Category Archives: Local politics

A tax break where?

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t quite understand this. The Houston City Council on Wednesday will consider giving up to $1 million in tax rebates to a Costco store that would be built outside city limits. City officials say the proposed 151,600-square-foot warehouse and … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court approves HCSCC Astrodome plan for further review

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I noted this briefly in an update to my interview with Willie Loston, but on Tuesday Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the proposal by the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation to redevelop the Astrodome for further study. Commissioners … Continue reading →

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More on the HCDE pre-k proposal

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Some more details on that pre-k proposal being pitched to the HCDE. It raises more questions than it answers. Members applauded the effort by the recently formed Harris County School Readiness Corp., a non-profit group whose membership includes business, philanthropic … Continue reading →

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Seniors get a tax cut from Council

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Houston City Council voted to provide property tax relief to seniors Wednesday, one of many votes at a marathon meeting at which council unanimously approved a $4.5 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. … Continue reading →

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The New Dome Experience

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Behold: If the future of the Astrodome has been keeping you up at night, you’ll rest easy knowing that a major step was taken in favor of preservation at a board meeting on Wednesday afternoon: The Harris County Sports & … Continue reading →

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Would you pay more for pre-K in Harris County?

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You might get the chance to vote on it. The recently formed Harris County School Readiness Corp., a group whose membership includes former Houston first lady Andrea White, is circulating a petition calling for the placement of an item on … Continue reading →

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City seeks One Bin For All RFQs

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Calling all vendors. The city of Houston took a step forward on its “One Bin for All” project this week. The project would allow residents to discard trash and recyclables in one bin to be sorted at a new $100 … Continue reading →

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Your feedback requested on Chapter 9

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox, from CM Noriega: Council Member Melissa Noriega announces a Special Called Transportation, Technology & Infrastructure Committee meeting Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. TTI committee members will review the changes to Chapter 9, Stormwater Design Requirements, Chapter 13, … Continue reading →

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Mike Anderson reveals that he has cancer

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Very sorry to hear this. Mike Anderson, Harris County’s district attorney, informed his staff Thursday that he has been diagnosed with cancer. “I have great doctors and am undergoing treatment. I fully intend to beat this,” said a brief email … Continue reading →

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It sure is nice to budget when you have money

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker has released her FY2014 budget, and it’s great news for those of you that have been waiting for their single-stream recycling bin. More than 100,000 Houston homes will be added to the city’s single-stream recycling program by this … Continue reading →

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MBIA lawsuit against Sports Authority dismissed

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t seen a story about this in the print edition for whatever the reason. A state district court judge on Tuesday ruled that the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority cannot be sued by the company that insures the $1 billion … Continue reading →

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On HCAD and rigging the system

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This Houston Press cover story on the Harris County Appraisal District is provocative, to say the least. A months-long investigation by the Houston Press finds that Brookfield isn’t the only mega-dollar company that’s sitting pretty with a momentous tax break. … Continue reading →

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Astrodome anti-climax

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s it?!?!?!? The Harris County Sports & Convention Corp. board of directors approved a resolution Wednesday calling for staff to collect ideas for what to do with the vacant Reliant Astrodome between now and June 10. The Sports Corp., the … Continue reading →

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Someone will do something sort of soon about the Dome

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t be more specific than that. While Houston’s Super Bowl Host Committee continues its bid to win the vote for Super Bowl LI, the next step in the possible demolition of the Astrodome could be taken next week by … Continue reading →

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Watch the county’s business

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I wholeheartedly approve of this. Meetings of the Harris County Commissioners Court and the governing boards of the Port of Houston Authority, the Harris Health System and the Harris County Department of Education soon could be streamed live online. County … Continue reading →

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Developer impact fee approved by Council

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I did not know that this hadn’t been done yet. Developers will join property owners in paying drainage fees following City Council’s approval Wednesday. The developer impact fee was included in the voter-approved 2010 city charter amendment now known as … Continue reading →

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Are we getting close to a Dome decision?

