PASSEDHouston City Council · 2026-08-11

The City Council is approving a contract with Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP to serve as bond 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 sells bonds.

What it means for you

This contract allows the city to hire outside lawyers with bond expertise to handle bond transactions; residents will not pay legal fees unless a bond transaction successfully closes.

Outcome

Adopted — action noted on the official agenda, which assigns Ordinance 2026-0682 but records no vote count. Official agenda of August 11, 2026, with notes of action taken.

Contracts & spending — see all →Citywide

Official sources

Official agenda with notes of action taken — the record posted for this meeting (PDF) ↗

This is the agenda the City Secretary posted with notes of action taken. It records the action and the ordinance or motion number assigned to each item; it does not record vote counts.

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?Norton Rose Fulbright US 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 August 11, 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 $4,188,373 paid to NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT US LLP across 180 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-cs20260811-29 — data from official records via PlainDocket.