Mayor Annise Parker today lauded the Fourteenth Court of Appeals decision upholding the ReBuild Houston Charter Amendment passed in November 2010.

“Today’s decision validates the City’s actions and the will of the voters,” said Mayor Parker. “Houstonians knew we needed a dedicated pay-as-you-go fund to replace our city’s aging infrastructure, and that is exactly what we’re doing. Instead of incurring debt and worrying about future payments, we are now being fiscally responsible.”

The case, brought forward by three Houston residents, contended the ballot language was misleading and, therefore, the charter amendment should be overturned. In the opinion written by Justice Tracy Christopher, the court found the ballot language not to be misleading and affirmed the trial court’s initial ruling to uphold the Rebuild Houston charter amendment.

“The court completely agreed with the ballot language used, and this establishes clear precedent for all future charter amendments placed on the ballot,” said City Attorney Dave Feldman.

ReBuild Houston is the City of Houston’s initiative to rebuild the city’s drainage and street infrastructure in order to improve the quality of life and mobility for residents of the city through drainage and street improvements and maintenance. The City established a dedicated, pay-as-you-go fund to help maintain and improve the city's drainage and street infrastructure, and to plan upgrades to meet future needs as the city grows.

The opinion from the Fourteenth Court of Appeals can be found here.

For more information about ReBuild Houston, visit www.rebuildhouston.org.