Houston Fire Department outlines FY26 budget dip, cites overtime cuts, staffing and World Cup demands

Houston Fire Department (HFD) Chief Tom Munoz told the City Council that the department's proposed fiscal 2026 budget would fall about $31.5 million, or roughly 5%, from the current year, reflecting expected personnel savings and lower classified overtime costs while preserving base pay and restricted account support.

Munoz said 87% of the department's budget is dedicated to public safety, 10% to government operations and 3% to quality-of-life programs. He described planned reductions and offsets: a $253,000 cut to the administrative services program that will lower overtime available for special events, expected reimbursement revenue of about $375,000 for FY25 from event organizers, and continuing negotiations with partners for the 2026 World Cup to seek reimbursement or other monies to offset event-related costs.

The chief said a voluntary municipal employee retirement payout program affected civilian staffing: 36 civilians were eligible for the program; a net departure of seven eligible employees produced a reported personnel-cost reduction of about $750,000 and prompted the department to absorb duties and reassign workloads. Munoz said the HFD warehouse and logistics were among the most affected civilian areas, raising concerns about possible delays in supplies, inventory inaccuracies and higher civilian overtime in that division.

On staffing, Munoz said HFD had…