Houston Utility Under Fire | Texas News

Houston’s water utility, serving over two million residents, now faces a negative outlook from S&P Global after controversial financial moves that shifted $200 million in costs from the general fund to the utility — including $100 million for waste services and $100 million for infrastructure usage. While these steps erased an immediate deficit, they gutted the utility’s savings and raised alarms about how it will manage rising expenses: through rate hikes or cash reserves? Critics like City Controller Chris Hollins say it’s just accounting shuffle, while the city introduces a new $5 monthly fee on water bills for trash services — set to rise — and vows to cut waste costs. Amid this, S&P recently upgraded Houston’s general fund outlook, and Moody’s boosted its credit rating, praising fiscal discipline. But with $8.6 billion in looming infrastructure projects, ratings agencies are watching closely to see if Houston can balance the books without risking higher water bills or a deeper credit downgrade. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/02d35979ec098c0c