Council Member Dave Martin is pleased to announce that Mayor Sylvester Turner remarked yesterday he has decided not to pursue elimination of the trash subsidy program offered to homeowners associations who choose to opt out of City trash collection services as part of balancing a $160 million budget deficit. As originally thought, Mayor Turner believed the elimination of this particular program would save the city $3.5 million if all home owners associations kept their private trash service.
Council Member Martin has been vocal in his opposition to the potential elimination of the program that was originally proposed in the mayor's preliminary Fiscal Year 2017 budget released last month. Since then, he has heard from several constituents out of the 32 neighborhoods in District E that currently opt-into this program. As a result, he urged the mayor to reconsider his position as it would not have the direct impact on the budget deficit as imagined.
In fact, Council Member Martin mentioned that doing away with the trash subsidy program would have the opposite result if neighborhoods chose to opt back into city trash collection services as it would increase the Solid Waste Management Department's fiscal year 2017 expenditures. Council Member Martin further pointed out that if the neighborhoods that currently have the trash subsidy were to return to city trash collection services the cost per household to the City would increase from $72 to $207, which would serve as a further burden on the City of Houston's budget.
The Fiscal Year 2017 budget will be considered at the May 25 City Council meeting at which time, Council Member Martin looks forward to working with Mayor Turner and his City Council colleagues to find other cost savings measures that would have a greater impact on the budget deficit and would help the city prepare for future financial challenges imminent in the years ahead.
Please contact the District E office at (832) 393-3008 or via email at districte@houstontx.gov with any questions.