Category Archives: Local politics

MS Houston

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Meet our new technical overlords. Microsoft will provide STEM education at schools, teach computer literacy skills to adults and transform Houston into a “Smart City” as part of a new partnership announced Friday. “These sort of efforts become infectious and … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The revenue cap and the police

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something. Not what I want, but something. Mayor Sylvester Turner used his third State of the City speech to call — again — for the city to be able to collect more revenue than allowed by the property tax … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Ellis puts up money for city’s bike projects

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I like this plan. Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis on Monday announced a one-year $10 million commitment to bicycling projects in Houston, in the hopes of jump-starting the city’s transformation into a bike-friendly place. “Working together, we can … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council approves new floodplain regulations

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been waiting for this. Starting this fall, all new homes built in Houston’s floodplains must be elevated higher off the ground after a contentious debate and narrow vote by City Council on Wednesday to adopt the Bayou City’s first … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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 →

Posted in Election 2018, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

March For Our Lives rally

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

On Saturday, March 24, community members from Houston will gather for a “sibling march” as part of the March for Our Lives movement. The march is one of hundreds happening around the country planned by students and survivors of gun … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

January 2018 finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on March 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We didn’t have any city of Houston elections in 2017, and while we ought to have some charter amendments on the ballot in 2018 we won’t be voting for people till next year. Still, everyone has to file campaign finance … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on January 2018 finance reports: City of Houston

Firefighters sue to get their pay parity petitions certified

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just going to put this here. Houston firefighters on Monday asked a judge to force the city secretary to validate signatures on an equal pay referendum petition that has been backlogged in City Hall for eight months. The referendum … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018, Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

RIP, CM Larry Green

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Very sad news. Houston City Councilman Larry Green was found dead at his home late Tuesday morning, prompting an outpouring of sadness from City Hall to the southwest Houston district he represented for more than six years. The cause of … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The case for the Astrodome

Posted on February 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg lays it out. But here’s the thing: leaders have to balance today’s needs with tomorrow’s. The long view has its virtues. And frankly, it’s been all to absent in the decision-making of Houston and Harris County. Shortsightedness has … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The latest report on city finances

Posted on February 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

A little light reading for you. Even after Mayor Sylvester Turner’s landmark pension reforms, the city of Houston is on pace to spend $1 billion more than it will take in over the coming decade, and must cut spending and … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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 →

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

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 →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

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

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Recycling deal held up again

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

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 →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

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

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 →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on LWV to look at Harris County election security

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 →

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

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 →

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

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 →

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

“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 →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on “Not One Penny” rally

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 →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

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