Tag Archives: John Whitmire

Zombie ReBuild lawsuit returns with a vengeance

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Unbelievable. Houston City Hall will have to use significantly more tax money to fight flooding with street and drainage projects, after an appeals court sided Tuesday with engineers in a years-long lawsuit over how much funding the city devotes to … Continue reading →

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Re-endorsement watch: Again for Jarvis

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron re-endorses Rep. Jarvis Johnson for the special election in SD15. The crowded Democratic race to replace current Mayor John Whitmire in the Texas Senate has narrowed to two candidates with starkly different backgrounds and philosophies of governance and … Continue reading →

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Montrose Blvd project officially delayed

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. Permitting for an overhaul of Montrose Boulevard, a project that has drawn ire from residents pushing to protect the road’s oak trees, has been delayed at City Hall after Mayor John Whitmire’s staff asked project organizers to … Continue reading →

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Amtrak pushes for Texas Central

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I like the sound of that. Booming demand, Texas’s rapidly expanding population and growing political will have converged to create the right environment to move high-speed rail ahead, Amtrak leadership said Tuesday. Andy Byford, Amtrak’s senior vice president of high-speed … Continue reading →

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City workers gear up for their next contract

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, the city has employees who are not with the police or the fire department, and they like earning a decent salary, too. Houston’s municipal employees union, HOPE AFSCME Local 123, is expected to begin its contract … Continue reading →

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Parking meter extension proposal sent to Prop A committee

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We sure do live in a different world now. City Council voted on Wednesday to send a proposal extending parking meter enforcement times to committee following a clash between council members who introduced the agenda item and those who expressed … Continue reading →

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Some of those dropped HPD cases were connected to other cases

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Shocking, I know. Of the suspended sex crime incident reports submitted by the Houston Police Department to the Houston Forensic Science Center, nearly 100 came back with links to other cases, Chief Troy Finner said Monday evening. […] In HPD’s … Continue reading →

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So what’s Mayor Whitmire’s deal with Vision Zero?

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron editorial board thinks he won’t be some destroyer of non-automotive transit. I’ll remain politely skeptical for now. John Whitmire insists he supports Vision Zero, the city’s action plan to make Houston streets safer. The ultimate goal is zero … Continue reading →

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Still waiting on details for paying the firefighters

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of the same stuff we’ve heard before here, but a little bit more details. Houston Mayor John Whitmire detailed his last three months as the fourth-largest city’s top boss and outlined some of his ongoing projects in a … Continue reading →

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That “Prop A committee”

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I mentioned the establishment of a Proposition A committee yesterday, so let’s take a closer look at it. Tensions flared at Houston City Council on Wednesday, as Mayor John Whitmire and council members clashed over the application of a new … Continue reading →

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Extending parking meter hours downtown

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m okay with this. Houston City Council will vote to extend the time residents will have to pay city parking meters on Wednesday. The current ordinance requires drivers who park in metered spots to pay between 7 a.m. and 6 … Continue reading →

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Controller Hollins puts firefighter settlement tab at up to $1.3 billion

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

That’s once you factor in interest payments over the life of the bonds that will be issued to cover this. Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s proposed settlement with the firefighters union could cost significantly more than previously advertised, City Controller Chris … Continue reading →

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We return to the question of “how will we pay for the firefighter agreement” question

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna keep asking it until we get a full answer. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration is weighing all options, including hiking the city’s property tax rate and charging residents a garbage collection fee, to help pay for its landmark settlement with … Continue reading →

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We’ll see what City Council makes of the firefighter pay agreement

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a bit of pushback happening. Mayor John Whitmire’s administration and officials from the Houston firefighters union are hoping to get final approval in May or June on a massive settlement deal to end their nearly decade-long contract stalemate. The … Continue reading →

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Do I really need to worry about West 11th Street?

