Tag Archives: bonds

Flood bond referendum: Interview with Lina Hidalgo

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I do have one more interview to bring you for the flood bond referendum, for which we are already in the early voting period, and that interview is with Lina Hidalgo, the Democratic candidate for Harris County Judge. Had this … Continue reading →

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Day Two flood bond EV totals

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry I wasn’t able to post the Day One totals yesterday, but here are the Day Two EV totals for the flood bond referendum. So far 4,984 people have voted in person, with almost exactly the same number on Monday … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum: Interview with Jen Powis

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, early voting for the flood bond referendum on August 25 begins today, running through the 21st. There are a lot of groups and organizations that are keenly interested in this bond issue and how it will affect … Continue reading →

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More details on the flood bond referendum

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting starts today. The Harris County Flood Control District on Monday released its complete list of projects that would be funded by the county’s $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond proposal, two days before early voting on the measure begins. … Continue reading →

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Poll shows flood bond referendum in good shape

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Standard caveats apply. A majority of Harris County voters say they will support a $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond at the polls later this month, according to University of Houston research released Monday. Sixty-two percent of residents who said they … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum: Interview with Ed Emmett

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, early voting for the August 25 flood bond referendum begins this week, on Wednesday the 8th. Those of you who make the effort to show up and vote will get to decide whether or not to … Continue reading →

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Early voting for the flood bond referendum

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a little weird, but there’s two full weeks of it and for the most part you can vote at the usual places. Harris County will have 25 balloting locations during the first weekend of early voting for the $2.5 … Continue reading →

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On campaigning for the flood bond

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is good, but I don’t know if it will be enough. The Harris County Flood Control District’s summer barnstorming tour of county watersheds to seek public input on its $2.5 billion flood bond proposal is getting officials exactly what … Continue reading →

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CD07 candidates endorse the August flood bond referendum

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What I would expect. U.S. Rep. John Culberson and his challenger, Lizzie Fletcher, found rare common ground on Wednesday as both endorsed Harris County’s proposed $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond proposal. Culberson said he can match every local dollar Harris … Continue reading →

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More on the latest Harvey funds

Posted on July 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full Chron story regarding that allocation of federal Harvey recovery money from Thursday. It wasn’t clear from the Trib story I quoted from, but that levee system is, at least in part, the Ike Dike. Jim Blackburn of … Continue reading →

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Your Houston PAC

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a new player on the local scene. Bill Baldwin, a longtime real estate broker, volunteer and member of Houston’s planning commission, has launched a political action committee aimed at improving the city’s neighborhoods, schools and local governments. The tenets … Continue reading →

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More details on the flood bond referendum

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is the longer version of the original story. Through at least two-dozen public meetings across the county’s watersheds, County Judge Ed Emmett said residents have a crucial role to play as they provide feedback for the projects they think … Continue reading →

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County officially puts flood bond referendum on the ballot

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously agreed to place a $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond before voters on Aug. 25, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. If passed, the bond would be the largest local investment … Continue reading →

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You got something to say about the Harris County bond referendum?

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

You’ll get a chance to say it. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Wednesday announced a series of public meetings to seek input from residents on an estimated $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond that commissioners plan to put before voters … Continue reading →

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HISD begins prep on a 2019 bond issue

Posted on May 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Wait till next year. Administrators on Thursday recommended Houston ISD seek voter approval for a $1.7 billion capital projects bond in May 2019, charging forward with long-term spending plans even as the district faces uncertainty about its leadership and ability … Continue reading →

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Abbott approves August flood bond referendum

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

One more step forward. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday approved Harris County’s request to call a multi-billion-dollar bond election to pay for flood control measures on Aug. 25, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. By state law, the county needed … Continue reading →

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We’ll be voting on flood control bonds in August

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not my first choice, but it is what it is. Harris County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to seek a special election on Aug. 25 for what likely will be a multi-billion-dollar bond package that, if approved by voters, would be … Continue reading →

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The timing of a Harvey bond referendum

