Overview
- Mayor John Whitmire’s $7.5 billion FY2027 budget proposes a $5 monthly trash administrative fee and moves the solid-waste budget from the general fund to the city utility system to stabilize funding.
- The administration says the fee would bring in about $24 million to $25 million a year but would cover only part of the $134 million Solid Waste budget and require future increases for full cost recovery.
- A city-commissioned cost study projects fees could need to rise to roughly $45 per month by 2031 while city finance officials describe an incremental path that could reach $25 per month by 2031, creating a wide projection gap.
- New public-opinion research from Rice’s Kinder Institute shows conditional support for higher trash spending but falling backing as fees grow, with support dropping from 48% at $5 to 27% at $10 per month.
- Advocates and Controller Chris Hollins urge Council to reject fee-based funding and favor property-tax alternatives or targeted assistance for low-income households, and the budget would take effect July 1 if Council approves it.