Category Archives: Local politics

County approves Astrodome plan

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Like it or not, here it comes. Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with the final design and construction of a $105 million project to transform the cherished piece of Houston’s sporting history into what officials … Continue reading →

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Stanart’s workshop

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Our County Clerk has been doing some tinkering. The Harris County Clerk has spent hundreds of hours and millions of dollars to build, from the ground up, an electronic voter check-in system at the polls, Channel 2 Investigates has learned. … Continue reading →

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Looking to hire more cops for Houston

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see about this. The head of the Houston police union announced Wednesday that city leaders had pledged to grow the Houston Police Department ranks by 500 officers over the next five years, far fewer than the city’s police chief … Continue reading →

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Harris County could use a bit of cybersecurity training

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Oopsie. On Sept. 21, not three weeks after Houston was ravaged by Hurricane Harvey, the Harris County auditor’s office received an email from someone named Fiona Chambers who presented herself as an accountant with D&W Contractors, Inc. The contractor was … Continue reading →

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Darian Ward resigns

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Adios. Mayor Sylvester Turner’s press secretary resigned Friday afternoon, three weeks after news broke that she had been suspended for routinely conducting personal business on city time and failing to release public records. Ward sent or received roughly 5,000 pages … Continue reading →

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Council approves new recycling deal

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Huzzah! Houston residents are set to have their used glass and plastic bags picked up for recycling at curbside, but not until next year. The 20-year, $37 million agreement City Council approved Wednesday is the product of two years of wrangling over recycling and … Continue reading →

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Darian Ward

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I shake my head. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday staunchly defended his press secretary’s job performance following her recent two-week suspension for conducting personal business on city time and failing to turn over public records requested by a local journalist. … Continue reading →

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Recycling deal held up again

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll take Unexpected Effects of Hurricane Harvey for $200, Alex. A 20-year, $37 million recycling deal for Houston is in limbo after City Controller Chris Brown said his office was not prepared to sign off on the proposal, citing concerns … Continue reading →

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RIP, Peter Brown

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A dedicated public servant and a heck of a nice guy. Former Houston city councilman, mayoral candidate and civic leader Peter Brown has died, his family said Tuesday. Brown, an architect and urban planner, was 81. “A loving father, committed … Continue reading →

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County approves floodplain regulation change

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Five hundred is the new one hundred. The Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously on Tuesday to make significant changes to the way the county regulates new development, including a slew of new restrictions in Hurricane Harvey’s wake that officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

State of the County 2017: Ed Emmett versus state leadership

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you heard was a fight breaking out. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Tuesday used his annual State of the County speech to blast state leaders who he said attack local governments and seek to cut needed taxes … Continue reading →

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Houston’s health care costs

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Because dealing with pensions wasn’t enough. Taxpayers also face a $2.1 billion liability for retiree health care costs in the coming decades, and Houston – like many state and local governments – has not set aside a penny to pay … Continue reading →

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Harris County to consider floodplain regulations change

Posted on November 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a good idea to me. Nearly three months after Hurricane Harvey, Harris County is proposing using 500-year floodplains instead of 100-year floodplains for new development, the first significant overhaul of county elevation requirements in nearly two decades. The … Continue reading →

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Dome bash planned

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. Next year, Astrodome lovers will be able to once again take a gander at the stadium’s iconic roof before it embarks on its next adventure. During a mixer/meeting for friends and supporters of the Astrodome Conservancy, organizers … Continue reading →

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Is this development really necessary?

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Boy, the optics of this sure are lousy. The Houston City Council has indefinitely postponed a proposal to build hundreds of homes in a west Houston floodplain amid questions about whether city leaders’ actions would match their rhetoric about mitigating … Continue reading →

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Curbside recycling will resume November 13

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! Houstonians stockpiling cardboard and aluminum cans, rejoice: the city will resume curbside recycling service next month. Recycling service has been suspended since Aug. 30, when city waste crews dropped all efforts other than weekly trash pickup to focus on … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

LWV to look at Harris County election security

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I look forward to seeing their results. The League of Women Voters of the Houston Area plans to study the cybersecurity of Harris County’s election system, but the non-partisan group may not be able to gather all the information it … Continue reading →

