HOUSTON, Texas – You know how frustrating it is when your family car breaks down, and you have to rent one just to get the kids to school or pick them up after their practice. Now imagine if that rental car became your everyday ride for months.
KPRC 2 Investigates found that’s exactly what’s happening inside Houston Public Works, and according to city records, the department has been renting vehicles for years.
“Why in the heck are we renting vehicles at a cost that doesn’t make sense?” Mayor John Whitmire asked 2 Investigates Mario Diaz.
2 Investigates discovered the practice while in Fifth Ward last April when we spotted a truck with a City of Houston seal, and a Herc’s Rentals logo underneath.
The employee shared that his city unit was in the shop.
Mario asked him how long he’d been in the rental, and he responded, “I wanna say back in Thanksgiving.”
We found that this is indeed the case; one of the reasons this arm of the city relies on renting vehicles daily is due to the number of vehicles it has in the shop.
And it’s your tax dollars footing the bill.
“It’s again an example of the City of Houston not having the best practices,” said Mayor Whitmire.
We wanted to know more, and open records show the city has been renting vehicles since 2021. Sedans, mid-size SUVs, minivans, and pick-up trucks are just some of the more than 250 vehicles rented.
“I think that the Mayor has got an excellent point, but I think context also matters,” said Houston Public Works Director Randy Macchi. “It’s important to understand the totality of it. I don’t know every single instance of every vehicle we’ve got going on, but you’re right, we need to know that. We need to take a real close look at all of our operations, top to bottom.”
The data shows Public Works did not rent as many vehicles from 2021 to 2022. Since then, the numbers have jumped, with 2025 on pace to be the year the department rents the most vehicles.
“It’s definitely on an upward trend,” Macchi added.
The trend goes back to former Mayor Sylvester Turner’s time in office and has only continued under Mayor Whitmire.
“I’ll be honest with you, this was not an issue until you walked in here and asked me about it,” Mayor Whitmire added.
Documentation from Public Works shows the department spent more than $5 million renting vehicles since 2021. It’s half of the $10.4 million that was budgeted.
“We’ll go look at procurement,” the mayor told us. “Who got the damn contract?”
Records show that Herc Rentals and Enterprise are two of six companies the city rents from.
“I guess I am here to tell you today, your reporting is going to bring about a change in practices,” said Mayor Whitmire.
Mario asked the new Public Works Director, “Why did it take someone like us or me at 2 Investigates to uncover this issue that you’re saying, ‘I got to look at this?’”
Macchi replied, “It shouldn’t take that.”
2 Investigates is looking into a breakdown of new vehicle purchases and when they were delivered.
We’re still digging, and we’ll let you know what those new vehicle numbers reveal.
