Houston is projected to exceed overtime budgets by more than $54 million across three city departments as officials grapple with a $127 million budget deficit, according to the office of City Controller Chris Hollins.
The controller’s office estimates the solid waste, police and fire departments will surpass their overtime allocations by $2.9 million, $13.2 million and $38 million, respectively, by the end of the fiscal year in June. Despite the overages, the figure is expected to be lower than last year, when the departments collectively exceeded overtime budgets by more than $71 million.
City Council Member Sallie Alcorn, who chairs the budget committee, said the projections align with typical overtime spending patterns.
“The problem is we don’t know what’s going to come up during the year,” Alcorn said. “And so we budget less than what it will actually cost.”
Officials from the police and fire departments attributed the higher overtime costs to staffing shortages and unexpected weather events. Houston Police Department Executive Chief Thomas Hardin said manpower has been a persistent challenge for two decades but noted improvements under Mayor John Whitmire following approval of an $832 million contract last year that included 36.5% pay raises over five years.
HPD reported nearly 5,400 officers this year, up from about 5,000 previously, while the Houston Fire Department is expected to grow from roughly 3,700 personnel to nearly 4,100 by the end of the fiscal year.
Data from the controller’s office also showed many of the top overtime earners doubled their salaries, with the two highest-paid fire department employees more than tripling their annual pay.
Union leaders, however, disputed the controller’s projections, continuing a longstanding disagreement over overtime figures.
“The Houston Fire Department is recovering from 7 to 10 years of mismanagement under prior administrations,” firefighters union president Marty Lancton said. He added that the controller’s numbers were inaccurate and urged closer scrutiny of the data.
HFD recently secured a five-year contract with more than 30% in pay raises, approved in 2024 as part of a $1.5 billion agreement resolving a long-running dispute.
The mayor’s finance department reported a smaller overtime overage of $9.6 million last year, explaining the discrepancy by noting that its calculations reflect ongoing budget adjustments, while the controller’s office relies on the initial budget.
Meanwhile, Houston Solid Waste Management has seen staffing decline from about 450 employees last year to 385 this year. Director Larius Hassen said most overtime is used to keep up with daily routes, particularly during holidays.
Missed garbage pickups generated the highest number of complaints to the city’s 311 center over the past year at 37,402 cases, followed by missed recycling and heavy trash collections.
Finance Director Melissa Dubowski said expanded operations during extreme weather — such as the recent winter storm — can cost roughly $1 million per day in overtime. Hurricane Beryl in 2024 also drove significant spending.
Currently, annual overtime budgets do not factor in potential disasters, a gap some council members say must be addressed.
“We have to start projecting for the expectation of disasters,” Council Member Abbie Kamin said. “We know that we’re going to have more freezes. We know that we’re going to have more floods. We have to be prepared — not just from a public safety perspective, but from a fiscal perspective.”
