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PASSEDHouston City Council · 2026-01-21

The City Council approved a settlement agreement with EPI-USE America, Inc. to resolve a lawsuit against the city, paying $2,600,000 from the city's Property & Casualty Fund.

What it means for you

The city is paying $2.6 million to settle this lawsuit, which draws from a city insurance fund rather than directly from the general operating budget; Houston taxpayers ultimately bear the cost of that fund.

Outcome

Adopted — all voting aye, nays none. Ordinance 2026-0048, official minutes of January 21, 2026.

Contracts & spending — see all →Citywide

Official sources

Meeting minutes — full record with the vote (PDF) ↗

These are the official minutes — the narrative record of what happened at the meeting, including the vote on each item.

District A — Amy PeckADistrict B — Tarsha JacksonBDistrict C — Joe PanzarellaCDistrict D — Carolyn Evans-ShabazzDDistrict E — Fred FlickingerEDistrict F — Tiffany ThomasFDistrict G — Mary Nan HuffmanGDistrict H — Mario CastilloHDistrict I — Joaquin MartinezIDistrict J — Edward PollardJDistrict K — Martha Castex-TatumK

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?$2,600,000minutes ↗
Who's paid?EPI-USE AMERICA, INCminutes ↗
Which fund?Property & Casualty Fundminutes ↗
Who decides?Houston City Council — its 16 members (11 district + 5 at-large) vote; the Mayor presides and also votes. Taken up at the January 21, 2026 meeting — Adopted, all voting aye.minutes ↗

What this company has been paid

The city's published checkbook records $615,935 paid to EPI-USE AMERICA INC across 4 payment lines, FY2022–FY2023.

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-cs20260121-10 — data from official records via PlainDocket.