Houston is on track to exceed its budgeted overtime spending by more than $54 million by the end of the fiscal year, a Feb. 3 presentation from the city controller’s office shows.

What's happening: City departments are spending more on overtime pay each month than allocated for in the FY 2025-26 budget, adding to Houston’s growing shortfall for the fiscal year, according to a presentation to the Budget and Fiscal Affairs and Government Operations committees in a joint Feb. 3 meeting.

Deputy Controller Will Jones said the spending is expected based on historical overtime trends, suggesting continued underbudgeting that does not align with department needs.

More details: According to general fund projections from the controller’s office, 

• The fire department is expected to exceed budgeted overtime spending by $38 million
• The police department is expected to exceed budgeted overtime spending by $13.2 million
• The solid waste management department is expected to exceed the budgeted overtime spending by $2.1 million

The last day of business for the wine room in the Houston Heights was Jan. 31.

The details: Inspired by wine-country destinations, Mutiny in the Heights featured signature wine flights, a tasting room and a space for private events.

Latest update: In a Jan. 8 social media post, founders Emily Trout and Mark Ellenberger announced the establishment's closing. The two cited the rising costs of rent, food and insurance as the main reason behind the decision. 

“Continuing would mean compromising the care and quality that brought us all together,” the post stated. “What makes this so hard isn’t the business decision. It’s you, our people.”

• 1124 Usener St., Houston

Harris County’s hospital district has raised $99 million, just $1 million shy of Harris Health’s fundraising goal to support the $2.9 billion capital building initiative approved by voters with the 2023 bond election.

The bottom line: Harris Health President and CEO Esmaeil Porsa shared the update on the hospital district’s philanthropic efforts at the Jan. 29 Commissioners Court meeting, days after hospital officials finished the newly named John M. O’Quinn Hospital in northeast Houston, also part of the 2023 bond.

The details: The fundraising announcement comes after Harris Health officials named the new Level I trauma-capable hospital after the late attorney and philanthropist, John M. O’Quinn. The naming ceremony took place Jan. 23 at the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital campus, which is projected for completion in 2028 and opening in January 2029, according to a Jan. 23 news release.

The Coastal Texas Project, also known as the Ike Dike, received $5 million in federal funding, the largest single federal investment in the project since Congress authorized the project in 2022. 

The overview: The $34 billion project aims to protect Houston’s critical energy and shipping corridors from storm damage by building a system of gates and dune systems designed to mitigate storm surge, according to previous reporting by Community Impact. 

The background: The 87th Texas Legislature established the GCPD in 2021, and it serves as the state sponsor for the project, according to the release.

Although the project was authorized in 2022, funding has been slow to come in, and the $5 million marks the largest single federal investment to date, according to the release.

Quote of note: “Texas is home to the largest concentration of oil and gas infrastructure in the United States, and safeguarding our coast from catastrophic storms protects every American,” Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in the news release.

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