Mayor John Whitmire spoke exclusively with KHOU 11’s Orko Manna about his proposal, which he said would benefit trash services as well as other city departments.
HOUSTON — Residents in Houston could soon see higher costs for trash services under a new proposal from Mayor John Whitmire.
The mayor is proposing a $5 monthly “administrative fee” for households that receive the city’s solid waste services. The fee would be included on residents’ water bills, where a solid waste container fee is already charged.
In an exclusive interview with KHOU 11’s Orko Manna, Whitmire said the fee is meant to improve ongoing trash service issues, including past pickup delays. He added that his proposal will have broader benefits by consolidating departments for greater efficiency. The mayor said it will ultimately benefit all residents.
“There’s a lot of administrative costs, and that’s where the five dollars will go for, and the public will benefit many times to five dollars, and they’ll get better services,” Whitmire said.
Under the proposal, the fee would remain at $5 per month for the first two fiscal years. After that, the monthly fee would increase by $5 annually, eventually reaching $25 per month.
Whitmire said the plan represents a new approach compared to past administrations.
“Previous mayors have laid off people, sold buildings, used ARPA funding. I’m, in my opinion, and I think others will say, ‘Whitmire is the first one that has a plan going forward,’” Whitmire said.
Some residents said they support the idea if it leads to better service.
“I think it should help and I think we need to do the best we can do to improve everything… cleaning, trash services, I think we should put effort into it,” Houston resident John Callier said.
“If they improved things, I would be willing to pay the extra fee, but I’m not confident that that would happen… because I just don’t know if I can trust them to do that,” Houston resident Jill Weiss said. “I just don’t think they can promise to do it, so I’m not thrilled about the extra fee at all.”
The advocacy group Houston People’s Budget is also raising concerns, calling on the mayor to exempt low-income households. In a statement, the group said, in part, “There’s no indication an inadequate fee will improve trash pickup services. Without an affordability plan, a regressive fee will punish the poorest Houstonians the most.”
Whitmire defended the proposal when KHOU 11 asked for his response to some residents questioning why they would have to pay the fee. He cited the city’s financial challenges and the need for improved efficiency.
“You are going to get such better services, and we’re broke, and we’re running an efficient city, and everybody should realize it by now,” Whitmire said.
City officials said the fee could take effect as early as July, but it still requires approval and is not yet final. Whitmire is expected to release his full budget proposal on Tuesday.
KHOU 11 also reached out to City Controller’s office, but they responded late Friday afternoon saying the Controller did not want to comment on the budget until he saw it.
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