HOUSTON – As Houston City Council prepares for a final vote Wednesday on Mayor John Whitmire’s proposed $7.5 billion budget, members of the Houston People’s Budget Campaign are calling on city leaders to consider a different approach to funding city services.
More than a dozen supporters of the coalition spoke during public comment at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, urging elected officials to reject what they describe as fee-based solutions and instead adopt alternative revenue proposals.
The group, which identifies itself as a coalition of taxpayers, climate organizers and immigrant-rights advocates, plans to hold a news conference Wednesday morning outside City Hall ahead of the council vote.
Mayor Whitmire’s proposed budget includes a new $5 monthly trash administrative fee and a right-of-way charge on water and wastewater utilities. City officials say the measures are needed to help close a budget deficit and create more stable funding for city services. The administration estimates the trash fee would generate roughly $24 million to $25 million annually.
The proposal has sparked debate across the city.
Houston Controller Chris Hollins has criticized the plan, arguing it shifts costs onto residents and relies on financial projections that have not been fully explained to the public.
The Houston People’s Budget Campaign says it has submitted four alternative proposals for consideration. According to organizers, their plans would rely on a property tax-based funding model rather than service fees to pay for priorities, including trash collection, illegal dumping cleanup, drinking water infrastructure, flood mitigation projects, parks, libraries and other public services.
Advocates argue their approach would distribute costs differently than the mayor’s proposed fees and provide a more sustainable funding source for city investments.
“The people’s budget offers an alternative to the current plans being discussed at City Hall,” organizers said in a statement.
The budget debate comes after weeks of public discussion over how Houston should address long-term financial challenges while maintaining city services. Mayor Whitmire has defended the proposal as a necessary step toward stabilizing the city’s finances and modernizing the way certain services are funded.
If approved by the City Council, the new budget would take effect July 1.