. To qualify, developers need to submit their applications to the state, and Texas officials make the final determinations. But the city still plays a role by passing a resolution of support for projects it endorses, a critical component of the applications.
There are many steps the city must go through — including a public briefing and likely several rounds of council deliberations — ahead of the state’s March 1 program deadline. Thomas said there simply is no room for delay, adding that she did not consider whether calling the meeting without authorization would violate any city rules.
Thomas released a statement Tuesday morning defending her commitment to affordable housing and expressing her concern that the mayor’s timeframe might not allow enough time for council members, residents and developers to thoroughly review and discuss the proposed projects.
“At the current pace, I am concerned the city may not create space for robust dialogue regarding projects that can potentially guard against the growing unaffordability in Houston,” she said in the statement.