He will use Metro money for city infrastructure improvements.
Houston officials plan to offset a $100 million hit to the city’s budget in a recent legal ruling by using cash from the Metropolitan Transit Authority to spend more money on streets and drainage.
The move comes after the Texas Supreme Court on Friday denied the city’s appeal in a longstanding lawsuit filed by two engineers who pioneered a city charter amendment requiring more money be placed toward streets and drainage.
Unfortunately, he is not taking enough from them, only about half of what the City needs to pay for what it promised the residents.
But Dubowski said the city anticipated being able to offset some of the budget hit with $50 million from Metro’s $170 million General Mobility Fund.
The cash, which will help cover traffic enforcement and streetlight projects, will help free up money in the city’s general fund, Dubowski explained.
City leaders have yet to find any sources of revenue to help with the shortfall in the short term. Dubowski said the city would engage with stakeholders such as METRO and lawmakers in Austin.
This is what I wrote back in December of 2024.