HOUSTON — On Wednesday, Houston City Council approved Mayor Sylvester Turner's budget for the upcoming year.
The fiscal year begins on July 1. The city budget is $5.1 billion and does not include employee furloughs.
This year, the city faced a $169 million "budget crisis," as city officials called it. It was the worst budget crisis in recent history and was "exacerbated by the decline in sales tax revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic."
The city tapped into the $404 million CARES Act funding and tightened up spending in other areas to create the operating budget.
The budget includes:
- Funding for five police cadet classes
- Funding for four fire department cadet classes
- Restores the city's fund balance to over eight percent
- The ability of the city to move forward on its top priorities
"I want to thank each city council member for the work they put in and for unanimously passing the budget. It is a balanced budget that meets the needs of Houston residents," Turner said. "We are funding parks, trash collection, libraries and upgrades to our drainage and streets. This budget provides the basic services our residents expect and deserve."
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