Mayor Pro Tem Cohen hosted the annual District C Capital Improvement Plan Meeting. This event focuses on the Capital Improvement Plan and upcoming infrastructure projects District C will receive over the next five years.

Unfortunately, due to Hurricane Harvey’s extensive toll on our city’s infrastructure and budget, no new City-funded CIP projects were added to the list for FY2024.

However, our already budgeted projects for FY2020 – FY2023 are still moving forward, including the already underwayreconstruction of Greenbriar, from Rice Blvd to Holcombe, a reconstruction of the Cottage Grove West area (to begin this fall), and a new Playground for All Abilities at Oak Forest Park (to be completed by the end of 2019). In addition, Mayor Turner announced that the Houston-Galveston Area Council has agreed to fund a future reconstruction of the Antoine Corridor, from Highway 290 to West Mount Houston.

Those who were unable to attend may view the meeting online via HTV and review the presentation.

Council Votes Down Trash Tax

Mayor Turner and Council voted to reject a proposed trash tax that would have been used to pay for Prop B, the controversial measure to mandate “pay parity” for Houston’s fire and police departments on the basis of job title/classification and seniority.

Per Controller Chris Brown, the measure is estimated to cost $100,000,000.00 annually, the equivalent of about a 29% raise across the board for firefighters. For context, this is more than the entire General Fund budgets for all of the following City departments, combined: Neighborhoods, Libraries, Housing, the Mayor’s Office, all Council offices, Finance, Business Opportunity, and Human Resources. The Prop B petition, written by the Houston Professional Fire Fighter’s Association union, did not include a funding source for the raises.

To pay for these raises, the District D Council Member proposed levying a garbage fee directly on Houston residents, and Mayor Turner placed the item on the Council Agenda for a vote (although he did not support the proposal).

Mayor Pro Tem Cohen strongly opposed the trash tax because the fees would have been extremely regressive, with the burden falling most heavily on low-income families. If Houston is to have a garbage fee, she feels, residents deserve better garbage and recycling services as a result.  District C residents opposed the trash tax by over 85%.

Council decisively rejected the measure in a 16-1 vote.

Discussion continues on how to fund the raises which, if implemented all at once, will necessitate laying off 400 firefighters and 100 municipal employees, with additional steep cuts to City services like parks and libraries.

If the Fire Fighter’s Association will approve Mayor Turner’s plan to phase in the raises over five years, no layoffs will be necessary.

Mayor Pro Tem Cohen strongly supports this solution as a compromise that will implement the will of the voters without massive layoffs.

Committee Materials Available Online