A grant application for police overtime sparked an argument between Mayor John Whitmire and Council Member Edward Pollard on Wednesday over who is allowed to give the department funds.
The City Council meeting agenda included an application for $150,000 from Gov. Greg Abbott’s office to help fund overtime for the Houston Police Department’s violent gang suppression program in HPD’s Northeast and Westside divisions, the latter of which serves part of Pollard’s District J.
Pollard and the mayor have had an icy relationship since Whitmire took office at the beginning of 2024. Tensions came to a head early last year when Pollard announced a rebrand for his district, dubbing it ”J City” and saying he would use district funds to provide a slate of constituent services…