Houston finance offices report diverging year‑end projections; controller includes $100.3M drainage transfer

Controller Chris Hollins told the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee that his office is "projecting an ending fund balance of $228,000,000 or 8.8% of expenditures less debt service and pay as you go for fiscal year 2025." He said that figure was about $121.2 million lower than the finance department's projection.

The gap between the two projections stems, Hollins said, from different revenue and expenditure forecasts and from the controller—s inclusion of a roughly $100.3 million required transfer from the general fund to finance city drainage projects this fiscal year. Finance Director Melissa Dubasky said the finance department—s 8+4 report shows a higher projected fund balance of $349,200,000, or 13.5% of estimated expenditures excluding debt service and pay‑as‑you‑go.

The difference does not mean the city is out of reserve; both presenters said the fund balances exceed the city's target of holding 7.5% in reserve. But the…