HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The City of Houston controller is laying out his criticism of the mayor’s budget proposal as the two top elected officials continue to be at odds over the issue.
Mayor John Whitmire’s administration writes the budget, the council has to pass it, and Controller Chris Hollins has to certify it.
Eyewitness News previously reported that Hollins has said he would not certify it until a judge rules on the city’s financial plan tied to a drainage lawsuit the city lost.
RELATED: Houston’s top finance official says he may not certify city’s next budget as deficit grows
That’s one of the issues he laid out on Tuesday, when he released a list of what he calls “hard truths” about Whitmire’s proposed budget.
Whitmire says his proposed budget is balanced and won’t raise your taxes, but Hollins disagrees.
Whitmire has said his $7 billion budget proposal is balanced through a reduction in wasteful spending.
He says he’s restructuring where the money will go. For example, less money for the health and neighborhood departments.
RELATED: Houston Mayor John Whitmire expects city to spend $7 billion in budget proposal
In his list, Hollins says the proposal would ultimately require property taxes to be raised in the fall in addition to reducing services and repeating mistakes that led to budget shortfalls in the past.
The mayor’s office said in a statement in response to Hollins’ list that the budget is balanced and reduces waste and fraud.
Whitmire’s office sent the following statement:
“Mayor Whitmire has presented a balanced budget for FY2026 that funds city services, includes more money for infrastructure, and boosts public safety without a tax increase. The mayor is committed to ensuring that Houstonians that he has eliminated waste, fraud, duplication, and corruption before discussing additional revenue sources in the future.”
The back-and-forth is all happening as the city is facing a budget shortfall of more than $300 million.
“We’ve got a massive deficit. We have to figure out a way to keep the city running 23 years from now. We need to make those decisions today. We can’t keep kicking the can down the road. That’s what tonight was about,” Hollins said.
The budget proposal still has to be passed by the city council.