[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6641780,"mediaKeyId","3640515-5962fc5941a9679326d48e1c8e3d229c","parentId",3640515,"title","Houston staff raise FY25 sales-tax forecast; city projects hundreds of millions in fund balance","audioSeconds",770,"startMs",130000,"endMs",900000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3640515-5962fc5941a9679326d48e1c8e3d229c&start=130&end=900","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3640515-5962fc5941a9679326d48e1c8e3d229c/thumbnail_130000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6641780/Houston/Harris-County/Texas/Houston-staff-raise-FY25-sales-tax-forecast-city-projects-hundreds-of-millions-in-fund-balance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6641780-93d60724850e0bff7a7bacd4fe4d8ff5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770428609&Signature=H7iJAgSCcRIZmDb4Cq0~BvuzQ5VEo0eIJEEVBCVSl0Elgoatk78yFlSvQTUToBVR4lhzT3ok9NfM6JATTRV0x9nqWiWxBb~N43FAK5gccET8c18DRSQ0LE~Pk3CI~g86rwpl5rTGuNbB0YkS8SYxeXG4ucwnxBi5N4XrVPsRw7Dl1J-x6AspotAEFFTjCf0Mp3GXgoIcOFg7uO3yr-dzDViRxf9Iq4R-9no5q9i2iOZNB1Mvq534em2F93GL6AVSYiuBdrS7Oiwifc4QGOY74Z3fAWZJD67IZW8nKH4VpTjRKxlqPz-PLAQ-0qWd3B2l2Nhvi8d4ADJSwDoakxi-jA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Houston","date","2025-06-03T00:00:00Z","article","Houston finance staff told the Budget & Fiscal Affairs Committee on June 3 that stronger-than-expected March sales-tax receipts have led them to raise the city's FY25 sales-tax forecast and that the city expects to end the year with hundreds of millions of dollars in general-fund balance.

Deputy City Controller Will Jones, substituting for the controller's office, told the committee the office is \"projecting an ending fund balance of $354,000,000\" for the general fund for FY25 and said the office raised its sales-tax estimate by $17.3 million after March receipts came in about 7.3% above the same month last year. Finance Director Melissa Dubowski presented a separate projection that the general-fund balance would be $380,800,000, or about 14.7% of expenditures excluding debt service and pay-as-you-go items.

Why it matters: the two projections differ by more than $26 million in part because of differing revenue assumptions. Both, the presenters said, are above the city's formal fund-balance target of 7.5% of expenditures (excluding debt service and pay-as-you-go). Committee members pressed staff about how to treat one-time windfalls, the timing of property-tax data and whether the city might need to adjust its tax rate after appraisal-roll data arrive.

Jones and Dubowski emphasized caution in budgeting despite the stronger sales-tax receipts. Jones noted special factors that complicate forecasts, including global trade uncertainty, household pressure from elevated mortgage rates and a pending $26 million audit repayment the city is negotiating with the state that could be repaid over roughly 3½ years \"and that impact is roughly $7,000,000 per year,\" he said. Jones told the committee that the budget stabilization fund currently holds about $14 million and that city policy directs excess revenue above the adopted budget to fund balance.

City staff said they increased the sales-tax projection toward about $903 million for FY25 but cautioned that April receipts were still pending. Jones said, \"we were trying to get the best projection going into FY '26\" and that, while the city will benefit from large events such as the World Cup, it should not budget recurring spending on one-time event gains.

Committee members asked when final property-assessment rolls will be available. Officials said appraisal districts must deliver roll information by law in July; staff said the city sets the budget using the Prop 1 capped amount and may need a future vote to adjust the tax rate \"up or down\" once final rolls arrive. On preliminary appraisal data, staff said the preliminary roll showed about 1.9% growth; past years have shifted between low single-digit and double-digit changes, and that variability can force tax-rate adjustments to meet state cap limits.

On expenditures, Jones said the general fund expenditure estimate was lowered $92 million from the prior month because of a lower captured revenue transfer tied to a drainage settlement recently approved by Harris County District Court. Staff said there were no projected changes in the enterprise or special-revenue funds in the reports they presented.

