Mayor says overtime driven by staffing gaps amid $330 million shortfall; Ernst & Young study to guide reforms
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Summary
At a press briefing the mayor addressed a reported $330 million budget shortfall, defended recent overtime spending as tied to staffing deficits in police and fire, said three department directors have been replaced, and said the city will rely on an Ernst & Young report to guide efficiency reforms in solid waste and other services.
Mayor (name not specified) told reporters the city is facing a roughly $330 million shortfall and defended recent overtime expenditures as responses to staffing shortfalls and storm-related demands.
The mayor said the shortfall is real and described overtime in police and fire as a long-standing issue tied to recruitment and retention. “We're meeting the public's demand for additional services. ... The 3 departments that, the report mentioned have all been the directors have all been replaced in the last 6 months,” the mayor said, referring to departments highlighted in a controller's report.
He disputed some figures presented at a separate briefing by the controller, saying different datasets and the prior administration's choices about federal funds and use of unfilled positions made apples-to-apples comparisons difficult. He said the administration will not immediately pursue a citywide garbage fee: “The garbage fee is not on the table at this time,” he said.
The mayor referenced a contract the city executed with Ernst & Young and said the consultant's report shows inefficiencies across city government. “What the Ernst and Young report showed, you know, we're not efficient across city government,” he said, adding that supervisors in some divisions supervise unusually small teams.
He described personnel changes in three departments cited by the report and said the administration will support new directors to implement reforms. The mayor also said the city will release the solid waste study when it is available and pledged transparency in budgeting for overtime going forward.
On public safety, the mayor said recruiting is improving and that the city seeks pay and benefits comparable to peer agencies to improve retention. He said negotiations with the police union are ongoing and described his personal history with meet-and-confer negotiations. “We'll have a satisfactory, new contract,” he said.
The mayor also criticized conditions at Harris County's jail and noted county-level issues are affecting city intake and detention capacity, which in turn increase costs; he said the county's use of out-of-county confinement is expensive.
The briefing included references to prior studies. The mayor said he does not yet have finalized results from the solid waste review and will share them once they are available. He also mentioned a Burns & McDonnell study in response to a question and said he would obtain an answer about its findings.
No formal budget action or vote was taken at the press briefing; the mayor described policy priorities and named efficiency reviews and organizational changes as the administration's planned approach.