La Porte resident urges overhaul of city landscaping; council creates Keep La Porte Beautiful advisory committee

Virginia Pearson Turner, a La Porte resident who told the council she has inspected the city’s grounds, urged the City of La Porte to hire a full‑time landscaping professional and tighten oversight of contractors at a council meeting.

“I have visited every one of the 39 buildings, 5 pools, 3 splash pads and 27 parks managed by the city of La Porte,” Turner said during a presentation. She detailed widespread dead plantings, bare soil, unscreened dumpsters and repeated failures of seasonal beds and recommended a staff horticulturalist to set standards and hold contractors accountable.

Turner said the city currently contracts with a landscaper to maintain flower beds at 11 sites for about $64,000 per year, with annual beds replaced three times; she told council the contractor’s work often left soil exposed, failed to address drainage and relied on rock that “doesn’t improve the soil.”

Councilmembers discussed two related responses: forming a community advisory body and reviewing the city’s existing contract and staffing. Council approved an ordinance creating the Keep La Porte Beautiful Committee, a nine‑member advisory panel that will develop bylaws, propose projects and recommend policy to the council. The ordinance passed after a motion by Councilmember McCauley and a second by Councilmember Williams; the vote carried.

City staff said the committee is intended to be advisory only and will not replace staff responsibilities. The draft committee structure presented to council called for quarterly meetings, a parks/public works liaison, and a focus on tree planting, landscaping, public art and litter prevention. Staff and council members said the committee is also a requirement for affiliation with Keep Texas Beautiful, which can unlock grant opportunities.

Several councilmembers emphasized the committee should not be an either/or substitute for professional horticultural support. Councilmember Williams said the committee should “go hand in hand” with either improved contractor performance or consideration of bringing landscaping expertise in‑house. City staff said the current seasonal color contract runs through the fiscal year and that staff will evaluate contractor performance, available budget and the cost of possible in‑house staffing before the next budget cycle.

What happens next: the advisory committee will develop bylaws and submit recommendations to council; staff will review the current landscaping contract and report back with cost and staffing options before the end of the fiscal year.