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Houston mayor election: Voters want safer city, support gun control: report

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Published  October 23, 2023 9:51am CDT
Houston
FOX 26 Houston

Report on Houston voter preferences

A new survey shows that 80% of voters in Houston support some sort of gun control if it means a safer city.

HOUSTON - In less than three weeks, Houston will vote for who they want as their next mayor and a recent study from Rice University shows what voters want the most.

According to the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice, Houston residents more than 80% of Houstonians agree or strongly agree with policies to create a safer city and would support policies to curb gun deaths and injuries.

The institute found that 89% of Houston residents support interventions such as requiring a license and mandatory training to carry a gun and 95% agree with increasing education on proper storage.

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Recently, the FBI released its annual "Crime in the Nation" report and according to their report, the crime rate in Houston fell slightly, but there were areas of concern. 

There was a decrease in crimes like homicide, rape, and manslaughter showed but saw an uptick in property crimes like burglary and motor vehicle theft. 

New report on Houston voters' priorities

Early voting is underway, and a new report just out this morning reveals what Houstonians are prioritizing this election year. The report is by Rice University's Kinder Institute. Professor Mark Jones talks about the findings.

Property crimes increased from 96,459 incidents in 2021 to 104,304 incidents in 2022.

Houston residents spend about $432 on the police department, the report states. More than 55% of residents report they would like to increase the police department budget. Forty percent want the increase to go towards recruiting motor officers and 15% want it to go to adding more civilian safety officers.

What matters to Houstonians in the mayor's race?

A new Hobby poll reveals that Houston voters are still most concerned about crime, the economy and improving our streets.

The Kinder report also says Houstonians would be willing to pay a higher drainage fee to help improve and repair the water drainage systems and roadways. They would also be willing to pay a monthly garbage fee. 

Out of all the largest cities in Texas, Houston is the only one that doesn't have a "garbage fee" to help pay for regular trash and recycling pickup. Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio all have a garbage fee ranging from $18 to $50.

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The study reports two-thirds of Houstonians say they would support a monthly garbage fee. One out of 10 residents said they’d be willing to pay a garbage dee of $35 a month, which is an average of what the other cities pay.

Another point of the study found close to 60% of Houston residents are willing to change the property tax revenue.

When asked if they would support changing the rules to allow the city to increase taxes to spend more on a variety of essential services, nearly 60% were ion to the idea, the study reports.