HOUSTON, Texas — The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) board approved a roughly $1.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 on Wednesday, including $40 million for road, sidewalk and bus stop improvements.
The budget represents a slight decrease from METRO’s roughly $2 billion budget last year.
Several members of the public criticized the allocation for road improvements during the board meeting. They argued that the city of Houston, rather than the transit authority, should handle road repaving.
Some attendees also raised concerns about access and transit service, while others questioned METRO’s decision to shelve the METRONext Project, a 2019 initiative focused on expanding and improving the region’s transit system.
Robin Holzer, executive director of transit advocacy group LINK Houston, said METRO could use the $40 million for other transit priorities.
“Using this $40 million instead to buy more buses, expand service hours or build safer transit infrastructure into great streets, could all make real improvements for the people who ride every day,” Holzer said.
METRO Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock defended the allocation, saying the funding would help maintain transit infrastructure and support rider safety.
“This is making sure we give just a basic standard of ridership,” Gonzalez Brock said. “People deserve to have good roads to ride on and deserve to have the bus shelters in place … and sidewalks.”
Gonzalez Brock also said METRO has a responsibility to ensure safe conditions for its riders.
“We also owe it to our riders to make sure they are safe,” she said.
