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PASSEDHouston City Council · 2026-06-23

The City Council unanimously approved a contract with the law firm Holland & Knight, LLP to serve as bond counsel, special disclosure counsel, and special tax counsel for various city departments. The firm will provide specialized legal services related to municipal finance, federal tax, and state securities law when the city issues or refinances notes.

What it means for you

This agreement allows Houston to use Holland & Knight's legal expertise when borrowing money through notes to fund city expenses; the firm only gets paid if a financing transaction successfully closes, so there is no upfront cost to taxpayers.

Outcome

Adopted — voting aye, nays none. Ordinance 2026-0562, official minutes of June 23-24, 2026.

Taxes & budget — 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
Who's paid?Holland & Knight, LLPminutes ↗
Who decides?Houston City Council — its 16 members (11 district + 5 at-large) vote; the Mayor presides and also votes. Taken up at the June 23, 2026 meeting — Adopted.minutes ↗
The official caption doesn't name a dollar amount or which fund pays for it — full details in the official minutes ↗

What this company has been paid

The city's published checkbook records $1,923,811 paid to HOLLAND & KNIGHT LLP across 15 payment lines, FY2020–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-cs20260623-21 — data from official records via PlainDocket.

The City Council unanimously approved a contract with the law firm Holland & Knight, LLP… — PlainDocket