After six hours of discussion and consideration of several proposed amendments, the Houston City Council today approved Mayor Sylvester Turner’s proposed $5.1 billion operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
This year, the City of Houston faced a $169 million budget crisis – the worst in recent history – exacerbated by the decline in sales tax revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through belt-tightening and by tapping into the $404 million in CARES Act funding, Mayor Turner and the City Council managed to pass a fiscally responsible budget that balances revenue and spending without furloughing city employees.
It is a balanced budget that meets the needs of Houston residents,” said Mayor Turner.
The approved budget includes a $20 million increase for the Houston Police Department, as the sounds of hundreds of protesters demanding reforms outside City Hall could be heard from inside the council chambers.
