5/15/2016
As you may have seen in the news this past week, Mayor Sylvester Turner has proposed eliminating the sponsorship program that subsidizes neighborhoods that receive garbage collection services from private companies, much like your neighborhood does.
Should this program be eliminated from the Fiscal year 2017 budget, home owners associations will have the option to either continue with their contract with a private company of their choice without being reimbursed the $6 per household or opt-in to receiving trash collection service through the City of Houston.
The city would provide the following residential services:
•Residential garbage collection one day per week
•Weekly yard waste collection
•Every other week curbside recycling collection
•Once-per-month collection of tree waste/junk waste (in alternating months)
•Dead animal collection
•Residents will be required to place their trash receptacles at the curb to receive service. SWMD drivers to not provide "back door" services to residents as part of the standard service offered.
I have vocalized my disapproval of the mayor's proposal and believe that eliminating this program would not have a significant impact to balancing the near $160 million budget deficit. It is my belief that balancing a budget should never fall on the tax payers who are already paying for an outsourced service. It is not right, not equitable and certainly not fair.
Additionally, Mayor Turner has repeatedly stated that all departments and Houstonians need to share in the sacrifice. As District E has received a mere 3% of the FY16 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budget I do not see this as being accurately fair asking residents to forfeit a service that they have chosen to opt into and would like to keep.
While discussion about this particular budget cut is in the preliminary stages, I encourage you to voice your opinion by contacting the Mayor's Office at mayor@houstontx.gov.
It is a privilege to serve you at City Hall. As we move forward with these and other pertinent budget discussions, I assure you that the interests of District E constituents will be of the highest priority. You deserve equitable spending in the district as well as fair representation at City Hall.
Sincerely,
Dave Martin
Council Member District E
Should this program be eliminated from the Fiscal year 2017 budget, home owners associations will have the option to either continue with their contract with a private company of their choice without being reimbursed the $6 per household or opt-in to receiving trash collection service through the City of Houston.
The city would provide the following residential services:
•Residential garbage collection one day per week
•Weekly yard waste collection
•Every other week curbside recycling collection
•Once-per-month collection of tree waste/junk waste (in alternating months)
•Dead animal collection
•Residents will be required to place their trash receptacles at the curb to receive service. SWMD drivers to not provide "back door" services to residents as part of the standard service offered.
I have vocalized my disapproval of the mayor's proposal and believe that eliminating this program would not have a significant impact to balancing the near $160 million budget deficit. It is my belief that balancing a budget should never fall on the tax payers who are already paying for an outsourced service. It is not right, not equitable and certainly not fair.
Additionally, Mayor Turner has repeatedly stated that all departments and Houstonians need to share in the sacrifice. As District E has received a mere 3% of the FY16 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budget I do not see this as being accurately fair asking residents to forfeit a service that they have chosen to opt into and would like to keep.
While discussion about this particular budget cut is in the preliminary stages, I encourage you to voice your opinion by contacting the Mayor's Office at mayor@houstontx.gov.
It is a privilege to serve you at City Hall. As we move forward with these and other pertinent budget discussions, I assure you that the interests of District E constituents will be of the highest priority. You deserve equitable spending in the district as well as fair representation at City Hall.
Sincerely,
Dave Martin
Council Member District E