Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Rice University Baker Institute of Public Policy fellow Ed Emmett discussed Houston’s challenges and opportunities to a packed house May 29 at Baker Hall on Rice’s campus. As Houston navigates a complex urban landscape marked by evolving public safety demands, aging infrastructure, economic shifts and increasing fiscal pressures, the mayor reflected on his administration’s early initiatives and outlined key priorities for the future.
“Across America, the major cities are facing dilemmas, challenges,” Whitmire said. “The difference is Houston meets its challenges. We have a great city with great people, but we have challenges. Obviously, it starts with finances.”
The discussion covered the state of Houston’s finances, public safety, transportation and infrastructure, and Whitmire began by saying he inherited a $160 million shortfall of the budget when he started his mayoral term. The city hired Ernst and Young last May to produce a forensic audit of Houston and found that it has more employees per capita than any other major city. It also has a more severe revenue cap than any other city in Texas, Whitmire said.
“We’ve been discovered by the world,” Whitmire said. “We woke up this morning with 2.3 million Houstonians. Anybody want to guess how many traveled to Houston to work and attend events today? Seven hundred thousand people are in Houston today, and they’ll return to the suburbs to live. We’ve got to do better. We’ve got to get the quality of life where they want to live here. But we have to provide services for them … safety, health care, while they’re here.”
The city’s new budget will have $500 million in infrastructure, he said, to fix streets and work toward better transportation to support all of the people who live and work in Houston. Emmett brought the conversation to the large metroplex’s need for rail services connecting the suburbs and unincorporated Harris County.
“Obviously, we need it in every direction,” Whitmire said. “It’s a matter of resources. It would be billions of dollars.”
Emmet asked how people who have money and want to help could participate to provide services that benefit the city and its inhabitants.
“You could help with our homeless coalition,” Whitmire said. “I’m really committed to helping the homeless get off the streets. It’s fair to Houstonians and certainly fair to those living in those conditions. We’ve got some shelters that could expand, but they need operating funding.”
View the entire conversation on the Baker Institute’s YouTube channel and learn more about future Baker Institute events here.