page_title: Bellaire, Texas
section_title: Local government
hierarchical_section_title: Bellaire, Texas / Government and infrastructure / Local government
caption_attribution_description: English: William Wright Baldwin, president of the South End Land Company, founded Bellaire in 1908 on part of the 9,449-acre ranch once owned by William Marsh Rice, benefactor of Rice Institute (now Rice University). Baldwin surveyed the eastern 1,000 acres of the ranch into small truck farms, which he named Westmoreland Farms. He platted Bellaire in the middle of the farms to serve as an exclusive residential neighborhood and agricultural trading center. The project was separated from Houston by approximately six miles of prairie. South End Land Company advertisements, targeted to midwestern farmers, noted that Bellaire ("Good Air") was named for the area's Gulf breezes. The original townsite was bounded by Palmetto, First, Jessamine, and Sixth (now Ferris) streets. Bellaire Boulevard and an electric streetcar line connected Bellaire to Houston. The town was incorporated in 1918, and C. P. Younts served as first mayor. The post-war building boom in the late 1940s and early 1950s resulted in rapid population growth. Completely surrounded by the expanding city of Houston by 1949, Bellaire nevertheless retained its independence and its own city government.
context_page_description: Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 16,855. It is surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place.
  Bellaire is known as the "City of Homes," owing to its mostly residential character; however, there are offices along the 610 Loop within the city limits.
context_section_description: Bellaire currently has a city manager style of government. The home rule government was established on April 2, 1949, replacing the general law form of government. The city council is made up of the mayor and six city council members. All are elected at large. The mayor is elected for two-year terms, while each city council member is elected for four-year terms. The mayor may not serve for more than four terms in that position. A council members may have no more than two terms as a city council member. Bellaire has zoning ordinances that dictate types of structures and uses throughout sections of the city. As of 2015, the mayor is Andrew Friedberg. The six council members are, in order of position, Neil Verma (1), Trisha Pollard (2), Gus Pappas (3), Pat McLaughlan (4), Michael Fife (5), and David Montague (6). City hall is located on blocks 31 and 32 of the original Bellaire townsite.
  The Bellaire Fire Department is housed at 5101 Jessamine Street. The fire station includes two fire engines (a main engine and a volunteer/backup engine), two medic units (a main medic unit and a backup unit), an on shift commander vehicle, a vehicle for each the chief and assistant chief, a cascade unit, and a hazardous materials trailer. The fire department operates the Citizens Fire Academy, a fire and life safety program for Bellaire citizens held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The old fire station was demolished on December 4, 2009, with demolition continuing on Monday December 7, 2009, and operations are temporarily relocated at the Chevron building. A new fire station was scheduled to in the location of the previous fire station. The groundbreaking for the new station was held on December 17, 2009.
  The Bellaire Police Department is housed at 5110 Jessamine Street. As of 2008 the Chief of Police is Byron Holloway. The police department's patrol division, the organization's largest division, includes patrol, detention, motorcycle, and bicycle units. The support services division includes court, records, and communications divisions. The police department offers the "House Watch Program," where interested residents allow police to check their houses while they are away on vacation. Voters approved the creation of a new emergency medical services unit in a 2019 election.
caption: Bellaire City Hall
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