@Salvy @ROXRAN Houston has lots of crime breh They mayor needs to cooperate with ICE to deport criminals
I'm not aware of that. He called a city council meeting for Friday to vote to amend the ordinance. I don't think he can unilaterally cancel an ordinance.
I'm not super-into it so just repeating what I think I heard. Apologies if my details are a little off. I do know that Whitmire wants to not fight it at all, just give in to whatever will get the money flowing again, while one of the authors on the city council is not happy with that at all and wants to take the issue all the way to the state supreme court, which Whitmire dismisses as a futile gesture.
Meeting delayed. Honestly, though I like the change to the ordinance because it tries to respect people's civil rights, the safer legal avenue would be for Houston to comply with Texas' rights-violating rules, get sued by someone whose rights are violated, and then be forced by the courts to no longer comply. I am not naive enough to think that will actually work. Most people persecuted in this way don't want to be in a big legal fight, don't have the financial means to fight, and will probably face a lot of inertia in the courts anyhow. But for Houston to administratively stick their necks out and say Texas law violates the civil rights of individuals without a court saying so is a tenuous place for us to be.
@Salvy @Os Trigonum @Space Ghost @Tomstro @basso Bro did you vote for Shelia Jackson? She literally died in 2024. Yeah she definitely was mentally and physically not capable of being mayor
Houston Mayor John Whitmire to propose $5 ‘administrative fee’ tied to garbage service – Houston Public Media Whitmire still sucks, but I am very happy to see this move. If you're too lazy to read the link, trash service will be moved to the water utility and they will charge a monthly trash collection fee that starts at $5 and will increase to $25 in a couple years. We move it to the water utility because we foolishly put a hard cap on city revenues that prevents us from being able to fund basic municipal services to adequate levels. The water utility is a municipal entity but it is funded from fees and not the general fund so it is excluded from the cap. By making this move the city can charge enough to actually execute on trash collection. In my experience, we have still managed to pick up solid waste, though we apparently have very high volumes of calls about missed pick ups. And I'm fine with moving to a tree/heavy-waste call-in system instead of driving all the streets hunting for it. But I really hope we get yard waste pickup again. I stopped bagging my clippings and leave it on the yard, and I put weeds and vines in the general trash since I have no responsible way of throwing them away. Did composting for a while, but it's too much green matter as a ratio to the brown matter I can possibly collect. My main worry is that $25/month isn't enough. It's less than other major Texas cities are paying. And maybe we have efficiencies that make that possible, but I worry that while better funded, it'll still be underfunded and I still won't get my yard waste picked up. The usual people will complain that the monthly fee will be too much for fixed incomes, disabled veterans, etc. I'm sympathetic. And folding it into the water bill would probably mean that if you don't pay your trash fee then you might get your water cut off. Even without the trash fee, we are already cutting off water service to thousands of households a year. So, there will probably be incrementally more cutoffs with higher fees. But, we do have some protections already built around water service. The utility offers payment programs that will waive late fees if you're working on the bill. There is a Houston charitable fund that helps pay the water bill for seniors, disabled, and low-income. There are nonprofits and churches that help pay bills. There is CEAP, which is a Texas program that will fund paying utility bills through these nonprofits. Trash service will move out of the general fund but move into these utility customer protections. Paying for trash collection will be a hardship for some households. We need to address helping those households with those hardships, but we still have to pay for our trash to be picked up and most households can do it.
What are the primary revenue generating City activities? Property Taxes Toll Roads Water / Garbage Houston is a great example because it’s a large city with no local income tax and relatively low property tax compared to some peers, so its revenue mix is a bit different from cities like NYC or Chicago. Here’s a clear breakdown of how Houston generates revenue (based on typical recent city budgets and patterns): ️ Houston Revenue Breakdown (Simplified) 1. Property Taxes (~35–45%) Largest single source Based on property values (homes, commercial, industrial) Funds core services: Police & fire (biggest share) Libraries General city operations Houston keeps rates relatively moderate but relies heavily on growth in property values. 2. Sales Taxes (~20–25%) Houston gets a 1% local sales tax (on top of Texas state sales tax) Strong contributor due to: Large population Retail activity Tourism and conventions This revenue fluctuates with the economy more than property taxes. 3. Fees & Service Charges (~15–20%) Major components: Water & sewer bills (Houston Public Works) Trash collection fees Permits (construction, development) Parking and traffic fines Houston has a huge utility system, so water/sewer revenue is a major piece. 4. Enterprise Funds (Utility Systems) These are technically part of fees but important enough to highlight: Water & wastewater systems Airports (Bush Intercontinental & Hobby) These are often self-funded through user fees, not taxes. 5. Intergovernmental Revenue (~10–15%) State and federal funding Examples: FEMA (especially after hurricanes) Transportation grants Housing programs Can spike after disasters (Houston gets a lot due to flooding events). 6. Other Taxes & Revenue (~5–10%) Includes: Franchise fees (paid by utilities like electricity/gas companies for using city infrastructure) Hotel occupancy taxes (tourism, conventions) Alcohol and mixed beverage taxes Investment income 7. Debt Financing (Bonds) Used for: Infrastructure (roads, drainage) Public safety facilities Repaid over time using property taxes or dedicated revenue streams Not “revenue,” but critical for big projects. ⚖️ What Makes Houston Unique 1. No City Income Tax Texas doesn’t allow local income taxes So Houston leans more on: Property tax Sales tax Fees 2. Strong Dependence on Utilities Water/sewer system is a major revenue engine More than many cities 3. Exposure to Economic Cycles Sales tax + energy-driven economy = more volatility 4. Disaster Funding Federal aid plays a bigger role than in many cities Simple Mental Model If you imagine Houston’s budget as $100: ~$40 → Property taxes ~$20 → Sales taxes ~$20 → Fees/utilities ~$10–15 → Federal/state funds ~$5–10 → Other sources If you want, I can compare Houston to Dallas or Austin — they’re similar but have some interesting differences in how they fund themselves. Rocket River
