"Houston has never charged a separate fee for trash pickup before. The city says the fee is needed to help cover the cost of the solid waste department, which costs over $100 million a year. Critics pointed out that a flat $5 fee hits lower-income households and seniors on fixed incomes harder than wealthier residents. The illegal dumping amendment responds to community pressure — more than 100 residents and organizations backed it."
Houston City Council debated amendments to Mayor John Whitmire's $7.5 billion FY2027 budget on June 3, 2026. The budget includes Houston's first-ever garbage fee — $5 per month per household. Proposed amendments would give financial help to low-income residents, seniors, and people with disabilities to offset the fee. A separate amendment would move $3 million toward fighting illegal dumping through more enforcement, cameras, and drop-off sites. The budget passed 15–1 on June 10, 2026.
## Houston City Council Weighs Amendments to Mayor's $7.5B Budget
On June 3, 2026, Houston City Council members debated proposed amendments to Mayor John Whitmire's $7.5 billion fiscal year 2027 budget — a regular step in the annual budget process — ahead of a final vote scheduled for the following week.
### The Solid Waste Fee
The budget introduces Houston's first-ever garbage-related fee, starting at **$5 per month per customer**. A cost-of-service study projects the fee could eventually ramp up to generate $25 million annually — enough to cover the more than $100 million solid waste department. The change would bring Houston in line with Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, which already charge fees for trash pickup.
City Controller Chris Hollins certified the budget's legality but criticized the fee as regressive, noting it places a heavier proportional burden on lower-income households and seniors on fixed incomes compared to wealthier residents.
### Financial Assistance Amendment
Council Member Alejandra Salinas proposed an amendment to extend public assistance to low-income households, people with disabilities, and seniors to help offset the new fee. Council Member Mario Castillo also suggested increasing available funding for financial assistance related to the fee.
### Illegal Dumping Amendment
A second amendment from Salinas would transfer **$3 million** from management consultant services toward illegal dumping mitigation — ramping up enforcement, surveillance, and heavy trash drop-off sites. The amendment is co-sponsored by Council Members Mario Castillo, Martha Castex-Tatum, Tarsha Jackson, and Julian Ramirez, and is supported by over 100 community residents and organizations.
### Broader Budget Context
Whitmire's budget also diverts approximately $100 million from the city's water utility toward the $3 billion general fund to help erase a projected ~$200 million deficit. Labor unions representing municipal workers, police, and firefighters endorsed the proposal. A coalition operating under the banner of the "Houston People's Budget Campaign" criticized the budget as inequitable. The budget passed 15–1 on June 10, 2026, with the $5 trash fee and the $3 million illegal dumping allocation both adopted.
*Reported by Dominic Anthony Walsh, Houston Public Media, June 3, 2026.*