The committee moved quickly to public comment after the presentations. Speakers raised operational concerns about solid-waste pickups and service communication, and committee members flagged the upcoming FY26 budget vote and the timing challenges created by the calendar for property-roll data.

What's next: staff said they will continue to monitor sales-tax receipts and appraisal-roll updates and expected to refine estimates before the FY26 budget is finalized. The city's formal budget vote and related tax-rate decisions remain subject to later council action once the final roll is available.

(Reporting based on presentations by Will Jones, Deputy City Controller; Melissa Dubowski, Finance Director; and committee discussion.)","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Houston - Budget and Fiscal Affairs - Jun 03, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Houston finance staff told the Budget & Fiscal Affairs Committee on June 3 that stronger-than-expected March sales-tax receipts have led them to raise the FY25 sales-tax estimate and that the city expects to end the year with hundreds of millions of dollars in general-fund balance.","taxTitle","Houston, Harris County, Texas","taxId",2797,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6641770,"Houston unveils draft $314 million CDBG-DR24 action plan emphasizing power resilience, emergency vehicles and homelessness services",5247,3682000,8929000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3640515-5962fc5941a9679326d48e1c8e3d229c&start=3682&end=8929","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3640515-5962fc5941a9679326d48e1c8e3d229c/thumbnail_3682000.jpg","/articles/6641770/Houston/Harris-County/Texas/Houston-unveils-draft-314-million-CDBG-DR24-action-plan-emphasizing-power-resilience-emergency-vehicles-and-homelessness-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6641770-ba781642c0d7dd0c7551e137dbc4ee1e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770428609&Signature=Rq5DHZJrvsUEbnLrL-gFohnzQlCrzUDjnhxbNua5FOV8ad8esxDFlG3CiKqIq3-Hn8ksaowj54NA8gfSPjQkV3RWqWB0SIvJUi~lKBIv~Cym8tV2VcqFWDRZ~CLes9CBUNGogfOwOGVc-QjSuJergRLJ8kHFJAKcJkfqHtnizMBYPZM5FbXxwxd7yEG3m69tAdXqtxol7gV6jrsrkejUYN1NA0L~ZmgJDApWyLP0MC80JQl6tHEgiQUwWnsrVqbvO78KMyPVyOdhC0CJ612pDqvQk4ip~3z1J1sfVNKRcnAAHyDAF5Jb2U~5PZAIBnNNMNA-xmn7CglAG1udfhW5Fw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City of Houston officials on June 3 presented a draft action plan for a $314 million congressional allocation of CDBG-DR (Disaster Recovery) funds tied to 2024 storms, outlining priorities focused on power resilience for critical facilities, emergency-response vehicles, homelessness services and debris-management investments.

Housing Department Director Mike Nichols told the Budget & Fiscal Affairs Committee that the city requested $305 million and received $314 million as a direct allocation to the city. \"We asked for 305,000,000. We got 314, and it's coming directly to the city of Houston,\" Nichols said. He and deputy director Derek Sellers and Assistant to the Chief of Staff Steven David told the committee the award is not an upfront check but a federal reimbursement grant the city must spend in compliance with HUD rules and documented procedures.

Key elements in the draft plan presented to the committee include:
- Power Generation Resilience Program: the single largest proposed share, intended to provide backup generation for water and wastewater facilities, multi-service centers and other critical assets. Officials described the line as \"over $150 million\" in the draft.
- Emergency Response/Public Safety Program: funding for high-water rescue vehicles, ambulances and other public-safety vehicles to increase operational capacity during disasters.
- Homelessness and Public Services: a line item presented in the draft for shelter, outreach and supportive services; officials discussed a multi-year spend plan and said the draft included a homelessness allocation in the tens of millions of dollars (committee testimony cited roughly $41 million in some slides and discussions).
- Debris repositories and mitigation: proposed purchases and development of permanent staging/repository sites for storm debris and an allocation for vegetation management and debris removal; the draft included figures of roughly $32 million for mitigation-related repository acquisition and about $8 million for vegetation management.