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

How does August grab you? Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday will consider calling a special election for August 25 — the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey — to ask voters to OK a massive bond referendum for flood control … Continue reading →

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Still discussing flood bonds

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s complicated. Harris County officials Tuesday said the “clock is ticking” on its call for a bond referendum for $1 billion or more in flood control projects, as requirements to provide matching funds for federal grants being disbursed in Hurricane … Continue reading →

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HISD working on a bond issue

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to be quite the year for HISD. Voters living in Houston ISD could be asked to approve a new school bond totaling at least $1.2 billion as early as November, according to a recently unveiled district financial plan. … Continue reading →

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My thoughts following the 2017 election

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

1. Turnout in Houston was considerably higher than anyone predicted. Adding in Fort Bend to Harris yields 101,178 voters. Harris County had 149,730. The Houston share of Harris County was 66.43%, which is lower than I expected as well. 2. … Continue reading →

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2017 results: City bonds

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Pension obligation bonds pass easily. Houston voters passed a $1 billion pension bond referendum by a wide margin late Tuesday, securing Mayor Sylvester Turner’s landmark reform package and, the mayor hopes, marking the beginning of the end of a 16-year … Continue reading →

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Election Day 2017

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s time to vote if you haven’t already. Not many people have, as we know. Harris County turnout is expected to remain feeble through Election Day, with no marquee race to draw voters to the polls and thousands still displaced … Continue reading →

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2017 EV daily report: Day 8, and one more look at a way to guess turnout

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here are the numbers through Monday. Now that we are in the second week of early voting, when the hours each day are 7 to 7, these reports arrive in my inbox later in the evening. Here are the daily … Continue reading →

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What about those constitutional amendments?

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Would you like someone to explain to you what those seven Constitutional amendments are about, in painstaking detail, with a recommendation for how to vote on each? Daniel Williams is here for you. It’s that time of the biennium again! … Continue reading →

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Early voting for November 2017 begins today

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: “The best option to vote in the upcoming Nov. 7 election is during the early voting period,” advised Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart. Early Voting for the November 7, 2017 General and Special Elections begins Monday, October … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Don’t forget the city bonds

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron circles back to where they started this endorsement season. The spotlight of public attention has focused on the billion dollar pension bond referendum, Proposition A, whose passage is absolutely critical to Houston’s financial future. But if you’re a … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: State propositions and Katy bonds

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, did you know that there are constitutional amendments on the ballot? It’s true! (Spoiler alert: There are constitutional amendments on the ballot every odd-numbered year.) The Chron has some recommendations for how to vote on them. State of Texas, … Continue reading →

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Another contemplation of turnout

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s see where this one takes us. Last time, I made some guesses about turnout in the HISD races based on overall turnout in the city of Houston. Now I’m going to turn that around and take a shot at … Continue reading →

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Still some fretting about the bonds

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Generalized anxiety, nothing specific. Fire engines bursting into flames at a scene. Roof leaks damaging walls at city health clinics. Bike trails eroding into the bayou. Those are among the reasons Mayor Sylvester Turner is asking voters to approve $495 … Continue reading →

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The fire department’s needs

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is a conversation we need to have, but it’s one we need to dig into and work all the way through. Fire Chief Sam Pena gave City Council a bleak assessment Tuesday of his department’s readiness to respond to … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The bonds

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Endorsement season has officially begun. The key referendum, Proposition A, is a solution to Houston’s potentially disastrous pension problem. A complex deal ushered through the Texas Legislature by Mayor Sylvester Turner would reduce the $8.2 billion unfunded pension burden now … Continue reading →

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Lift Up Houston

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, you know there are bonds on the ballot, right? And Mayor Turner would like you to vote for them. Mayor Sylvester Turner spent much of his first year and a half keeping the civic conversation focused on winning legislative … Continue reading →

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The Sports Authority at 20

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A few stadia, a little mission creep. Where has the time gone? As the Harris County Houston Sports Authority celebrated its 20th anniversary Monday night with a reception for current and former directors and board members, it moves into its … Continue reading →

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