Certificate of controller prerequisite to ordinance, etc., appropriating money.
Houston City Charter, art. II, § 19a
in effectSec. 19a. - Certificate of controller prerequisite to ordinance, etc., appropriating money.
No contract, agreement or other obligation involving the expenditure of money in excess of the limitation amount determined as provided in this paragraph, below, shall be ordered, authorized, entered into, or executed by any officer of the city unless same be, by authority of ordinance, resolution or motion, nor shall any ordinance, for the appropriation of money, or any ordinance, resolution or motion for the making of any contract, agreement or other obligation requiring the expenditure of money, be passed by the council unless the controller first certify to the council, that the money required for such contract, agreement, obligation or expenditure is in the treasury, and not appropriated for any other purpose, or that the funds will be received into the treasury and be available before the maturity of said obligation, and that the said funds anticipated have not been already appropriated for any other purpose, which certificate shall be filed and immediately recorded. The limitation amount referred to above shall be equal to the maximum dollar amount of an expenditure that the City is generally allowed to make without taking competitive bids for contracts under state law, as amended from time to time.
If moneys be not actually in the treasury to the credit of the fund from which it is to be drawn, but will be received into the treasury before the maturity of the obligation, the controller shall not certify that the funds will be available unless the moneys are to be derived from lawfully authorized bonds sold and in process of delivery or that the funds are anticipated to be derived from current or general revenues such as from taxes or assessments, or from sales of services, products or by-products, or from any undertakings, fee charges, accounts and bills receivable, or for other items in process of collection, and will be available before maturity of the obligation; and he shall show from what source the funds will be derived, and if the amount anticipated is to come from the general revenues of the city, he shall certify further that the amount including the aggregate of amounts previously certified or anticipated either by budget or appropriation, will not exceed the revenues levied or assessed for the fiscal year.
Any sum certified by the controller shall not thereafter be considered as unappropriated or subject to reappropriation until the city is discharged from the contract, agreement or obligation. (Added by amendment October 15, 1913; amended August 14, 1982, November 2, 1999)
Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH_ARTIICOGEPO_S19ACECOPRORETAPMOFetched: 10/26/2026