Officials said HUD defines mitigation broadly and requires that CDBG-DR funds adhere to specific rules: a minimum of 70% of funds must benefit low- and moderate-income persons; administrative costs are capped at 5% of the allocation (lower than annual entitlement programs); public services are limited to 15% without a waiver; HUD expects an unmet-needs assessment and strict tiebacks to storm impacts. City staff said HUD had pre-vetted the broad approach and that a request for limited waivers is likely to secure additional flexibility in program design.

Timing and process: HUD published the allocation in January; the city posted a draft action plan and is accepting public comment through June 22. Staff said they requested an extension and expect to submit a final plan to HUD by the July 20 deadline, after which HUD typically takes about 45 days to review. If approved, the city would have up to six years from the grant-execution date to spend the funds; HUD will also require certifications of the city's financial controls and subsequent policies and procedures.

Council members and community speakers raised several concerns and requests during the committee meeting and public comment:
- Housing and home repairs: multiple council members and public commenters pressed why the draft allocates little or no direct CDBG-DR24 money to home repair, reconstruction or tenant protections, citing an unmet-need estimate in the draft that listed housing repair and personal-property loss as the largest unmet need. Community groups and residents said homeowners and renters still live with unrepaired roofs and property damage from last year's storms and urged the city to allocate more recovery dollars to housing stability.
- Homelessness linkage: some council members questioned whether homelessness funding is a direct CDBG-DR-eligible response to the storms; city staff argued that disaster impacts and gaps in sheltering during outages and heat events justify public-service investments for people experiencing homelessness.
- Waivers and procurement: staff said they are working with HUD on waivers for eligibility and low/mod benefit determinations where benefits are regional rather than strictly within census tracts; they also described parallel procurement steps already taken to expedite generator acquisition and installation while ensuring compliance if HUD requires federal procurement rules.
- Operations and maintenance (O&M): council members asked how vehicle and generator O&M will be funded after purchase; officials said federal grant rules do not generally cover ongoing fleet O&M, and those recurring costs would typically be absorbed by city operating budgets or included in long-term maintenance contracts where allowable.

Public engagement: staff opened a comment period (May 23–June 22) and scheduled two virtual public hearings June 10 and June 12; the draft action plan and online surveys for residents and agencies are posted at houstontx.gov/hcdrecovery. Public commenters included housing advocates and residents who asked for larger housing allocations and better outreach, and climate and equity groups who urged stronger mitigation and community participation in plan development.

What officials said about policy trade-offs: Nichols and his team said the city must balance urgency (quick wins HUD will approve) with compliance, noting prior disaster-recovery programs have remaining unspent balances from earlier storms and that the federal agencies have cautioned the city to design programs the city can implement and document successfully. Steven David summarized the approach as \"start[ing] somewhere\" and seeking public input before finalizing the plan.

Next steps: staff will hold the two public hearings, collect written comments through June 22, refine the draft and present the action plan to full council for approval before submission to HUD on the city's timeline. Committee members asked staff for additional details on projected equipment counts, generator siting, procurement timelines and options for housing-repair subrecipients, and staff said they will provide those materials as the plan is refined.

