The Houston City Council voted 9–7 Wednesday to approve using $30 million from the city’s Stormwater Fund to demolish abandoned buildings, pushing forward a plan championed by Mayor John Whitmire and sharply opposed by City Controller Chris Hollins.
Whitmire has argued the demolitions are a flood-mitigation measure, saying abandoned structures attract illegal dumping that ends up clogging ditches and drainage systems. The funding would allow the city to tear down roughly 340 buildings, many in low-income neighborhoods, using money collected specifically for stormwater management.
Hollins has said the connection does not hold up, legally or practically. In a statement released after the vote, the controller said council had chosen to pull money from a fund that was created for one narrow purpose: drainage and flood control. He said the Stormwater Fund was set up as a “lockbox,” intended for building and maintaining stormwater infrastructure, not for unrelated demolition work.
The disagreement has been building for weeks. Hollins has said his office initially declined to certify the spending after requesting documentation showing how demolitions would directly reduce flooding. According to the controller, that documentation was never provided. Instead, he said the mayor’s office moved to expand an existing contract. Hollins argued that approach avoided the controller’s approval authority for large expenditures.
Whitmire has rejected that characterization, saying the spending was authorized, included in last year’s budget, and reviewed by the city attorney. He has accused Hollins of politicizing the issue and said clearing abandoned properties is a common-sense step toward keeping drainage systems clear.
Hollins has countered that tearing down buildings has not stopped dumping in areas where demolitions have already occurred. He has also warned that allowing stormwater dollars to be used this way opens the door for future spending that stretches, or ignores, the limits voters were told would govern the fund. On January 5, Hollins underscored that position in a video posted on X, writing: “The mayor is trying to illegally divert $30 million from Houston’s Storm Water Fund — the fund meant to protect our city from catastrophic flooding.”
“They’re asking council for a blank check,” Hollins said previously, arguing the plan lacks clear criteria tying the spending to flood prevention.
Despite those concerns, a narrow majority of council members approved the measure. Seven council members voted against it, siding with the controller’s position that stormwater funds should remain restricted to drainage-related projects.
Following the vote, Hollins said his office would continue monitoring how the money is used and pressing for compliance with the legal limits placed on the Stormwater Fund.
The vote allows the mayor’s administration to move forward with the demolition plan, even as the dispute over whether the spending fits within the fund’s intended purpose remains unresolved.
