Houston City Council Notes, prepared by Emily J Hynds

Budget Vote for Fiscal Year ‘25

These notes are for budget-related items and discussion on June 12, 2024. For non-budget items, see my previous notes.

Houston’s fiscal year lasts July through June. The budget is named for the end year of the fiscal season. So, we’re getting ready for fiscal year 2025, aka FY25. The annual budget funds every department (Solid Waste, Public Works, Police, Fire, etc) and many of their programs. Funding for the budget includes tax dollars, state and federal money, investment returns, and more.

11 Council Members proposed amendments to the budget. You might wonder what many of these amendments have to do with the budget, and the answer is absolutely nothing! The budget amendment process is just one of the very few ways CMs can exert influence, so some of them choose to do so.

Budget Amendments

CM Ramirez, At-Large 1, proposed three amendments.

• R1.01 proposed an additional HPD cadet class (from 5 → 6) paid for with funds saved from the cancellation of Shotspotter and asset forfeiture funds. The administration supported this amendment.
  • CM Pollard doesn’t want to add another cadet class when the current ones aren’t full and thinks the one-time ShotSpotter savings are not a good solution for a permanent extra class. Pollard vowed to vote no on any amendment pulling from the general fund.
  • This amendment passed, CMs Thomas and Pollard voted no.
• R1.02 proposed the creation of a $35K language access coordinator, funded by a coalition of CMs Council District Service Funds (CDSF). The administration supported this amendment.
  • CMs Castillo and Ramirez pledged financial support.
  • CM Plummer mentioned possible grant funding through a partnership with Woori Juntos and Air Alliance Houston.
  • CM Davis said he would consider helping to fund if Ramirez also considered funding the Office of Veteran Affairs.
  • This amendment passed.
• R1.03 proposed using Ramirez’s CDSFunds to close a funding gap at the crisis diversion center, but he withdrew it.

CM Carter, At-Large 3, initially proposed five amendments but withdrew all of them except one.

• C3.05 proposed collaboration with the County to share library services and responsibilities. This amendment was referred to the Quality of Life Committee for further consideration. Several CMs spoke in support and listed other areas that would be good candidates, like parks, illegal dumping, and animal welfare.

CM Plummer, At-Large 4

• P4.01 proposed using $899K from the general fund for the installation of a permanent generator at the Kashmere Gardens Multi-Service Center, a neighborhood Resiliency Hub. CM Jackson, the rep for Kashmere Gardens, supported this amendment.
  • Mayor Whitmire and CM Pollard advocated for working with the private sector to get a mobile generator as a stop-gap while seeking funding for permanent solutions that don’t draw from the general fund.
  • CM Kamin suggested using the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Plummer said the CIP process takes too long for such an urgent need.
  • CM Thomas suggested other funding sources, like Community Development Block Grants and CIP funding already earmarked for generators. Plummer agreed and amended the proposal to allow funding besides the general fund.
  • This amendment was granted, CM Pollard voted no.

CM Alcorn, At-Large 5

• A5.01 proposed reducing paper and printing to save $261K annually. The administration supported it and it passed. CM Martinez suggested implementing QR codes to reduce printing even more.
• A5.02 proposed evaluating termination pay policy to investigate savings and inefficiencies. This amendment was referred to the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee. CM Kamin advocated for labor representation at whatever working group comes out of this.
• A5.03 was co-authored with CM Martinez. It looks to charge non-City entities who use the City’s Minority- and Women- owned Business Entities (MWBE) certification program. It was referred to the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee for review.
• A5.04 proposed hiring a consultant to investigate turning BARC into a local government corporation, similar to the zoo. It was referred to the Service Delivery Committee and the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

CM Peck of District A proposed eleven amendments. The most!

• P6.01 proposed that all emergency purchase orders declare if the company is less than one year old. The administration supported this amendment and it passed.
• P6.02 and P6.03 both suggested strengthening the audit process at the Controller’s office. Mayor Whitmire did not support, even saying “No one wants an audit more than me,” which is just a funny thing to be competitive about. Anyways, Peck withdrew both.
• P6.05 proposed that efficiency studies come back to council or a committee for review. The administration supported this amendment and it passed.
• P6.06 would have required vacant positions get reapproved after 6 months. There has been general talk for a while now about the budget being inflated by funding held in reserve for vacant (and perhaps no longer needed) positions. Whitmire did not support and Peck withdrew it.
• P6.07 proposed sharing mowing duties across City departments. It was referred to the Government Operations Committee.
• P6.08 was co-authored with CM Kamin and proposed using CDSFunds to maintain ditches. It was withdrawn amidst promises of a collab with Houston Public Works.
• P6.11 would prohibit the use of tax dollars for the purchase of charity tables at events. CM Pollard argued that this amendment has nothing to do with the budget and should be an ordinance change. CM Peck withdrew it.

CM Kamin of District A proposed 8.01, which would create an attorney position in the legal department to specialize in Prop A matters, using funding reserved already for a different vacant position. This amendment passed.