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Council passes dumb forced tax cut

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is where we are. City Council rejected Mayor Sylvester Turner’s proposal to leave Houston’s tax rate unchanged from last year Wednesday, instead approving a tiny rate cut to comply with the voter-imposed cap on property tax revenues. Turner had … Continue reading →

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Another property tax rate dustup

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this: Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to ask city council on Wednesday to sidestep the voter-imposed revenue cap by approving the same property tax rate as last year. According to City Controller Chris Brown, … 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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“Not One Penny” rally

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Indivisible Houston ​to​ ​Host​ ​“Not​ ​One​ ​Penny”​ ​Rally and Press Conference at John Culberson’s Office​ ​to​ ​Demand​ ​Congress Stop​ ​Robbing from the Poor to Give to Big Business Local Organizers Join Nationwide “Not One Penny” Campaign to … Continue reading →

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We’re going to need another jury building

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. Harris County is unlikely to repair Hurricane Harvey flood damage to the six-year-old, $13 million jury Assembly Building that sits beneath a park in downtown Houston’s courthouse square near Buffalo Bayou, County Judge Ed Emmett said … Continue reading →

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Harris County considers its budget post-Harvey

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

They have some choices, and some constraints. Harris County government departments could see their budgets reduced by up to 5 percent as property taxes take an expected dip due to Hurricane Harvey’s widespread destruction. The estimate is preliminary, County Budget … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner lowers tax rate hike amount

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure we’re all glad to see this. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday said the temporary property tax rate hike he has proposed would be cut in half after federal officials approved his request to increase reimbursement for the city’s … Continue reading →

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Harris County may do Harvey bonds

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out Harvey recovery will cost money. Who knew? A majority of the Harris County Commissioners Court on Wednesday said they would support a large bond issue, perhaps upwards of $1 billion, and a tax increase to pay for it. … Continue reading →

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Council to hold hearings on proposed tax rate increase

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your chance to be heard. Houston City Council set the ball rolling Wednesday on Mayor Sylvester Turner’s proposed 8.9 percent tax rate hike to help fund Houston’s recovery from Hurricane Harvey, in what would be the first hike from … Continue reading →

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Mayor seeks one-year tax hike for Harvey cleanup

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This stuff isn’t going to pay for itself, you know. Mayor Sylvester Turner will ask City Council to approve an 8.9 percent hike in the city’s tax rate this fall to help Houston recover from Tropical Storm Harvey, in what … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner requests study of Confederate statues

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox. Mayor Sylvester Turner has asked top staff members to study whether statues related to the Confederacy should be removed from city property. The mayor commented about the statues Tuesday at a City Council meeting after members of … Continue reading →

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OutSmart talks to Kim Ogg

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another good read about our new DA, one that goes into her personal background in some depth. John Wright: Your father, Jack Ogg, was a longtime Texas state legislator, and your late mother was well-known for her charity work. What … Continue reading →

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EcoHub sues over OneBin failure

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

All right. Continuing the saga that has unfolded at City Hall — in which City Council members have said a deal with one company “smelled,” and in which another company, EcoHub, claims Mayor Sylvester Turner snubbed him out of the … Continue reading →

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Firefighters complain about petition counting process

Posted on August 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, good Lord. Houston firefighters are accusing Mayor Sylvester Turner of standing between them and a voter-approved pay raise by failing to ensure a petition they submitted last month is certified in time to appear on the November ballot. Turner … Continue reading →

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Public Works Director Sreerama is out

Posted on July 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, a Friday afternoon special: Statement by Mayor Sylvester Turner on city Public Works and Engineering director “Karun Sreerama has accomplished much in Houston as a businessman and involved citizen. I am sure he will continue to be … Continue reading →

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Stanart pushes back on election security claims

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Our County Clerk is not happy with recent stories about the potential for vulnerability in our election systems. Despite reports from federal intelligence agencies and media outlets of Russia’s widespread targeting of state and local elections around the country and … Continue reading →

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Was the Harris County election system hacked?

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Wouldn’t you like to know? Despite widespread alarm over the breadth of Russian cyber attacks on state and local election systems last year, including revelations of Dallas County being targeted, Harris County officials are refusing to say whether hackers similarly … Continue reading →

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