Category Archives: Local politics

Repealing the revenue cap is only part of the answer

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Repealing the dumb revenue cap charter amendment from 2004 won’t solve the impending fiscal problems by itself. It’s still a good idea to repeal it. With an estimated $144 million budget shortfall looming next summer, the city’s finance director delivered … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

City smoking ban extended to parks and libraries

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Who knew they weren’t already, right? Houston public parks, golf courses and pools will be smoke-free zones come September, marking one of the most sweeping tobacco bans at city facilities. Parks and Recreation Department Director Joe Turner announced the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on City smoking ban extended to parks and libraries

It’s past time for a garbage fee

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, this. For years, Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department Director Harry Hayes has suggested the city implement a garbage fee to expand curbside recycling and pay for other initiatives. And for years, Mayor Annise Parker has demurred. Now, with a … Continue reading →

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

Harris County settles with HCAD

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure about this. Less than two months after formally challenging the way the local appraisal district calculates the value of vacant commercial land, Harris County has backed down. Commissioners Court on Tuesday OK’d the withdrawal of a petition filed … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County settles with HCAD

Council votes to sue over bad pension projections

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Houston City Council on Wednesday paved the way for city attorneys to sue an actuarial firm the city claims gave inaccurate pension estimates that spurred costly changes to firefighters’ retirement benefits in 2001. […] Houston’s contribution rate to … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Council votes to sue over bad pension projections

Diverting ReBuild Houston funds

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about this. Expressing impatience with the pace of street repairs under the Rebuild Houston program, City Council on Wednesday voted to siphon off some of the drainage-fee supported funds to speed up projects and help resolve smaller … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Diverting ReBuild Houston funds

Another pension-related lawsuit coming?

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a little blast from the past. The city of Houston may sue a company whose advice it relied upon in making changes to firefighters’ retirement benefits in 2001, saying the firm’s inaccurate predictions left the city on the hook … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Another pension-related lawsuit coming?

Houston’s payday lending ordinance is now in place

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Part of me hopes that there’s a lot of complaints, and part of me hopes there’s very few. Houston’s stringent new rules on payday and auto title lenders took effect Tuesday, reviving industry complaints that it would drive companies out … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston’s payday lending ordinance is now in place

Back to the drawing board for the city and the firefighters’ union

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t expect much at this point. Negotiators for the city of Houston and its firefighters union will return to the bargaining table to discuss a new labor contract weeks after union members soundly defeated the last proposed deal, Mayor Annise … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Back to the drawing board for the city and the firefighters’ union

City exploring new pension for new firefighters?

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. Long concerned about the cost of Houston’s pensions and stymied in her attempts at reform, Mayor Annise Parker is considering a dramatic step to place new firefighters into a separate, less generous pension plan, sources with knowledge of the … Continue reading →

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

Council adopts its budget for next year

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Might be the last easy budget for a couple of years. The Houston City Council agreed to boost funding for after-school programs, add cameras to catch illegal dumpers and give $1 million to each district council office to spend on … Continue reading →

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

Dave Wilson reminds us again why elections matter

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Because now when he does crap like this, it’s as an elected official and not just a yahoo crank of long standing. Dave Wilson, an anti-gay activist who won a contested race for a seat on the Houston Community College … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dave Wilson reminds us again why elections matter

Firefighters union rejects contract deal

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. The contract rejected Tuesday by 93 percent of the roughly 2,900 firefighters voting would have taken a similar approach, granting a pay raise in exchange for concessions on members’ ability to take leave. With the no vote, as of … Continue reading →

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

More talk about bathrooms

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The HOUEquality webpage returns to a familiar topic. 1.) Over 180 cities and municipalities across the country have implemented nondiscrimination ordinances, some have been in place for decades. There are no reports of incidents of sexual assault or rape causally … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on More talk about bathrooms

On cops and the revenue cap

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker again calls attention to the city’s stupid revenue cap and the things it will prevent the city from doing if it is left in place. If Houston voters do not want police pulled from the streets next year, … Continue reading →

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

City reaches contract agreement with firefighters

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Give a little, get a little. Houston firefighters would give up some of their ability to schedule time off in return for a pay hike under a tentative new labor contract that city officials hope will enable them to rein … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on City reaches contract agreement with firefighters

Competition is good, except when it isn’t

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I honestly don’t get this. As the Houston City Council prepares to vote Wednesday on whether to make its longtime back-tax collector share the lucrative work with a rival, city officials are getting ample pushback from the man responsible for … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Competition is good, except when it isn’t

