Houston’s newly elected Democratic mayor, John Whitmire, is actively undoing the policies implemented by his predecessor. He is determined to tackle the rising crime rates and is committed to presenting a budget that does not burden the residents with additional taxes or fees. Mayor Whitmire’s priorities lie in ensuring the safety and well-being of the city’s inhabitants while also promoting financial stability.
Whitmire unveiled a budget proposal on Tuesday amounting to $6.7 billion. Notably, this budget does not call for any new taxes or fees, while also ensuring that services remain unaffected. What’s more, it successfully tackles a $160 million deficit. It’s worth mentioning that this budget size even surpasses that of certain state budgets.
During a news conference with city council members, Mayor Whitmire acknowledged the challenging task she faced as the newly appointed mayor. Inheriting a projected budget gap of $160 million for Fiscal Year 2025, she emphasized the magnitude of the financial challenge ahead. Despite successfully closing the gap through measures such as recurring expenditure reductions and utilizing the fund balance, Whitmire acknowledged that there is still much work to be done in the future.
Whitmire acknowledged the financial deficits that he inherited from the city over the years. To address this issue, he has proposed a comprehensive plan that focuses on implementing efficiencies throughout the city and conducting a thorough review to identify areas where cost savings can be achieved.
Mayor Eric Johnson of Dallas, like his Democratic counterpart Whitmire, places a strong emphasis on efficiency and the limitation of tax increases. However, unlike Whitmire, Johnson was unable to sway his city council to avoid raising taxes and ultimately switched parties to become a Republican. Both Johnson and Whitmire share the belief that city governments can achieve greater efficiency and that increasing taxes is not always the solution to budgetary challenges.
The burden of taxpayers in Texas falls heavily on the largest cities, particularly those governed by Democrats. Leading the pack are Dallas and Houston.
Whitmire’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year does not involve any new taxes or fees. However, it also does not include any spending cuts. The proposed budget stands at $6.73 billion for all funds, which is $442 million higher than the previous fiscal year, representing a 7% increase.
The budget increases focus on allocating funds to enhance public safety staffing. This includes financing five cadet classes for the Houston fire and police departments, which have been grappling with staffing shortages. Additionally, it fulfills a promise made to the residents of Texas’ largest city, who have been affected by high crime rates and inadequate public services.
Mayor Whitmire’s fiscal 2025 general fund budget is set at $3.03 billion, reflecting a 2.1% rise compared to the previous year’s budget of $2.97 billion. This increase is intended to cover a 3.5% pay raise for Houston police officers and the additional expenses resulting from the collective bargaining agreement reached with the Houston Fire Department. It’s worth noting that this agreement was achieved thanks to a bill sponsored by Whitmire during his tenure in the state legislature, which was subsequently signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott.
In just under two months of taking office, Whitmire successfully resolved an ongoing conflict between his predecessor and the union of HPD. Through skillful negotiation, he achieved an unprecedented agreement.
After discovering that the Houston Police Department had failed to investigate over 264,000 crime reports, Whitmire took action by appointing an independent panel to oversee the internal investigation conducted by HPD. As a result of this swift action, the chief of HPD was ultimately forced to resign within a mere two months.
According to Whitmire, Houston is currently dealing with numerous challenges. He emphasizes the fact that the city is facing strict limitations on its revenues, making it difficult to pursue efficiencies and cost savings. What sets Houston apart from other large cities in Texas are three revenue constraints. These include a locally imposed revenue cap, an additional state cap, the absence of dedicated revenues for solid waste operations, and no support from a city-owned utility.
In his plan, he also aims to collaborate with other levels of government and make necessary adjustments to how services are delivered, as well as the associated costs. Additionally, he intends to explore feasible modifications to the existing revenue model.
The approval of the budget by the city council is necessary before the commencement of the new fiscal year on July 1st.