HOUSTON — John Whitmire is expected to propose a new monthly fee for garbage and recycling services as part of his administration’s upcoming budget plan, city officials said.
The proposed “administrative fee” would begin at $5 per month for the first two years before gradually increasing to $25 per month. With roughly 400,000 households receiving city solid waste services, the higher rate would generate revenue exceeding the department’s roughly $100 million annual budget.
City officials say the proposal is aimed at addressing longstanding infrastructure and funding challenges within Houston’s solid waste system. According to Chief Operations Officer Steven David, only two of the city’s five garbage transfer stations are currently operational, and its recycling transfer facility has yet to become functional.
“It costs money, capital, dollars to go and improve these facilities,” David said. “We are not able to afford that because the solid waste department, by nature of being in the general fund, competes with all the other really important things that we got to spend our money on.”
Under the plan, the solid waste department would shift out of the city’s general fund which relies on property and sales taxes and be supported initially by the water and wastewater utility, which operates on user fees. The new garbage fee would eventually fund the department directly.
Houston is currently the only major Texas city without a dedicated garbage fee. Comparable monthly charges range from about $20 to $35 in San Antonio, $29 to $64 in Austin and around $40 in Dallas.
The proposal comes as the city continues to face service challenges. Over the past year, Houston’s 311 system logged more than 39,000 complaints about missed garbage pickups, along with tens of thousands of additional reports involving recycling and heavy trash.
The department has also seen staffing declines, with its workforce shrinking from 435 employees in January to 395 by October last year, according to internal payroll data. City leaders have attempted to address equipment shortages, including a $26 million purchase of 62 new garbage trucks approved last summer.
David said a dedicated fee would help stabilize operations, including fleet maintenance and staffing levels.
Public opinion on a garbage fee has been mixed. A 2023 survey by the University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs found 58% of likely voters opposed such a fee, while research from Rice University’s Kinder Institute indicated that about two-thirds of residents would support a modest charge.
Former City Council member Dwight Boykins, who previously advocated for a garbage fee, said the timing may be difficult for residents facing economic pressures.
“I just think right now is not a good time to implement a fee — I don’t care if it’s just a dollar,” Boykins said.
City officials are also considering additional measures, including charging the water utility for use of public rights-of-way, which could generate more than $100 million annually for the general fund.
