It depends on which experts you ask. I guess now we have lies, damn lies, and expert liars.
District I Council Member Martinez has been pushing for a trash fee for two years now. Why is he so adamant about that tax? What is he or his district getting in return? Well, he just got a big, beautiful, unhoused facility to serve hundreds of the unhoused. I remember when we called them tramps or vagrants, and more recently, homeless. Being woke is dang hard, and I really don’t understand why it matters so much in terms of the words used to describe a group of people. I know that when people see unhoused people sleeping in their yards, they don’t call to report unhoused people. Like the word Latinx, whoever came up with that should spend more time being poor and realize that there are better things to do.
Among those who believe Houston could try harder on its finances are experts at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Last year, the institute penned a report arguing the city had a spending problem rather than a problem with generating revenue, and said city leaders needed to more closely examine ways to reduce spending.
I looked at the report below. It is biased toward charging residents fees, but it fails to mention that Houston has a rain tax, which generates hundreds of millions of dollars.
Projections for the rain tax estimate $490 million for 2026, $525 million for 2027, $540 million for 2028, and $585 million for 2029. By fiscal year 2028, total street and drainage funding is expected to exceed $600 million.
A new report released Tuesday by the city controller shows the city of Houston could generate $200 million a year by imposing fees on trash, environment, and utilities like other big cities across Texas do.
“We need to be Houston, not like other cities,” Houston City Council Member Amy Peck said. “We need to take into account that people are struggling right now, and we need to look at our finances and continue on the path of efficiency.”
“We really need to have an honest conversation about what fees we can implement and also look at the revenue cap as well,” Houston City Council Member Joaquin Martinez said.
So, the question is, does Houston need more money, or does it need to spend less?
