HOUSTON — Mayor Sylvester Turner said he paid the bill for his books that were handed out at his final State of the City luncheon back in September.
This comes after Houston First, a local government corporation that sponsored the event, declined to pick up the $124,000 design and printing tab, saying no taxpayer money would be used to pay for the books that told the story of Turner's career as Houston mayor.
The mayor's office said that it was informed that $540,000 was raised to cover all expenses associated with the State of the City luncheon. They said Houston First collected that revenue and was responsible for paying the expenses, including the book, production costs and other items that accompanied hosting the event.
The day that the Houston First board was set to vote on paying a local firm for the design and printing services, at the last minute, the chairman reversed course.
Turner said he was surprised when Houston First suddenly questioned whether it should have to pay for the books, and he was disappointed when some suggested taxpayer money would be used.
"And everybody ran with it. 'Oh, the mayor is asking the public to pay for their book?' No. Not the case," Turner said. "And the mayor didn't write this book. This book was put together specifically for the state of the city, and that was part of the cost and why an outside group raised $547,000 to cover this cost as well as other expenses."
Turner said with all the talk and confusion, that's why he decided to take care of the bill himself.
The book, "A Winning Legacy" is free to download online.