HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston City staffers presented findings on Wednesday from an Ernst & Young report examining ways to cut spending in city government.
The report’s findings were presented as the city is scrambling for money.
According to City Controller Chris Hollins and City Finance Director Melissa Dubowski, Houston is currently spending north of $200 million more than it is bringing in.
A recent judgment in a years-long legal battle over the city’s mismanagement of drainage and street funding just ballooned the deficit from $300 million to $350 million.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said he met with the men behind the lawsuit earlier this week. He affirms the city’s commitment to allocating the necessary funds to streets and drainage but attempts to push out the timeline for doing so.
Negotiations between the Houston Police Officers Union and the city kicked off last week. The department is asking for raises in addition to more than a million dollars in staffing increases.
“Public safety is my highest priority,” Whitmire told ABC13. “We’re going to manage to give them the benefits package that not only will recruit officers but retain officers.”
At this time, it remains unclear how the city will pay for the benefits package.
While the Ernst & Young study shared Wednesday provides a road map for cuts – city officials told ABC13 they would need to authorize a second $3.5 million to $4 million study to actualize them.
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