County to challenge vacant lot appraisals

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Harris County is challenging the local appraisal district’s valuation of vacant commercial land after a study it commissioned concluded the agency had undervalued those properties by more than 80 percent this year. The finding was based on … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on County to challenge vacant lot appraisals

On bathrooms and menaces

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Nonsequiteuse has something to say. Steven Hotze, M.D., recently published these outright lies about the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance: Mayor Parker’s ordinance would include minority status for the so called “transgendered,” allowing a biological male to legally enter women’s public … Continue reading →

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

Bell op-ed for eliminating the revenue cap

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More like this, please. A decade ago, Houston voters restricted city property tax revenues to the combined rates of inflation and population increases. Like most arbitrary rules that politicians apply to math, this revenue cap sounds like a great idea … Continue reading →

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

City strikes two deals with CenterPoint

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

One on street lights, and one on bike trails. Both are great news. All 165,000 of Houston’s streetlights will be converted to more efficient LEDs over the next five years, halving electricity use and cutting air pollution in what Mayor … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on City strikes two deals with CenterPoint

Wilson’s petitions

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here, courteously sent to me by reader and regular commenter Mainstream, is a copy of Dave Wilson’s petition for a charter amendment to “prohibit men (who perceive or express themselves as women) from using the women’s restroom. The petition itself … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Wilson’s petitions

Game room enforcement back on in Harris County

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Better choose your eight liner provider carefully. After clearing a few legal hurdles, Harris County’s new game room regulations – on which the city of Houston is piggybacking – are set to take effect Friday. Late Tuesday after a hearing, … Continue reading →

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

Post HERO, watch for the petition drives

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full Chron story about the passage of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance. I’m going to skip ahead in the story and focus on what the haters are saying and planning to do. Opponent Dave Welch, of the Houston … Continue reading →

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

We’ve got some budget challenges coming

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some chickens are coming home to roost. Beginning next summer with fiscal year 2016, Houston will face a projected $142 million gap between expected revenues and expenses in its general fund, which is fed chiefly by property and sales taxes … Continue reading →

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

HERO passes

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Finally. After nearly nine hours of chanting and tears from seas of opponents and supporters in color-coded T-shirts, Houston City Council passed an ordinance on Wednesday extending equal rights protections to gay and transgender residents. Despite weeks of discussion and … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on HERO passes

Today really is the day for the NDO vote

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

And as we finally head for a vote, the hysteria and fearmongering have reached a fever pitch. In just five words, Mayor Annise Parker handed her increasingly vocal opponents exactly what they wanted in the battle against her proposed equal … Continue reading →

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

Recall effort against Mayor Parker?

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The haters huff and puff with their last breath. Opponents of Mayor Annise Parker’s proposed Houston equal rights ordinance have vowed to take the issue to voters in a referendum, but now they’re seriously discussing a sort of nuclear option … Continue reading →

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

TransGriot on the current status of the NDO

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Monica Roberts wants to set the record straight about Mayor Parker and the latest version of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance that will (eventually, we swear) be voted on by Council. The local trans community asked for Section 17-51 (b) … Continue reading →

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

A letter to Ed Young

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Found on Facebook, from an alumnus of Second Baptist School to Pastor Ed Young, reprinted in full because you need to see it. MY LETTER TO THE SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: Thank you again for featuring me in the Eagle magazine … Continue reading →

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

Falkenberg on Wilson and the NDO

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg weighs in on the “Reverend RJ Ballard” email. The e-mail is the handiwork of Houstonians for Family Values, the group affiliated with none other than Dave Wilson. You may remember him as the old white anti-gay activist who … Continue reading →

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

Why revenue caps suck

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been expecting this. Despite a booming economy that is the envy of much of the nation, the city of Houston could face hundreds of layoffs and cuts in service next year as it runs headlong into a revenue cap … Continue reading →

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

NDO delayed two weeks

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I thought it would be over by now, but it’s not. A proposal to extend equal rights protections to gay and transgender Houston residents, which had been swiftly advancing to a City Council vote, stalled Wednesday as council members voted … Continue reading →

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

Today is the day for the non-discrimination ordinance

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Yesterday’s open Council session and today’s vote will provide one last chance for fearmongering before the NDO finally passes. Among clergy trading pulpit for soap box is the Rev. Ed Young, senior pastor at Houston’s Second Baptist Church, who denounced … Continue reading →

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