Democratic Mayor John Whitmire said Houston is “broke” at a City Council meeting last week, offering tax hikes and a 5% spending cut to combat the city’s deficit.

“I think we can all agree on that, we are broke,” Whitmire said at the meeting, according to FOX 26 Houston. “This gives us a chance to discuss the financial picture of this city. It is broken. It was broken when I got here.”