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. Houston Mayor John Whitmire is reevaluating several street infrastructure projects for effectiveness, including the completed 11th Street redesign despite the controversy surrounding the recent removal of pedestrian and cyclist upgrades on Houston Avenue. Whitmire, who took office … Continue reading →

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Here’s your committee to investigate the HPD dropped cases situation

Posted on March 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them luck. Mayor John Whitmire on Wednesday named the five people who will run an independent investigation into the Houston Police Department’s handling of over 264,000 suspended incident reports. The committee will be led by a former state … Continue reading →

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Price tag for firefighter back pay revealed

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association announced today a historic deal to end an eight-year impasse. The $650 million settlement to finally resolve the city’s looming liability addresses longstanding pay issues dating back … Continue reading →

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January 2024 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: State offices Harris County offices Senate Congress I did a lot of posting before now on the city finance reports, so it’s probably best to summarize: 8 Day reports for Mayoral candidates 30 Day reports – that post was … Continue reading →

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In which I learn about our use of “Dataminr”

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. The Houston Police Department will stay in the ranks of law enforcement agencies around the country using software to monitor social media for information on criminal activity following a City Council vote … Continue reading →

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More on the HPD dropped cases

Posted on March 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Whitmire wants some answers. Houston Mayor John Whitmire on Wednesday called for an independent investigation into the Houston Police Department over how and why more than 264,000 cases were declared suspended for lack of personnel. “I trust and believe … Continue reading →

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It’s budget cut proposal time

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A familiar ritual. Facing a projected budget shortfall and costly settlement with the firefighters union, Mayor John Whitmire has directed most city departments to identify potential 5% budget cuts for the coming fiscal year. Finance Director Melissa Dubowski said Wednesday … Continue reading →

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Firefighter back pay update

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Just tell me what the bill’s gonna be. The city of Houston and its firefighters are nearing an agreement to resolve their bitter, yearslong pay dispute, with specifics expected to take additional weeks or months to finalize, according to city … Continue reading →

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The HPD suspended cases situation

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what to make of this. A review of sex crimes cases suspended with an internal code citing a lack of personnel has expanded department-wide to include more than 264,000 cases, Police Chief Troy Finner said Monday. The … Continue reading →

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The Houston Avenue hullabaloo

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It seems like every new Mayor makes at least one dumb self-inflicted error early on in their tenure, because being Mayor is hard and there are lots of things that need to be done with priority. I’d say this goes … Continue reading →

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Mayor Whitmire appoints a new Metro Chair

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations and welcome aboard. Mayor John Whitmire on Tuesday announced CenterPoint Energy executive Elizabeth Brock would lead the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board of directors. If approved, Brock would be the first Hispanic woman to lead the transit agency. “She brings … Continue reading →

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Food Not Bombs gets temporary ticketing reprieve

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Pending a ruling from the judge, so this could be very temporary or it could be for the duration of the lawsuit. A U.S. District Court judge on Wednesday ordered Houston to temporarily stop enforcing a law that requires city … Continue reading →

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Mayor Whitmire working with the firefighters

Posted on February 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what we get. In another step toward settling its years-long conflict with the city, the firefighters union met with Mayor John Whitmire’s administration [last] Friday morning to discuss the city’s first proposal for raises and back pay, with … Continue reading →

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Food Not Bombs sues the city again

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes. Food Not Bombs, a group of volunteers who serve meals outside Houston Public Library’s downtown branch, filed suit Tuesday against the city, alleging that a food-sharing ordinance is unconstitutional. The suit claims that the city’s … Continue reading →

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How are the city’s talks with H-GAC going?

Posted on January 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Things seemed to be going reasonably well. The deadline had passed but no one seemed to fussed about it. Despite a deadline set by Houston voters for early January, the process to increase Houston’s role in regional planning will take … Continue reading →

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On hiring more cops

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Not as easy to do as you might think. Halfway through his inaugural speech, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the city made it far too hard for people to join the Houston Police Department. As an example, Whitmire pointed out … Continue reading →

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Mayor Whitmire wants to add Metro cops to HPD

Posted on January 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

On its face this makes sense. Mayor John Whitmire said he’s negotiating with Metro to combine its almost 400 public safety employees with Houston’s Police Department under Chief Troy Finner. The transit group’s police department, with a budget in 2024 … Continue reading →

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HISD presents its longer-year calendar options

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

See if you have a preference. After months of speculation over potential changes to Houston ISD’s academic calendar, district officials are considering four options for 2024-25 that would each move up the first day of classes and increase the number … Continue reading →

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Whitmire’s approach to HISD

Posted on January 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s on brand, I’ll say that. Mayor John Whitmire met Monday with Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to reaffirm his support for Houston ISD’s appointed leadership, signaling a new approach from City Hall toward the state’s stewardship of the district … Continue reading →

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We return once again to the subject of a garbage fee

Posted on January 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe this is the time it happens. Maybe not. Who can say? For many residents, Houston’s unreliable garbage collection is a familiar issue — and it’s one that even the city’s newly elected mayor apparently must confront. In his inaugural … Continue reading →

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