Coronavirus in Texas 4/2: With projected decreases in sales tax revenue, cities are worried about their budgets

Thursday’s biggest developments:

• Cities projecting decreases in sales tax revenue are worried about their budgets
• ER doctors say lack of rapid testing hinders care for respiratory patients

Local governments facing a fresh budget threat: economic recession

[5 a.m.] While city leaders in Texas are trying to slow down the novel coronavirus pandemic, their financial officers are already warning about the damage a new economic recession will have on local budgets.

“We work on the budget year round, and we anticipate even the worst scenarios," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a press conference Tuesday. "This one is even worse than anyone had imagined.”

Texas cities' two biggest sources of money are typically property taxes and sales taxes. The protracted public health crisis' effect on property taxes is still unclear. But there is certain to be a massive financial blow to sales tax revenues since officials shuttered businesses and limited Texans' movements outside their homes, according to Bennett Sandlin, the executive director of the Texas Municipal League, an organization that represents local governments across the state.

“Sales taxes are tied to retail economic activity, among others,” Sandlin said. “And that's just been shut down in the vast majority of urban areas in our state.” — Juan Pablo Garnham

Lack of rapid testing hinders care for respiratory patients, emergency doctors say

[5 a.m.] As the novel coronavirus pandemic fills intensive-care units with patients who need breathing assistance, doctors say caring for patients with other respiratory ailments has become more difficult — and they’re sounding the alarm about a lack of available coronavirus tests that could help keep patients and physicians safe.

Many treatments available to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma or congestive heart failure are risky for doctors to perform if the patient is infected with the new strain of coronavirus, doctors say, because the treatments rely on nebulizers that can spray pathogens into the air. Without rapid testing available in hospitals and ambulances, doctors are left to make difficult decisions about patients who are struggling to breathe, said Robert Hancock, president of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians.

If a critically ill patient might have COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, should doctors risk using a treatment that could spray millions of virus particles in an enclosed space? Or should they intubate the patient, a more invasive procedure?

“This is a huge problem,” Hancock said of the lack of rapid tests. “I don’t think you’ll find anybody who’ll say it’s adequate. — Edgar Walters

Disclosure: The Texas Municipal League and the Texas College of Emergency Physicians have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.