Bradley Olson’s Chron story notes the increase is small, but with times being what they are…
In an austere year for the city of Houston, when the 2010 budgets of several major departments that provide essential services to taxpayers were cut, one highly public group managed to broker a rare increase: City Council.
Although the $13,331 increases scheduled for each council office form but a fraction of the city’s $4 billion budget, they have taken on a symbolic power this week as the police chief and other department heads have endured multihour grillings in budget hearings from council members about every jot and tittle of their spending plans.
Unlike with the department heads, council members on Tuesday spent less than 30 minutes reviewing their budget.
According to the article, Councilwoman Toni Lawrence says she will propose a two percent cut to the Council’s budgets.
And there’s this:
Much of the increase comes from pay raises that are mandated for council staffers as part of the city’s contract with its union […]
