The City Council is the City's legislative body, with the power to enact and enforce all ordinances and resolutions. Nine Council Members are elected from districts and five are elected at-large, by all voters of the City.



The fourteen members of Council, along with the Mayor, act only by ordinance, resolution or motion. They adopt and may alter the annual budget and confirm the Mayor's appointments. Council is responsible for the appropriation and issuance of bonds, the awarding of contracts and the approval of City expenditures over $50,000. Council may lease or dispose of the City's real estate and may levy assessments against property. Council determines its own rules of procedure, and its meetings are open to the public.



Fourteen Council Members are elected every two years, in odd-numbered years. Council Members are limited to serving three terms of two years each, with each term beginning on January 2 of the even-numbered year. Five Council Members are elected At-Large, or city-wide, while the other nine are elected to geographic districts of roughly the same proportion of population. According to the City Charter, once the population of the City of Houston exceeds 2.1 million, expected for the 2010 census, two more geographic council districts will be added.