City Controller Chris Hollins released a report saying Houston is financially vulnerable when it comes to disaster preparedness.
According to the controller's report, the city's emergency reserves are well below the national standard.
"The reserve depth is insufficient compared to those standards," Deputy Controller Will Jones said.
Because of that, the controller's office said the city only has enough emergency savings to sustain city operations for a matter of weeks in the event of a disaster.
"We tend to have some of the most costly storms come through our area," Jones said. "Shallow reserves leave Houston financially vulnerable at 8 to 9%. We are below the recommended 16.7%."
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Houstonians may be underprepared for disasters, study shows
Jones said that it is dramatically different than neighboring cities.
"When you look at like Dallas, we're at 19% to 20%. In San Antonio, 15% to 16%," Jones said.
There are several different factors contributing to the shortfall, according to Jones.
"The property tax cap. We have the volatility of our sales tax revenue," Jones said. "Then, of course, we have state and legislative policies that impact our ability to drive revenue."
Ultimately, the report recommended policy changes to help build stronger reserves, including:
- Raising the minimum reserve requirements
- Strengthening the city's rainy-day fund
- Creating clearer rules so year-end surpluses are automatically directed to disaster savings
During Wednesday's city council meeting, councilmember Sallie Alcorn encouraged the council to consider different ways to help build that reserve, like the possibility of a property tax increase in the future.
"We have to find a way to generate more revenue, and we are going to have to make an unpopular decision in order to give the residents of this city the services they deserve," Alcorn said.