Annual South Belt cleanup a success
Volunteers collect nearly 2 tons of trash from area roadways
The third annual South Belt Cleanup, held Saturday, May 3, was a huge success, removing nearly 2 tons of debris from area roadways.
“Every year, the project sets new records, and it was no different this year,” said event organizer and Knights of Columbus Council 9201 member Michael Work. “With the help of all our volunteers, both students and adults, our partners and our sponsors were not only able to pick up litter from more than 6.25 miles of roadway, but we were able to weed eat, pick up litter on Beamer between Sagedowne and Hall and clear up trash dumped behind the old C & D Burger and the far corner of the AMC parking lot. The Knights of Columbus cooked more than 200 hamburgers and 100 hot dogs. Nothing was left uneaten. In all, we removed 3,260 lbs. (1.65 tons) of trash from our community and had well over 200 volunteers. Both are new records.”
A joint project between the Knights of Columbus Council 9201 and the Sagemont Civic Club, the annual cleanup included the following partners: Harris County Precinct 2, city of Houston, Pasadena ISD, the Southeast Volunteer Fire Department, the South Belt Community Partnership and the Leader.
Sponsors for this year’s event included the following: M & D (Ace) Hardware, B & L Lock and Safe, the Cantalamessa family, Food Town, Judge Jo Ann Delgado, Kay Barbour Realtors, Michael Holt Realtors and Work’s brothers, John and Rob Work.
“None of this would have been possible without the support of are partners,” said Work.
Whitmire announces proposed 2026 budget
$7B outline for next year would require no tax increase, cuts in service
Standing with department directors and public safety chiefs helping streamline municipal government, Houston Mayor John Whitmire recently announced details of his proposed FY 2026 balanced budget, which puts Houston on a path to a more sustainable financial future.
According to Whitmire, the budget represents a new chapter for the city of Houston grounded in fiscal responsibility, service delivery reform and a commitment to restoring trust in local government.
– The FY2026 Proposed Budget for all funds, excluding transfers, totals $7 billion.
– The FY2026 Proposed General Fund budget of $3.03 billion reflects a decrease in spending of $74.5 million or 2.4 percent from the FY2025 Current Budget of $3.11 billion.
– The decrease is primarily attributable to implementing the Voluntary Municipal Employee Retirement Payout Option, citywide category management, organizational restructuring, and other key initiatives recommended by the Citywide Efficiency Study.
– This budget includes an increase to budgeted base pay of 3.5 percent and 10 percent, respectively, related to the meet-and-confer agreement with municipal employees and the draft meet-and-confer agreement with police.
– Public safety remains a top priority, representing $1.8 billion, or 71.5 percent of the total General Fund spend, excluding debt service and PAYGO. This includes funding for five police cadet classes and nine fire cadet classes.
– Consolidates department functions without sacrificing services to Houstonians.
“This is a special day for me as a public servant to do what Houstonians deserve: to be transparent and tell them we have done everything we can to provide city services through efficiency, eliminating waste, duplication, conflicts of interest and corruption,” said Whitmire, who noted that his budget does not fund the old model of city government.
Vice Mayor Amy Peck, Council Member Sallie Alcorn and Council Member Letitia Plummer joined Whitmire at the budget announcement. Houston City Council began reviewing the administration’s FY 2026 budget during a special BFA meeting Wednesday, May 7, and will hear later from city department directors followed by a series of budget workshops allowing Houstonians to comment on the proposed plan.
“We are being very transparent with citizens about meeting our challenges, but I also emphasize that we are not through,” said Whitmire. “We will implement the reorganization of city government as we go forward. We will continue to collaborate with other levels of government, but we will also make sure that we listen to Houstonians. We will discuss our challenges across the city in the future.”
The new fiscal year begins July 1, 2025.
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