Lucio Vasquez / Houston Public Media
Houston City Council Member Letitia Plummer on June 2, 2021.
In one of her final actions as a member of the Houston City Council, Letitia Plummer on Tuesday again delayed her own priority legislation — an ordinance that would ramp up inspections of problematic apartment complexes.
“Obviously, from a selfish perspective, I wanted to vote on this [today], but it’s not about that,” Plummer said. “It’s about people, and it’s about us doing the right thing.”
The rule would create a “high-risk rental building” registry of apartment complexes that receive at least ten health and safety citations over six months. For the next six months, they would be subject to increased inspections and fines for continuing violations.
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Plummer reluctantly delayed the proposal in October amid pushback from the Houston Apartment Association, which argued it would unfairly penalize large complexes by using the volume of 311 complaints to assign complexes to the registry. On the other side, tenant advocates argued it didn’t go far enough by limiting the size of the registry to five complexes at a time.
The revised version addressed both concerns by removing the 311 consideration and lifting the cap on the number of complexes in the registry. It also added a process for complexes to appeal high-risk designations, and it ramped up certain penalties for noncompliance.
Julia Orduña, southeast regional director with tenant advocacy group Texas Housers, described the updated version as “significantly better.”
“It really focuses on the intention of the ordinance and supporting tenants and supporting the cleanliness, the habitability of the properties, and ensuring that landlords are maintaining their properties in dignified housing and in conditions that are fruitful,” Orduña said.
The apartment association did not respond to a request for comment.
Plummer, who is stepping down this month to run for Harris County Judge, delayed the measure on Wednesday to allow for further consideration by city council committees. She began working on the rules at the beginning of her first term in 2020.
“This is a long time overdue,” Whitmire said, adding, “We’ll do it as quickly as possible.”
He promised the measure would be considered by city council committees in January before coming back to the agenda for a final vote.
Pressed for a commitment on a specific timeline for a final vote, Whitmire said, “I think you just have to trust,” prompting a skeptical look from Plummer.
“I don’t think that’s good enough to be honest with you,” Plummer responded.
After a contentious clash — in which Whitmire argued Plummer was distracted by her campaign for the county judge position, and she demanded an apology — the city council approved a 30-day deadline for the measure to come back to the full body after committee consideration in 2026.
“I feel good about it,” Plummer told Houston Public Media after the meeting. “Ideally, I would like to see [the committee meeting] happen in mid-January, if possible, and then mid-February [city council members] have a vote, and then we go into execution.”
Plummer’s last city council meeting is slated for Dec. 17, days after the runoff election to fill her seat between Alejandra Salinas and Dwight Boykins.