Yesterday, one of the Chronicle’s two multiple editorial writers praised Mayor White’s fiscal brilliance as Houston faces the “harsh economics” of today:
It’s a credit to the term-limited mayor’s management skills that the final spending plan of his six years in office significantly increases funding for public safety, which now accounts for more than half of general fund operating and maintenance expenses, while holding the property tax rate at its current level. White plans to re-evaluate spending levels in September and will issue a draft budget outline for 2011 before leaving office next January.
[snip]
“These are times when hard choices need to be made and we’re not punting any of those choices,” said the mayor in unveiling the proposed budget.
He cautioned that the economic downturn could be lengthy and would require both patience by residents and continuing efforts to reduce city spending.
Inquiring minds want to know if the hard choices include the mayor’s plan to retrofit 11 million square feet of city buildings to meet the Clinton Climate Initiative’s Energy Efficiency program standards.
Inquiring minds want to know if the hard choices include the mayor’s plan to help subsidize a new soccer stadium.
Inquiring minds want to know if the hard choices include cutting back funding for the Houston Art Alliance, which has proven it fritters away taxpayer dollars.
Inquiring minds want to know if the hard choices include a pause in the city’s hybrid vehicle-buying program (spend millions of dollars to save hundreds of thousands of dollars, you know).
The point is when times are tough, citizens do face hard choices with their budgets. Rarely do we see government officials make those hard choices — they’d rather cut back on essential services and infrastructure improvements than actually get rid of non-essential fluff. And whenever possible, they like to sweep some things under the rug completely.
And then today, a Chronicle editorial writer urges the state to rush headlong into a budget-busting state-wide high speed rail program. So much for hard choices.
