Paying the piper: Mayor faces tough decisions on water rates, HPD/HFD overtime
TWO CHRONICLE STORIES illustrate the problems that can result from deferring tough decisions on the city's budget.
Bradley Olson reports on rumblings that City Council may increase water rates by nearly 30% for the average homeowner, well above the 12% increase that was pitched previously by Mayor Annise Parker; the competing proposal goes easier on apartment and commercial users than Parker's. The goal of the increases is to address the multi-million-dollar deficits that have been run by the Combined Utility System for several years now -- in other words, to address what appear to be ongoing deficits in a businesslike manner. Unfortunately, Houston's water rates could become among the highest in the country for major cities.
Terri Langford reports that HPD and HFD overtime cost the city some $67 million last year:
A Houston Chronicle analysis shows that most of the money — $50 million — went to the Houston Police Department, long bedeviled by staffing shortages while trying to cover the nation's fourth largest city. At the Houston Fire Department, the cost was $17 million, largely for the same reasons.
This blog has been around since 2004, and it seems we've been addressing HPD's manpower issues over that entire period. When crime spiked, it was easy enough to spend more on policing via overtime, without sufficiently addressing the ongoing manpower shortage. Unfortunately, that sort of decisionmaking hits harder in recessionary times, when businesslike budgeting might well force cuts in the HPD overtime pay, and therefore cuts in needed police services.
UPDATE: Just like that, Council passed the massive water-rate increase. Aren't you glad you had so much time to let your feelings about the matter be known to your mayor and councilember? Oh, you didn't! Never mind.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/21/10 11:17 AM | Print |
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