Houston City Council further delayed approval of a “high-risk” apartment inspection program after council members voted Dec. 10 to continue fine-tuning the program in a joint committee meeting.

About the program: The proposed Houston Multi-Family Habitability Code—authored by council member Letitia Plummer—would require rental properties with too many habitability violations to register as “high risk” and submit inspections with the city, according to documents detailing the ordinance.

Some context: While many council members expressed support for the initiative during the Dec. 10 meeting, several officials, including Mayor John Whitmire and Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum, said there hasn’t been enough opportunity for public feedback on the proposed ordinance.

What happened: The council voted to send the ordinance back to the administration—where it will be referred to the Economic Development and Housing and Affordability committees—with the expectation that the ordinance will be placed on the City Council agenda within 30 days of committee review. The joint committee meeting is expected to take place in early 2026, after Plummer's last day on City Council on Dec. 17. 

An official with Taco Cabana confirmed with Community Impact on Dec. 10 that four Houston-area restaurants have permanently closed.

What we know: The four locations include:

• 3905 Kirby Drive, Houston
• 7501 Bellaire Blvd., Houston
• 167 Yale St., Houston
• 11880 Bissonnet St., Houston

Houston City Council on Dec. 10 authorized a $17.9 million restoration contract for part the East Water Purification Plant project, a plan to rehabilitate a 70-year-old water treatment plant that serves millions of Houstonians.

What’s new: The $17.9 million contract with global engineering company Black & Veatch Corporation pertains to sediment removal and restoration at Plant 3 of the water treatment center, according to the Dec. 10 City Council agenda. Funding for the contract comes from the city’s Water and Sewer System Consolidated Construction Fund, per the agenda.

Some context: The city is also in the process of adding a new fourth plant to the EWPP site, located on Federal Road in east Houston, according to city documents. Plants 1 and 2 date back to the 1950s, and Plant 3 was constructed in 1980, the documents show. 

The existing facilities on average pump 239 million gallons of water per day, well below the rated capacity of 362 million gallons per day, according to the documents. Approximately 1.9 million Houstonians rely on the plant for water.