How Seven Seats Run Baytown: Inside the Council-Manager System

Baytown's charter sets up a council-manager government. Voters elect a mayor and six council members to three-year terms. The council appoints a city manager, and that person runs the day-to-day work of City Hall at 2401 Market Street.

The next vote is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, for council Districts 4, 5 and 6. The voter registration deadline, October 5, has passed. Early voting runs October 19 through 30. The charter says it plainly: "The city council shall be composed of a mayor and six council members." That makes seven seats.

The city's charter is the 2021 version, current for 2025. This page walks through who does what, how the terms work and how to reach the right door at City Hall.

The short version

• Baytown has a council-manager government under its charter.
• The council has 7 members: a mayor and 6 council members.
• Each member serves a 3-year term.
• Council members can serve no more than 4 consecutive full terms without a break.
• The city manager is the chief executive officer and head of the administrative branch.

Who sits on the council

The mayor is elected at large. The six council members come from single-member districts, one member for each district (charter Section 12). The council is one citywide seat and six district seats.

The charter sets the frame: who sits on the council, how long they serve and who runs the administration. It does not tell you what your district member thinks about any one issue. For that, read their votes on the budget and the tax rate.

A single-member district means one person represents each district. Because the mayor is elected at large, every voter in the city has a say in that seat. That gives a resident two kinds of representation: one voice for the whole city and one for the neighborhood. All seven members still vote together on citywide matters like the budget, so a vote from a district other than yours can affect your street too.

How terms are staggered

Terms run three years. They are staggered in three groups: districts 1 through 3, districts 4 through 6, and the mayor, each on a separate cycle. In any given November, only one group is on the ballot, so the whole council never faces voters at once.

The 2026 election covers Districts 4, 5 and 6. Those members will serve three years, from November 2026 to November 2029. Check your voter registration with the county and look up candidates on the city's election page before you go.

Section 12(f) of the charter says no one may serve more than four consecutive full terms without a break. It applies to terms commencing on or after Nov. 2, 2021. A member also serves until a successor has been elected and inducted, so a seat is not left empty between an election and a swearing-in.

What the city manager does

The charter says the city manager "shall be the chief executive officer and the head of the administrative branch of the city government." The council appoints the city manager.

The FY2027 budget lists 1,001 full-time-equivalent positions across the city, and an all-funds budget of $424,324,581. Fiscal year 2027 began October 1, 2026.

On Sept. 10, 2026, the council passed the FY2027 budget ordinance with all 7 members voting yes. It also passed the tax rate ordinance that day. The rate is $0.69803 per $100, the same as the year before.

The budget is one of the council's big yearly jobs. The FY2027 all-funds budget is a 6.7% increase from FY2026. The property tax rate stayed at $0.69803 per $100. The budget also approves rate adjustments of 4.5% for water and 12.4% for sewer services.

A bit of history

Baytown's government dates to Jan. 24, 1948, when the city was established. Goose Creek's first mayor, W. E. Bussey, took office in April 1919.

Baytown grew from earlier towns. Goose Creek voted to incorporate on Jan. 28, 1919. Pelly had its own volunteer fire department by 1920. On Feb. 15, 1947, voters in Pelly and Goose Creek approved consolidation by a large majority. The city of Baytown was established the next year.

Size, place and City Hall

The Census Bureau estimated 86,561 residents on July 1, 2025. Divided by seven seats, that is about 12,366 residents for each seat, though the mayor and the district seats are elected differently, so the comparison is only a rough scale.

Most of Baytown sits in Harris County, but a slice extends east into Chambers County. The council represents the whole city, in both counties.

City Hall is at 2401 Market Street. The city's website, baytown.org, has a Meetings & Agendas link under Quick Links and a Submit a Request form for non-emergency problems like potholes. Use those before a council meeting; most street and permit questions belong to a department, not to a council member.

What this means for you

You have one mayor and one district council member who answer to you at the ballot box. Find your district, learn who represents you and ask them how a vote on the budget or tax rate affects your street. Check whether a decision belongs to the council, the city manager or a department before you pick where to take a question. The charter makes the city manager the head of the administrative branch, so a council member can point you to the right department. When a term, power or election rule matters, read the charter itself; a department page may summarize only part of the structure.

Sources

• City of Baytown: City of Baytown Charter, 2021, for 2025 (https://baytown.org/DocumentCenter/View/12921/13-City-of-Baytown-Charter-2021-for-2025)
• City of Baytown: Election Information, November 3, 2026 (https://www.baytown.org/1458/Election-Information---November-3-2026)
• City of Baytown: FY2027 Adopted Budget (https://baytown.org/Archive.aspx?ADID=1317)
• City of Baytown: https://www.baytown.org/
• Handbook of Texas: Baytown, TX (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/baytown-tx)
• Handbook of Texas: Goose Creek, TX (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/goose-creek-tx)
• Handbook of Texas: Pelly, TX (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/pelly-tx)
• U.S. Census Bureau: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/baytowncitytexas/PST045225
• City of Baytown: https://baytown.org/376/History-of-the-BFD