Overview
- Councilmember Letitia Plummer delayed a vote and the council referred the ordinance back to the administration, requiring it to come back within 30 days after committee consideration in 2026.
- The latest draft drops 311 complaint-volume weighting, removes a five-property cap, adds an appeal process, increases certain penalties, consolidates same-day complaints, expands complaint categories, and tightens inspection and documentation requirements.
- Under the proposal, complexes with at least ten health and safety citations over six months would be listed as high risk and face stepped-up inspections and fines for continuing violations over the next six months.
- Repeat offenders would remain in the high-risk database longer and receive a repeat-offender notation in Harris County property records.
- Mayor John Whitmire and Plummer clashed over timing as he pledged to expedite the process, while Plummer exits the council in January with a Dec. 13 runoff set to determine her successor.