Houston City Controller Chris Hollins is launching a town hall series focused on the city budget and the proposed trash fee.
HOUSTON — The first “Reality Check” town hall is scheduled for Tuesday evening at Houston Community College’s North Forest campus.
During an interview on Tuesday morning on KHOU 11 Morning News, Hollins said many Houstonians remain confused about the city’s proposed budget and new fees.
“As Houston’s taxpayer watchdog, it’s my job to make sure that we’re being honest and transparent, like you said, with where folks tax dollars are going,” Hollins said.
Hollins criticized the proposed trash fee structure, saying residents could eventually pay significantly more than the initial amount being discussed publicly.
“Well, listen, so you have the mayor saying this is a $5 fee. It may never go up. Then you have the mayor’s staff saying, well, it’s going to go up, but it’ll be capped at $25,” Hollins said. “And then you have the city’s official trash study that was just issued last week that says it’s going to be more than 40 bucks.”
He added that residents deserve a clearer explanation of how the fees could affect household budgets.
“And so Houston, have to understand because this is real money, right? For regular folks, 40 bucks, which is upwards of $500 a year. That’s a lot of money.”
According to Hollins, Houston’s trash operations currently cost about $120 million annually, while the proposed fee would generate about $25 million.
“And so there’s still a $95 million hole in the trash budget,” Hollins said. “And the mayor plans to use your water fund to plug that hole.”
Hollins said the “Reality Check” series is intended to give residents an opportunity to ask questions directly and better understand the city’s finances.
“These town halls give us an hour to sit and talk to one another face to face, to have me slowly explain it in plain English and have Houston ask questions,” Hollins said.
The city controller’s office said the series will include live Q&A sessions and discussions about how taxpayer dollars are being spent across Houston neighborhoods.
The first town hall is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m. at HCC North Forest Campus, located at 6010 Little York Road.
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