$400,000 — nearly half of one district's entire discretionary budget — went to safety nets at a golf course operated by a nonprofit, while sidewalks remain a deferred citywide priority.
Validated Concern
The key facts
$400K
Single largest CDSF project in any Houston district in FY26 — Gus Wortham Golf Course safety nets, District I
48.9%
Share of District I's entire FY26 CDSF Max Spend going to that single project
$1.97M
Total assets of Houston Golf Association, the recipient 501(c)(3) nonprofit (2024 IRS Form 990)
$0
Grants given out by HGA in 2022, 2023, and 2024 combined
What this means for your household
Each council district gets about $1M in discretionary annual funding (the Council District Service Fund). Your council member picks what to fund.
Sidewalks, curb repairs, ADA ramps, and speed cushions are EXPLICITLY eligible CDSF uses. District F demonstrates the pattern: their top 4 projects (~$341K) are all sidewalk/ADA work.
At the May 16 budget town hall, the Mayor's COO named sidewalks as a citywide priority deferred for fiscal-stability reasons. The capability to fund sidewalks via CDSF exists. CM Martínez chose differently.
CM Martínez's FY24 and FY25 patterns were many smaller projects (largest was ~$98K and ~$144K). FY26 broke that pattern by ~3x. The structural question: how does a project this large get approved without broader public review?
“
We're talking about communities in District I and District D and District B all across the city of Houston where 15 ambulances were saying, yeah, we're gonna push these and not run 'em today.
— Stephen David (Mayor's COO), May 16 Budget Town Hall — on District I's historic underservice in EMS
What you can do
1
Look up your own district's CDSF dashboard
The CDSF dashboard shows every council district's spending. Know what your council member has chosen to fund.
2
Ask for a public threshold review process
What is the public review process when a CDSF project exceeds, say, 25% of a district's budget? Should there be one?
3
Demand sidewalks where promised
Sidewalks are an explicit eligible CDSF use AND a stated administration priority. If your district hasn't funded them, ask why.
Sources: Houston Checkbook (vendor invoice 5/6/2026); RCA DA-2026-0070; HGA 2024 IRS Form 990 via ProPublica; CDSF dashboards FY24-FY26; May 16 Budget Town Hall transcript.