"We needed to do something to protect families," City Councilmember At-Large Position 4 Alejandra Salinas said.
The ordinance expands the W.A.T.E.R. fund, a donation-based city utility assistance fund that helps eligible senior citizens, disabled veterans, and low-income earners, according to Councilmember Salinas.
The city's trash fee will begin at $5 per month in July and is expected to increase to $25 per month.
The fee will be implemented to raise new funds and stabilize the budget.
Approximately 21% of Houstonians live below the poverty line, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Also, on Wednesday, City Council put a hold on a planned vote on a group of bills that would have spent approximately $35 million on street and drainage projects.
Councilmembers added amendments to the infrastructure projects and tagged agenda items to give them the opportunity to review what will be voted on in the future.
"I submitted six amendments, and they're all for projects in District A that we are really excited about just to get some of those projects moving. Flooding mitigation projects. Infrastructure projects, parks, all kinds of great things," Houston District A Councilmember Amy Peck said.
Councilmember Peck said the money is well worth it to fix the ongoing infrastructure issues.
"A lot of these bigger projects that we have done over the years have helped significantly when it comes to flooding mitigation, so there are a lot of areas in town and District A where it used to flood and, because of these projects, they no longer flood," Councilmember Peck said. "When I think about these projects, I think about the people who live in these areas and the impact that flooding has had on their homes and on their lives."
Councilmember Peck said she expects the agenda items regarding street and drainage projects to pass at next Wednesday's City Council meeting.