To eliminate a $220 million deficit, the administration cut vacant positions, consolidated teams and offered voluntary buyouts to municipal employees.
Hanna Holthaus
Hanna is the City Hall reporter at the Houston Landing. Previously, she reported at the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville on local government and independent authorities. Prior to that, she worked on The Washington Post’s investigative team as a graduate reporter through American University, where she earned her Master's degree in Journalism and Public Affairs. She previously interned at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She graduated with a degree in Global Journalism and Spanish from Webster University.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Whitmire offers Houston police 36.5 percent raises over 5 years. Can the city afford it?
Whitmire called the contract “the best package in anyone’s memory,” but did not say how the city, which faces a $220 million deficit, will pay for it.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Planning to rent out your place as an AirBnB? Houston OKs new regulations for that.
Council members said the ordinance would start a larger conversation about enforcement, and they could return later to make it stronger if needed.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Houston employees spent millions via credit cards, but it’s hard to tell what they bought
The lack of transparency prompted the city to roll out a series of changes over the next year to improve oversight of its purchase card rules.
Posted inPolitics & Government
‘Just as frustrated as you are’: Houston City Council to take up short-term rental rules
The proposed regulations have council members and neighborhood residents questioning how the city can best enforce the new rules.
Posted inPolitics & Government
More than 700 Houston employees have taken buyouts, freeing up millions to ease deficit
The city of Houston is facing a $330 million budget shortfall in the fiscal year that begins July 1, prompting the buyouts and a hiring freeze.
Posted inPolitics & Government
The city’s police contract negotiations are focused on pay and benefits, not performance
The Whitmire administration and police union say pay should not be tied to performance, but should the city use such goals to justify higher wages?
Posted inPolitics & Government
Houston’s overtime spending expected to top the controller’s projections at $148 million
The mayor criticized the controller’s report as “political,” but administration officials acknowledged overtime costs would exceed Hollins’ estimates.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Houston expected to spend twice as much on overtime as city leaders budgeted this year
The city budgeted $65 million for overtime in fiscal year 2025. The actual cost could reach $137 million, the controller’s office said Tuesday.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Houston City Council delays vote on minority subcontracting changes despite court deadline
Houston faces pressure to update its MWBE program using the latest disparity study data because of a pending lawsuit.