CM Jackson of District B

• P7.01, co-sponsored with CMs Alcorn and Huffman, proposed using $8M of the Dedicated Drainage and Street Renewal Fund (DDSRF) for the Local Drainage Program (LDP), which often deals with ditches.
  • CM Pollard said this is the only amendment for which he supports using the general fund, especially because the money was promised last year and apparently was unused. Pollard thanked advocacy groups for staying on top of this.
  • CM Alcorn said that infrastructure was the #1 priority in her budget survey, which this amendment supports. She also thanked advocacy groups.
  • Mayor Whitmire lamented that $8M isn’t enough to address the problem and suggested a bond might be necessary in the future. He subtly criticized former HPW Director Haddock.
  • CM Kamin supported the amendment and thanked Northeast Action Collective for their advocacy.
  • CM Jackson thanked her colleagues for their support. She thanked Northeast Action Collective and Westreet Recovery for their advocacy.
  • This amendment was approved.

CM Flickinger of District E

• F10.02 proposed changes to sick day policy. It was referred to the Labor Committee.
• F10.03 proposed adapting the current City policy that requires a portion of capital spending projects to be spent on art.
  • CM Peck said public safety spending should be exempt from such auto-spends because the money could be used for other (more important) things.
  • CM Kamin cautioned against picking away at the “hard-fought” arts ordinance. She said, “Public art … creates public safety spaces as well.”
  • CM Alcorn said, “Perhaps the places where people think we don’t need art are the very places we need it the most.”
  • CM Martinez said that art can be a symbol for community, like the many murals in the East End, which also drive economic development.
  • This whole conversation ended up being an interesting dialogue on art. The amendment was sent to the Arts and Culture Committee.

CM Huffman of District G

• H12.02 proposed using $871K from the general fund for HPD cadet pay incentives that were previously funded through ARPA.
  • CMs Alcorn, Ramirez, Pollard, and Finance Director Dubowski all discussed vacancies in HPD, money that could be used for other things within HPD.
  • This item was referred to the Public Safety Committee.
• H12.03 proposed increasing funding for the program that hires retired police officers in part-time roles. It was referred to the Public Safety Committee.
• H12.06 proposed City-led mosquito control. She withdrew this amendment as Mayor Whitmire plans to collaborate with the county’s mosquito control program.
• H12.07 had something to do with cutting spending on travel for training purposes. The feed was pretty bad for the whole meeting and especially bad during this section. This amendment passed. CMs Thomas, Pollard, and Jackson voted no.

CM Castillo of District H

• C13.01 proposed using $350K from the general fund to pay for professional help at BARC, previously paid for with ARPA funds. CM Pollard voted no. The amendment passed.
• C13.04 proposed exempting City vehicles from having to pay parking meters. This was referred to the Government Operations Committee.

CM Martinez of District I

• M14.01 proposed a one-time fee for new residential development to pay for refuse carts. This was referred to the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee and the Service Delivery Committee.
• M14.02 proposed a monthly solid waste user fee. It was referred to the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee and the Service Delivery Committee.
• M14.03 proposed a review of the heavy waste schedule, suggesting that on demand service could save money. It was referred to the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee and the Service Delivery Committee.

CM Castex-Tatum of District K

• CT16.01 and 16.02 proposed beefing up code enforcement. They were referred to the Department of Neighborhood Committee.

The Budget Vote

• CM Pollard appreciated the work and debate, but could not support the current budget. He complained that there are no new revenue sources and spending exceeds income.
• CM Ramirez praised that there were no new fees or taxes. He wants to work with the State on alternative funding sources.
• CM Martinez said an unbalanced budget is nothing new, especially with the revenue caps.
• CM Kamin thanked CM Alcorn and her staff for their work during budget season. She listed budget challenges like not enough HPD investigators, deferred maintenance, not enough ambulances, a potential $100M drainage liability, damaged municipal courts, underfunded multi-service centers, parks, and more! She also complained about the revenue caps.
• CM Flickinger wants to raise revenue in a “straightforward manner,” not with fees. He is open to lifting the revenue caps.
• Mayor Whitmire also thanked Alcorn and her staff. He said there is no such thing as a perfect budget and criticized those who vote no, saying it’s an “easy thing to do.” He emphasized, as always, the need to spend on public safety. He said this budget leaves the City with $87M in reserve.
• The budget for FY25 passed. CMs Thomas and Pollard voted no.

Who took these notes? And what resources did they use?

My name is Emily Hynds and I am a writer, producer of the monthly storytelling series Grown-up Storytime, and lifelong Houstonian. I am not a journalist or government official. I am a local government enthusiast who believes meaningful change starts at home. These notes are presented from my point of view and with my framing, and are not comprehensive. Your notes will certainly be different, and I would love to read them if you attend.

While compiling these notes I used the following sources:
https://houston.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/
https://houwatch.com

You can find your City Council Member and their contact info at: http://www.houstontx.gov/council/whoismycm.html

My Patreon is patreon.com/emilytakesnotes.