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Mayor's budget tackles deficit, funds police
The mayor's budget tackles a deficit with federal aid, funds academy classes for police and fire settles firefighter labor issues, pledges efficiency audits across city departments, and considers reclaiming sales tax revenue from Houston metro.
Houston - Houston Mayor John Whitmire laying out his $3 billion spending plan for the city he leads. A budget which will deploy the final remnants of federal pandemic aid to fill an estimated $160 million deficit.
To bolster public safety - the mayor's budget includes money for five full academy classes.... For both Houston police and fire departments. The spending plan also funds a 10% raise for firefighters as part of a long-overdue labor settlement brokered by Whitmire, and is awaiting ratification by city council.
In addition to announcing an outside audit of every city department in search of efficiency and savings, the mayor left the door wide open to potentially clawing back sales tax revenue from cash-heavy Houston Metro..