PASSEDHouston City Council · 2025-11-05

The City Council is being asked to approve the issuance of up to $290 million in special revenue bonds to refinance two older bond series that funded terminal improvement projects at Houston's airport system for United Airlines. These new bonds (Series 2025B) would replace bonds originally issued in 2011 (under Continental Airlines) and 2015, with final pricing expected on November 18, 2025.

What it means for you

These bonds are repaid solely from United Airlines' lease payments to the city — not from taxes or city airport revenues — so Houston taxpayers and airport system funds are not on the hook for repayment. The transaction primarily affects United Airlines and bond investors rather than the general public's daily life.

Outcome

Adopted — all voting aye, nays none. Mayor Whitmire, Council Members Thomas, Ramirez and Plummer absent. Ordinance 2025-0912, official minutes of Nov 5, 2025.

Airports — see all →Citywide

Official sources

Item cover sheet — summary and background ↗Meeting minutes — full record with the vote (PDF) ↗

The cover sheet is the item's official summary page; supporting attachments (contracts, maps, fiscal notes) are listed at the bottom of it. The minutes show what happened at the meeting.

Official council district boundaries · City of Houston GIS. Tap a district to see who represents it.

How to weigh in

Where: City Hall, 901 Bagby, 2nd Floor, Houston, TX 77002
When: Council meets Tuesdays 1:30 p.m. & Wednesdays 9:00 a.m. Public Session — when you can speak — is Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month).
Speak: Register by 3:00 p.m. the Monday before: call 832.393.1100, email speakers@houstontx.gov, or go in person to the City Secretary (City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby, Room P101). Each speaker gets 1–3 minutes.
Watch: Live on HTV ↗

From the City Council meetings information page. Confirm the exact date on the official agenda before you go.

Quick answersfrom the official record

How much?$290,000,000coversheet ↗

Who's paid?United Airlines, Inc.coversheet ↗

Who decides?Houston City Council — its 16 members (11 district + 5 at-large) vote; the Mayor presides and also votes. Taken up at the November 5, 2025 meeting — Adopted, all voting aye.minutes ↗

The official caption doesn't name which fund pays for it — full details in the official coversheet ↗

What this company has been paid

The city's published checkbook records $268,095,360 paid to UNITED AIRLINES INC across 93 payment lines, FY2018–FY2026.

That is money already paid across all city business with this company — not the amount this item approves, and not a total for this contract.

See the year-by-year breakdown →

Cite this: https://plaindocket.com/item/real-35768 — data from official records via PlainDocket.