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Cadets from Houston Police Academy Class 263 march in for their graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographer
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has agreed to fund an additional police cadet class as he weighs around 50 changes City Council members have proposed to his budget plan for the new fiscal year starting in July.
The mayor unveiled in May the first spending plan of his tenure. The proposal’s current version consists of $7.3 billion in expenditures across city operations.
Of that total, $3 billion would go into the general fund, primarily supported by property and sales taxes and covering essential services such as policing, trash collection, parks and libraries. The remaining dollars would be directed to enterprise funds, which are self-sustaining and use fees and charges to pay for specific functions.
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Under Houston’s “strong mayor” system, the power to propose amendments is the most significant tool at council members’ disposal during the annual budget season. Thirteen of the 16 members have submitted at least one.
Per usual, most of these suggestions aim to draw extra funds from the city’s savings to boost services such as policing, drainage repairs and community code enforcement. At the same time, with the city facing serious financial challenges and no measures in Whitmire’s current plan to generate new revenue, over a dozen amendments aim to stabilize Houston’s finances by creating new fees or cutting certain expenses.
Mayor John Whitmire speaks during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Class 263 on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographer
Most budget amendments historically fail to pass, with the mayor’s backing often being the deciding factor. Mary Benton, the mayor’s spokeswoman, said Whitmire is still reviewing and considering most of the amendments.
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Jamaal Avery, left, picks up his daughter, Jayla, as his son, Jaziah, puts their father’s cap on his sister, after the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Class 263 on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerNicolas Evans dismisses the Houston Police Academy Class 263 at the end of their graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerClass president Jamaal Avery salutes Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite after receiving his badge during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Class 263 on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. HPD welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerClass president Jamaal Avery walks on stage to speak during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Class 263 on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerCadets from Houston Police Academy Class 263 line up for their graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerJamaal Avery salutes during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Class 263 on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerMarilsela Carlon salutes Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite after receiving his badge during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Class 263 on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. HPD welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerBenito Espinoza salutes Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite after receiving his badge during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Class 263 on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. HPD welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerOwen Martin receives his badge from Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Class 263 on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. HPD welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerFamilies cheer during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Class 263 on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerSaul Ramirez embraces his father Benito, a U.S. Border Patrol officer, after receiving his badge during the graduation ceremony for Houston Police Academy Class 263 on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerCadets from Houston Police Academy Class 263 take their oath of office during their graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerCadets from Houston Police Academy Class 263 take their oath of office during their graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerActing Police Chief Larry Satterwhite and the HPD command staff stand at attention before the Houston Police Academy Class 263 welcoming them to the department on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. HPD welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerThe Houston Police Academy Class 263 embrace after their graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographer
City Council is expected to discuss them Wednesday during a marathon session that, in past years, has often been the body’s longest meeting of the year.
Here are the key highlights from the council members’ proposed amendments.
Boosting public safety
In line with previous years’ breakdowns, public safety funding accounts for half of the city’s general fund budget in Whitmire’s initial plan. This includes around $1 billion for Houston police, which covers five cadet classes in the coming year.
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One of Council Member Julian Ramirez’s amendments proposed allocating $4 million for a sixth cadet class. He said one source of the additional funding could come from canceling Houston’s controversial ShotSpotter program, which Whitmire recently called a “gimmick … cooked up by contractors.”
SHOTSPOTTER DEBATE: Mayor Whitmire vows to scrap Houston’s $3.5M ShotSpotter program
Whitmire said Ramirez’s plan is “doable” and that he would help find funds for the extra cadet class.
“Let’s have an aggressive recruiting program that brings very dedicated, qualified young cadets to the city and takes care of the cadets,” Whitmire said after a Wednesday news conference. “It’d been something that I would’ve liked to propose, but (Ramirez) beat me to it.”
Cadets from Houston Police Academy Class 263 take their oath of office during their graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 6, 2024 in Houston. Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite welcomed 68 new officers to the police force during the ceremony.Brett Coomer/Staff photographer
Several other members introduced measures to boost public safety.
