A joint session of the Houston City Council and the Harris County Commissioners Court on Jan. 1 reappointed the chair of Port Houston by unanimous voice vote and heard the chair outline recent port accomplishments and planned investments.

The reappointment was announced during the joint session presided over by Mayor Whitmire of Houston and Judge Hidalgo of Harris County. The chair, identified in the meeting as Rick (chairman of Port Houston), thanked elected officials for the vote of confidence and described the port’s recent performance and projects.

The chair said Port Houston’s public terminals moved more cargo in 2024 than in any prior year and that the Houston Ship Channel remains the nation’s leading waterway by tonnage and ship volumes. He said the Ship Channel’s tonnage gap over the No. 2 port was “67,000,000 tons,” and he linked cargo growth to jobs, citing figures he described: 3,400,000 jobs nationally supported by Houston’s port activity and 1,500,000 jobs in Texas (figures as reported in the meeting).

The chair highlighted Project 11, a Houston Ship Channel expansion intended to add capacity for larger vessels and improve navigational safety. He said the project is “90 percent funded” with a mix of federal funding, some state funding, port-generated cash flow and port bonds rather than general-obligation local government bonds. He also said Port Houston plans nearly $2 billion in landside public-terminal investments over the next five years, to be funded with internally generated cash and port bonds.

On environmental and community initiatives, the chair said Port Houston is pursuing carbon-neutrality goals by 2050, reported that 40% of its rubber-tire gantry (RTG) cranes were updated by 2024, and noted receipt of six grants in 2024 totaling “more than $57,000,000” for environmental improvements. He said Port Houston’s community grants program has awarded $1,650,000 since 2020 and that the port earmarked $500,000 for 2025 grants. He also said the port reached a “great place to work” designation in 2024 and touted maritime workforce programs including eight maritime high-school programs producing 86 graduates in 2024.

Speakers at the meeting, including county commissioners and city council members, offered brief remarks welcoming the reappointment and praising the port’s regional economic role. Commissioners and council members also emphasized the need for continued collaboration among the port, city, county, TxDOT, the Gulf Coast Rail District and industry to address freight movement and roadway impacts.

The session included public remarks from labor and industry representatives who praised the port’s leadership and urged ongoing attention to workforce and infrastructure needs.

The meeting closed after recognizing port and pilot commissioners in attendance and announcing completion of the joint agenda.

The chair’s remarks and the reappointment vote were recorded in the joint session transcript.