The city has been the largest in Texas since the 1930s. For context, Houston is home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center; Port of Houston, the nation’s largest port of waterborne tonnage; and Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical complex.
Supporting 24 departments and about 13,000 full-time city employees, Houston Information Technology Services (HITS) has a $99,586,000 budget and anticipates having 212.5 full-time positions in the coming year, according to budget documents.
HITS is tasked with multiple programs such as city 311 services, cybersecurity, end-user computing, public safety tech, courts IT support and telecommunications support.
Strategic goals are:
- Optimize city operations to align business needs to ensure security, reliability, resiliency, cost and operating efficiencies.
- Improve data-driven decision-making through better data access across city departments to produce actionable analysis, better decision-making and transparency.
- Engage citizens through connected mobile and digital experiences to increase accessibility, participation and satisfaction.
- Inspire and empower employees to do their best work by developing and aligning their skills to support the strategy and leveraging the power of mobility and collaboration.
Among the web and digital initiatives:
- The city maintains an open finance data portal “to empower residents to get involved and understand the city’s financial activities.” The portal was launched in 2021 and received a makeover last year.
- Budget Bootcamp helps citizens and other stakeholders to visualize funding sources and expenditures, although the site states that actual numbers should be gathered from official documents. The website is a result of a 2019 citywide hackathon.
- The Houston Recovers website was borne out of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey and has been continuously/continually updated during storms such as Winter Storm Uri and other public emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
