City Budget Favors Police But Are Voters More Concerned With Roads?

Houston voters may have different priorities than city leaders when it comes to how their tax money should be spent.

The new city budget targets 60 percent of spending on public safety.

A new survey by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University found that, yes, Houstonians want spending on police, but 86 percent of those surveyed favor spending more on infrastructure. That was the number one issue identified in the survey.

“The issue is not just about money,” explained political analyst Vlad Davidiuk. “It’s about what the priorities are.”

The Kinder study found 58 percent support for more cash to address homelessness.

49 percent advocate increasing the money for solid waste management.

And 49 percent want added funding for neighborhood enforcement.

Davidiuk suspects the wish list reflects what people experience every day. “Houstonians drive the roads,” he said. “They see the potholes. They see the sidewalks, almost impassable. They see broken water mains. All of these are things that Houstonians have to pay for.”

And, while 81 percent of respondents to the survey want funding for police to stay the same or be increased, only 46 percent called for increased funding for Houston Police.

“Voters have lost confidence that more spending is going to be the solution to the problem,” Davidiuk said. “Most voters have identified the problem as judges who refuse to hold criminals accountable.”

Davidiuk says non financial city policies will have great impact on the city’s finances if the city doesn’t address challenges, like crime, which chase away businesses, jobs, and opportunity.