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Council Member Mary Nan Huffman suggested three initiatives, totaling $3.3 million, to increase cadet retention pay, support an employment program for retired officers and add more lieutenant positions.
Meanwhile, Council Member Twila Carter recommended expediting the construction of fire stations and collaborating with Harris County to accommodate larger training cadet classes for the police and fire departments.
Tackling budget deficit
Finance Director Melissa Dubowski has projected a grim financial outlook for the city, with the fund balance likely to fall below the legally required minimum within a year if no additional revenues are generated.
Earlier this year, Whitmire’s administration floated the idea of a property tax hike and a garbage fee to close the existing budget gap of around $187 million and help fund a new deal for firefighters.
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The mayor, however, said he no longer plans to implement these measures in the proposed budget. His budget also does not include policies to produce new revenue streams. Whitmire recently said he would not ask the public for more dollars until he can first “guarantee that we (have) removed conflicts of interest and public corruption.”
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A number of council members, concerned with the city’s fiscal future, introduced amendments focused on cutting costs or generating new revenue.
Council Member Sallie Alcorn, chair of the city’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee, suggested reducing printing services and supplies costs, which currently amount to $6 million in the budget. She also proposed potentially capping the number of vacation and sick leave hours paid out to employees upon termination. Right now, termination pay accounts for $13.8 million.
Council Member Amy Peck also recommended multiple cost-cutting measures. These include having the Houston Public Library share digital services with the Harris County Public Library, consolidating language access service contracts and prohibiting city departments from using tax dollars for event table sponsorships at luncheons and galas.
A City of Houston solid waste management truck is shown in the Southwest Service Center yard Thursday, May 19, 2022 in Houston. The department has had staffing shortages and employees often work overtime.
Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
Council Member Joaquin Martinez proposed immediately introducing a garbage fee to support the Solid Waste Management Department, which has struggled for years to collect heavy trash on time due to resource challenges.
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Additionally, Martinez and Alcorn suggested charging a fee to Harris County, school districts and other local government entities that make use of Houston’s minority business certification program.
Prepare Houston for extreme weather events
During last year’s budget season, local advocates successfully convinced then-Mayor Sylvester Turner to allocate additional funding to overturn a decades-long policy that disproportionately burdened low-income Black and brown neighborhoods with open ditch maintenance.
This year, the same groups are calling for more city investment to tackle flooding in the city’s most vulnerable communities. Organizers have worked with Council Member Tarsha Jackson, who represents many affected areas in northeast Houston, to introduce an amendment that would authorize $8 million more for drainage repairs and upgrades.
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“There has been a lack of investment in infrastructure, so we have to bring these neighborhoods up to par, and that’s going to save us in the long run,” Jackson said, highlighting the city’s frequent storms and flooding. “At the end of the day, we have to deal with it.”
Many others proposed amendments to improve neighborhood infrastructure and resilience in the face of extreme weather events. Council Member Letitia Plummer’s sole amendment focuses on purchasing a generator for Kashmere Gardens.
A broken solar panel lies on the ground at a carport at Kashmere Multi-Service Center which is supposed to house a resilience center, designed to be a place where residents can grab food, and wi-fi during extreme weather on Friday, May 31, 2024, in Houston. The resilience hub has not been able to open, because the multi-service center always loses power during storms, and cannot be opened as a cooling center because the city has no generators for its multi-service centers heading into storm season.Karen Warren/Staff photographer
During the recent derecho, Kashmere Gardens’ multiservice center, serving as a cooling center, struggled to keep open after the storm knocked out power. The Houston Health Department told the Chronicle that of the city’s 13 multiservice centers, only one has a permanent generator.
“Given the unreliability of the Texas power grid during extreme weather, which can result in rolling blackouts and downed power lines, it is imperative that the city of Houston takes proactive measures to protect its most vulnerable residents,” Plummer said.
There are many more amendments of various sizes and scopes that council members are pushing for in the coming days.
These include a measure for City Council to get independent legal counsel as the mayor and council members grapple for legislative control in light of the newly passed Proposition A. Peck also introduced several amendments on behalf of Controller Chris Hollins to expand his auditing team and help root out problems and inefficiencies across city departments.
Below is a complete list of council member amendments.
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