With a recently released financial transparency portal and a new budget year underway, there is more than one way vendors can investigate opportunities in one of the nation’s largest cities.
Houston, with some 2.3 million residents and a metropolitan service area (MSA) of 7.1 million, has a $5.1 billion budget on the table. In addition, Mayor Sylvester Turner this month unveiled Open Finance, a web portal that helps the public visualize city spending.
“Open Finance allows citizen advocates to stay informed and gain access to the same information stakeholders and government leaders use to make decisions in the day-to-day operations of local government,” Turner said in a news release. “This initiative is another significant step toward improving public engagement and building awareness of the city’s financial activities.”
The next steps in the initiative, Open Payroll and Open Checkbook, will follow later this year, allowing site visitors to see a more detailed view of city spending on staffing and specific expenditures.
In the budget document, IT spending is tucked into various department budgets and includes items such as GIS system support, data services, audiovisual supplies and computer supplies.
Of note, as with many cities, the budget includes raises of at least 3 percent for all city employees; however, firefighters are slated for 6 percent raises and police officers 3 percent. All municipal employees will receive at least $15 per hour, Turner has said.
The four largest cities after Houston have released their budget proposals, and those cities commence new fiscal years Oct. 1.
Houston’s FY 23 runs from July 1 to June 30. The city posts vendor opportunities on the Strategic Purchasing Division web pages.
With a 9.3 Percent Budget Increase, City Has Begun Fiscal Year
The large city has adopted its new city budget and unveiled an open data portal to engender transparency and citizen awareness.
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