Houston and Austin are both Texas boomtowns, but they finance themselves in noticeably different ways because their economies, politics, and city-owned assets are different. Here’s the big-picture contrast: Category Houston Austin Economic Base Energy, shipping, logistics, healthcare Tech, government, universities Largest Revenue Source Property tax Property tax Reliance on Sales Tax High Moderate-to-high City-Owned Utilities Water/sewer + airports Huge electric utility (Austin Energy) + water Fiscal Style Traditionally lower-tax / fee-resistant More willing to expand services Key Financial Pressure Pension obligations, infrastructure, flooding Public safety costs, housing growth Revenue Flexibility Constrained by local tax cap politics More willing to seek voter-approved tax increases ️ Houston: “Lean Government + Fees” Houston historically tries to avoid raising taxes and instead leans on: Property taxes Sales taxes Utility revenue Fees Houston’s general fund is heavily supported by property and sales taxes. Recent reporting says property taxes make up roughly half of Houston’s general fund and sales taxes another ~30%. (Houston Chronicle) Houston also has: Massive airport revenue Large water/sewer operations Industrial/commercial tax base A major current issue is Houston’s structural budget deficit. The city recently proposed: A new garbage fee Moving solid waste costs into the utility system Charging utility systems for right-of-way access (Houston Chronicle) That’s very “Houston” financially: instead of directly increasing taxes, the city often restructures fees or enterprise funds. Houston’s approximate model If Houston collects $100: ~$40–50 → Property taxes ~$20–30 → Sales taxes ~$15–20 → Utility/service fees ~$10 → Grants & outside funding Small remainder → Hotel taxes, fines, franchise fees, etc. Houston’s sales tax intake is especially strong because of its huge metro economy and retail footprint. The city reported about: $1.36B property tax revenue $883M sales tax revenue in FY2024 (Houston Open Data) Austin: “Utility Powerhouse + Growth City” Austin has a very different financial profile because it owns: Austin Energy (major electric utility) Austin Water Austin Energy is a huge factor. Unlike Houston, Austin gets substantial support from a city-owned electric utility that can transfer profits into city operations. That gives Austin a somewhat more diversified revenue structure than Houston. Austin still relies primarily on: Property taxes Sales taxes But Austin’s rapid growth and rising home values have made property taxes especially dominant. (Kut) ⚡ Biggest Structural Difference: Austin Owns a Major Electric Utility This is arguably the single biggest financial distinction. Austin Austin Energy generates revenue from electricity customers Utility transfers help support city services Creates a large semi-independent revenue stream Houston Houston does not own a municipal electric utility Relies more on taxes and water/sewer systems That makes Austin somewhat less dependent on sales taxes than Houston. Spending Priorities Differ Too Houston Most general-fund spending goes to: Police Fire Debt service Basic infrastructure (Houston Chronicle) Houston tends toward: Lower service expectations Lower fees historically Deferred infrastructure maintenance Austin Austin spends heavily on: Public safety Housing/homelessness initiatives Transit Parks and quality-of-life services Austin has recently faced major strain because: Police contracts increased costs Texas caps property tax growth at 3.5% without voter approval Sales tax growth slowed (Statesman) Political/Fiscal Philosophy Houston “Keep taxes lower, maintain core services, avoid big expansions.” Houston leadership often prefers: Cost-cutting Efficiency measures Fee restructuring instead of tax hikes (Statesman) Austin “Use government more aggressively to shape growth and services.” Austin is more likely to: Seek voter-approved tax increases Expand social programs Invest in parks, housing, transit, and climate initiatives That also creates more political fights over affordability and spending. Shared Problem: Texas Tax Law Both cities are constrained by Texas laws limiting annual property tax revenue growth to: 3.5% without voter approval. (Kut) That means: Fast-growing expenses can outpace revenue Public safety payrolls squeeze budgets Cities increasingly rely on: Fees Utility transfers Bonds Voter-approved propositions Simplified Analogy Houston “Big business city that runs government more like a corporation.” Austin “Fast-growing civic-services city with a powerful municipal utility helping fund operations.” That difference shapes almost everything in their budgets. INTERESTING Rocket River
Didn’t realize there were no fees for trash services in… where is this again? In my MUD, it’s about $50, IIRC. The projected water bill isn’t pretty. It looks almost like a vertical line. I’m much more concerned about that than the trash fee.
Is this the future of the BBS? Copy pasta of people's AI chats? Will I pine for the good old days when the BBS was only ruined by embedded tweets? ☹️
@SuraGotMadHops @Salvy @pgabriel @Scarface281 @CrixusTheUndefeatedGaul People complaining about him? The other candidate died like a month after the election
Republicans aren’t in charge of picking up trash or removing homeless people in front of downtown businesses We learned the different types of government in school breh That’s the city breh It’s like boy George’s job is to sing Karma chameleon not My Minds playing tricks on me @basso @Salvy @RB713 @Scarface281 @Space Ghost @Tomstro
While yall make plans to take out the trash and fire dinosaurs, can someone throw away @tinman (he's probably poor too and doesn't live in Houston)