(Reporting based on presentations by Mike Nichols, Housing Director; Derek Sellers, Deputy Director; Steven David, Assistant to the Chief of Staff; and public commenters including Zoe Middleton and representatives of local community organizations.)","The City of Houston presented a draft plan for a $314 million CDBG-DR24 allocation on June 3 that prioritizes backup power for critical facilities, purchases of emergency-response vehicles, and homelessness and shelter services while drawing criticism from council members and community groups for limited direct housing-repair allocations.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6641776,"Kinder Institute and city's \"Your 2¢\" survey: Houstonians prioritize infrastructure, homelessness and public safety spending",894,1673000,2567000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3640515-5962fc5941a9679326d48e1c8e3d229c&start=1673&end=2567","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3640515-5962fc5941a9679326d48e1c8e3d229c/thumbnail_1673000.jpg","/articles/6641776/Houston/Harris-County/Texas/Kinder-Institute-and-citys-Your-2-survey-Houstonians-prioritize-infrastructure-homelessness-and-public-safety-spending","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6641776-088475b3f958d179f075faf9a48cf30d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770428609&Signature=DXpQr6uYYNHsM3gUaMvuvcuO7AmCvA7ITH8N5DgTGXFWjMJCY4Zwacbfg7khnS-9c-Qu6shfELp970-dLGX~Ne2-tw6ygEdus7DBWPrG3k8qBEcmRi0lrSpKw62NpICjKQXs2HRoAjWwq52XoDai~he8JxxfxrK9qWC7KnkHM4Ohb4mVw98lmUpP0Fx3mT1RvWzsAjTCabpX28YKhRDfTwicgjEE7kX8htqbjC~4~b0mXMMFM1qvhRYOfFYz2LJPcrUdUlN8nhXvZcpQQhopU-Jb5rfE3LxAHh9RIISQwLgszXBzqehG06Zp1D-NeVQYRx7BqVZAJyf6r8w4Gto0MA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Rice University's Kinder Institute presented results to the Budget & Fiscal Affairs Committee on June 3 from two surveys — the city's \"Your 2¢\" budget survey and the institute's 44th annual Kinder Houston-area survey — that show residents prioritizing infrastructure, homelessness and several public-safety and community services.

Daniel Potter, director of the Kinder Institute's Population Research Center, and research analyst Lauren Dawson presented the findings. Potter said the Kinder Houston-area survey reached about 9,800 respondents across Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties and is a scientifically drawn sample; the city's \"Your 2¢\" budget survey was a convenience sample in the field from April 16 to May 30 and drew roughly 1,200 responses.

Key results: survey takers ranked infrastructure and addressing homelessness as the top two city spending priorities. \"About 9 in 10 respondents said they wanted more spending on infrastructure and about 6 in 10 wanted more spending on addressing homelessness,\" Dawson said. On policing and other public-safety services, Potter and Dawson reported that roughly seven in 10 respondents wanted more spending on police patrol and investigations, while roughly seven in 10 also supported more spending on mental-health crisis intervention.

On community services, respondents showed majority support for increased spending on mental-health and addiction services and on sidewalks; roughly 4 in 10 respondents favored more spending on youth and after-school programs. When asked whether they would support increases in taxes or fees to improve essential city services, about 67% of respondents said yes (46% said yes outright and another 21% said yes for specific services). Among residents who would pay a new garbage fee, about two-thirds supported a $10-per-month or larger fee.

Potter and Dawson emphasized the differences between the two samples: the Kinder Houston-area survey is scientifically representative across three counties and has nearly 5,000 Harris County respondents; the city's budget survey was an open, self-selected instrument and the presenters cautioned about generalizing its results citywide without weighting or further demographic analysis.

Committee members asked follow-up questions about demographic and geographic breakdowns of the city survey responses, noise abatement and bike-lane responses. Potter and Dawson said the team collected ZIP codes and age-category data and that staff would perform further breakdowns and share results. Council members representing neighborhoods with differing service expectations pressed for geographic detail and age and homeowner/renter splits before using the survey as a guide for specific tax or fee changes.

What's next: Kinder staff and city analysts said the survey data — along with the Kinder Houston-area survey findings on economic inequality, immigration perceptions and regionwide growth trends — will be available for council members to review, and additional cross-tabulations (by ZIP code and demographic groups) will be provided on request.

(Reporting based on presentations by Daniel Potter and Lauren Dawson of the Kinder Institute and committee Q&A.)","Presenters from Rice University's Kinder Institute told the Budget & Fiscal Affairs Committee that a city-conducted convenience survey (about 1,200 responses) and the Kinder Houston-area survey (nearly 9,800 respondents across three counties) show residents favor increased spending on infrastructure and homelessness, broad support for police and","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Houston staff raise FY25 sales-tax forecast; city projects hundreds of millions in fund balance

Houston unveils draft $314 million CDBG-DR24 action plan emphasizing power resilience, emergency vehicles and homelessness services

Kinder Institute and city's "Your 2¢" survey: Houstonians prioritize infrastructure, homelessness and public safety spending