City Controller

Chris Hollins

In office since Jan 2024 · Term ends Jan 2028

What this office does

The City Controller is Houston's chief financial officer, independently elected — the office reports to neither the Mayor nor City Council. The Controller certifies that funds are actually available before City Council commits the city to spending, processes and monitors disbursements exceeding one billion dollars a year, invests the city's funds, conducts internal audits of city departments and federal grant programs, and produces the city's comprehensive annual financial report.

Source: City of Houston — City Government ↗

Former Harris County Clerk who ran the county's 2020 election. As Controller he independently audits and certifies city spending — the taxpayer's accountant.

Verified background

Now: City Controller, Houston's independently elected Chief Financial Officer, in office since January 2024; oversees a budget exceeding $7 billion and manages the city's $6 billion investment and $15 billion debt portfolios. (Office of the City Controller — Controller's Biography ↗)
Before: Harris County Clerk, where he led the county's 2020 elections effort. (Office of the City Controller — Controller's Biography ↗)
Work: BA with Phi Beta Kappa honors from Morehouse College, JD from Yale Law School, and MBA from Harvard Business School; admitted to the State Bar of Texas and the federal courts for the Southern District of Texas. Before taking office, Principal Attorney at Hollins Law Group PLLC and a management consultant helping large government agencies transform their operations. (Office of the City Controller — Controller's Biography ↗)

Each line links the record it was verified from. Where we couldn’t verify something, it isn’t here.

Committees: Independent office — audits, debt management, payroll certification ↗

Election watch

No filing on record yet for 2027.

This office's voting record isn't in PlainDocket yet — it lives in a different body's records (its own body's minutes), which a future update will pull in.

Cite this: https://plaindocket.com/rep/controller — data from official records via PlainDocket.