City of Houston budget not balanced despite claims to contrary

The Houston Chronicle ^ | May 6, 2009, 8:03PM | BILL KING

[BellStar]

A few weeks ago there was an exchange between Councilmember Pam Holm and Controller Annise Parker over whether the city’s budget was balanced and what it actually means to have a balanced budget. The controller asserted that the city’s 2009 budget was balanced. Let me assure the reader that is not the case. Here are the facts. The city’s 2009 budget projects that the city will have general fund revenues of $1.84 billion. These revenues are derived from property taxes, sales taxes, fees and fines and certain miscellaneous categories such as interfund transfers and the sale of capital assets. However, general expenses were originally budgeted at $1.93 billion, leaving a projected deficit of about $70 million. The budget called for this shortfall to be made up by borrowing $20 million and reducing the city’s general fund balance by about $50 million. In other words, the budget was “balanced” by borrowing money

[BellStar]

Bill White has been Mayor of Houston since 2004 and run these kinds of deficits all the while. He is running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat Candidate from the State of Texas. Be Afraid, be very afraid of this candidate. He is a deficit.

[BellStar]

Ping

[BellStar]

Ping!

[BellStar]

Here is a Democrat Candidate for Senator of the State of Texas. Mayor Bill White of Houston. Mr. deficit!

[Robwin]

I love Houston. It was the first city I lived in when I moved to TX. It's "can do" spirit, which went all the way back to the Allen Bros, gave Houston a special charisma you had to experience to believe.

However, in 1982 the voters of Houston adopted the same loser attitude one finds in any big city run by Democrats and elected Kathy Whitmire as mayor. The handwriting was on the wall for that once great city. Sad to say the collectivists had taken over and Houston was never the same again.

[YCTHouston]

ping

[stevie_d_64]

Sure seems like a lot of pingin’ goin’ on around here!

[Tahoe3002]

You are right about “Katrina Bill” white, and ms. parker wants to be mayor.

As a Native Texan, I have lived in Houston since ‘83, but these are just two of the reasons, I moved out of the city. Best decision I have made in years.