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe by the end of the year. But don’t rush County Judge Ed Emmett, who has a few things to say about that study that claimed it would be cheaper than originally reported to demolish the Astrodome. Harris County Judge … Continue reading →

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Carl Whitmarsh

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Here’s the donation link. I sent a check, because I’m just old-fashioned. Carl has done a lot for Democrats in Harris County for a long time, and he deserves our support in his time of need. Please … Continue reading →

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City response on “One Bin For All”

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Last week, I asked several environmental groups for feedback on the city’s One Bin For All proposal. I said I would follow up on that with the city. I have their response here, but before I get to it I … Continue reading →

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The Lykos era officially ends

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s all she wrote. A grand jury scrutinizing former District Attorney Pat Lykos and her administration declined Thursday to indict Lykos regarding allegations of misuse of public resources. The Harris County grand jury’s decision to end its term without action … Continue reading →

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County redistricting lawsuit costing a bundle

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Redistricting is expensive, y’all. Harris County has spent nearly $1.3 million fighting a 2011 lawsuit filed by a group of Hispanic activists against the redistricting plan it adopted that year for its four county commissioner precincts. The plaintiffs, led by … Continue reading →

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Houston’s health care cost problem

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is a problem for which there’s no easy solution. Hoping to contain rising health care costs, Mayor Annise Parker recently hiked premiums and cut benefits for employees, a move union leaders said overburdens workers and some City Council members … Continue reading →

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The next step to closing the city jail

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The sobering center was Step 1. Step 2 is a joint processing center with the county, and that is now closer to happening. With backing from the city of Houston, Harris County is reviving a long-discussed plan to build a … Continue reading →

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One size does not fit all, parking regulations department

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This makes a lot of sense to me. A proposed rewrite of Houston’s off-street parking rules could allow some areas to alter the new requirements or ditch them altogether, part of what Mayor Annise Parker said is an effort to … Continue reading →

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What to expect from clearing the rape kit backlog

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, two weeks ago Mayor Parker announced that the city would allocate funds to clear the backlog of rape kits, thus bringing to a conclusions one of the city’s longest-standing issues. City Council has now unanimously approved the … Continue reading →

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HCDE hires Eversole to lobby for them

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Things That Make Me Do A Facepalm department: The HCDE has hired Jerry Eversole as a lobbyist. Yeah, that Jerry Eversole. Eversole was taciturn in discussing his work Thursday, saying department of education officials approached him. His contract … Continue reading →

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Harris Health System plans to serve more patients via Medicaid waiver

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The story about what they’re going to do leaves a few details out, however. Harris Health System leaders plan to serve 100,000 new patients in the next three years. That is a 37 percent increase from today, and is particularly … Continue reading →

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Yes, Ed Emmett supports Medicaid expansion

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As I’m sure you’re aware, I’ve been banging the drum pretty much nonstop for Medicaid expansion. I see it not only as a state issue but a county issue as well, which is why I’ve made a big deal about … Continue reading →

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Not a big enough picture

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The headline on this story reads “County mulls big-picture health council”, but a read of the story makes it clear that there’s a big piece of this picture missing from the discussion. Harris County is discussing a big-picture approach to … Continue reading →

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Clearing the rape kit backlog

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Some excellent news from the Mayor’s office. Mayor Annise Parker and the Houston Police Department today announced details of a plan that will eliminate the backlog of untested sexual assault kits (SAK). Under the plan, which will be formally considered … Continue reading →

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The off-street parking debate

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I believe the new offstreet parking requirements that have been proposed and are being debated are at least as big a deal as the Chapter 42 revisions. We really need to get this right. Under the new rules, some eateries … Continue reading →

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There’s gold in them thar pawn shops

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is a police story and a Helena Brown story, because everything is better when it’s a Helena Brown story. Houston City Council on Wednesday passed new rules on precious metals dealers despite a lengthy attempt to water down the … Continue reading →

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City wants the Lege to deal with payday lending

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what came out of the presentation to Council on payday lending on Tuesday. Houston leaders say they will wait to see whether the Legislature acts during its current session before voting on their proposal. Mayor Annise Parker has said … Continue reading →

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Ready or not, here comes Chapter 42

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Changes are coming to Chapter 42, the section of Houston’s ordinances that deal with density and development, and to Chapter 26, the section on off-street parking for bars and restaurants and what have you. The revisions would allow neighborhoods to … Continue reading →

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