Houston Struggles to Contain Ballooning Public Safety, Solid Waste Overtime Costs

City on track to exceed overtime budgets by over $54 million despite efforts to improve staffing and management

Feb. 3, 2026 at 3:07pm

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Despite steps to improve staffing and management, the City of Houston is still on track to exceed its overtime budgets for Solid Waste and public safety operations by more than $54 million this fiscal year. This comes after the city went $74 million over the overtime budget last year. Firefighters and police officers have received hefty pay raises, and the police department was given $10,000 more for each new cadet, contributing to the rising costs. Houston's overtime struggles are compounded by the city's flat revenue, as City Council opted to keep the tax rate the same, resulting in a loss of around $52 million in revenue.

Why it matters

Houston's inability to control overtime costs in its public safety and solid waste departments is putting significant strain on the city's budget, with projections showing a deficit between $227 million and $253 million as officials begin budget discussions for 2027. The city's reliance on one-time federal assistance and dwindling savings to cover these costs is no longer sustainable, forcing officials to find new ways to balance the budget.

The details

Last fiscal year, Solid Waste exceeded its $4 million overtime budget by $2.7 million, while the police department exceeded its $13.7 million budget by $26.1 million and the fire department went $42.6 million over its $45.3 million overtime budget. Police and fire together made up 95% of the city's overspend in 2025. Some employees across the three departments were even able to double or triple their annual salaries through overtime alone.

  • In 2025, the three departments spent a record $137 million in overtime, around $71 million over their combined OT budgets.
  • Six months into the 2026 fiscal year, Solid Waste has spent $3.5 million of its $4 million overtime budget, police have spent $13.9 million out of their $14.8 million budget, and fire has spent $40.8 of its $43.5 million budget.

The players

John Whitmire

The mayor of Houston.

Thomas Hardin

The executive chief of the Houston Police Department.

Thomas Muñoz

The chief of the Houston Fire Department.

Larius Hassan

The director of the Houston Solid Waste Department.

Jack Valinski

The president of the Near Montrose Super Neighborhood.

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What they’re saying

“We no longer have savings that we used to have to absorb, so now we're having to add to that budget.”

— Will Jones, Deputy Controller (Houston Chronicle)

“Budgeting overtime was one of the harder things to accomplish inside the police department, given the unpredictability of natural disasters and other events.”

— Thomas Hardin, Executive Chief, Houston Police Department (Houston Chronicle)

“We need to fix this. We can't fix it without money, and that means we need to increase revenue.”

— Jack Valinski, President, Near Montrose Super Neighborhood (Houston Chronicle)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

Houston's inability to control overtime costs in its public safety and solid waste departments is putting significant strain on the city's budget, forcing officials to find new ways to balance the budget and address long-standing issues in the Solid Waste Department.