Real Fiscal Responsibility — Not Headlines
I believe in fiscal responsibility — real fiscal responsibility, not the kind that makes headlines while quietly selling off the furniture to keep the house.
Our reserves are at 124 days. That sounds great until you learn how we got there — one-time land sales, hurricane reimbursements, and a hiring freeze that left departments short-staffed and the people who work for this city stretched thin. The city’s own finance director has said that revenue won’t come back. These weren’t budget victories, they were windfalls — and you can’t lower taxes on money that isn’t coming again.
Meanwhile, during this year’s budget process, a three-vote minority on council forced $800,000 out of Internal Service Fund reserves to achieve a no-new-revenue tax rate. Under state law, it only takes a minority to block a tax rate — even when the majority of council believes the responsible path is different. The result was a budget that looked good in a headline but delayed cost-of-living raises for civilian employees, the same people who answer your calls, maintain your roads, and keep this city running every day.
That’s not fiscal discipline. That’s sacrificing people for a campaign slogan.
I believe we can keep taxes at no-new-revenue — but the right way. Galveston is growing. The shipyard is coming. The port is expanding. New development means new revenue without raising anyone’s rate. And a city that runs more efficiently — that stops losing good employees to the mainland because we won’t pay them fairly, that stops deferring maintenance until it becomes an emergency — spends less in the long run. Growth and efficiency are how you hold the line on taxes without hollowing out the services families depend on.
We can build reserves the right way — through disciplined budgeting and a growing tax base, not one-time windfalls. We can fund employee raises from day one instead of treating them as an afterthought. And we can be honest with taxpayers about what it takes to run a city well, not just what sounds good in an election year.
Fiscal responsibility isn’t a slogan. It’s keeping the promises you made in the budget you passed.
“You can’t brag about keeping the house when you’re selling off the furniture. That’s not fiscal discipline — it’s sacrificing people for a campaign slogan.”
Where I Stand
Honest reserves — built to last. The cushion we have today is built on one-time revenue: land sales, hurricane reimbursements, a hiring freeze. It won’t repeat. As mayor, I’ll build reserves the right way — through disciplined budgeting and a growing tax base, not one-time windfalls.
Don’t sacrifice people for a slogan. Civilian cost-of-living raises were delayed for months because of a budget vote designed to hit a political talking point. City employees — the firefighters, police officers, public works crews, and staff who keep Galveston running — should never be an afterthought when budgets get tight. I’ll make sure they’re built in from day one.
Grow revenue the right way. The only sustainable path is growing the tax base — smart development, housing for working families, and making sure billions in incoming investment expand what the city can fund rather than burden the people already here.
Stop raiding reserves. Internal service reserves exist for a reason. It’s fine to reallocate, but I never touched them in three terms. I won’t start now.
How We Get There
The city budget is more than 60% employees. Every decision about where to cut and where to invest has a human cost. I’ll budget with that reality in front of me — not behind a campaign slogan.
Growth pays for infrastructure. Housing for working families expands the tax base. The shipyard, the new cruise terminal, and the development coming to this island are opportunities to fund what we need — if we plan wisely and set the right conditions.
As mayor, I’ll produce honest budgets, protect reserves through discipline rather than one-time revenue, and make sure every dollar reflects actual priorities — not what sounds good in an election year.
John Paul Lisowski's Priority Issues
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Keeping Galveston affordable means putting families first. Explore more of John Paul’s priorities — from local jobs to strong neighborhoods built for everyone.