Category Archives: Local politics

Council approves deal to spin off Convention Center

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Houston First, which merges the city’s Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department and the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corporation, which runs the Hilton Americas. The corporation will not have to come to the council to get expenses approved. The unionized … Continue reading →

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The Mayor and the firefighters

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Despite the tone of this, I wouldn’t make too much of it. While looking for tens of millions of dollars through a combination of cuts, deferrals, savings and fee hikes, Mayor Annise Parker repeatedly has identified the Houston Fire Department … Continue reading →

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HCC redistricting

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out that the HCC Trustees have done some work on redistricting for themselves. Their meeting agenda for May 19 lists “Resolution Accepting Draft Plans for Redistricting of HCCS Board of Trustees Districts and Confirming Public Hearings” as the fourth … Continue reading →

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More on that Rebuild Houston push poll

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Remember that push poll on Rebuild Houston? The results are out and they’re pretty much what you’d expect. A state district judge could decide this week whether to hold a trial on the validity of November’s election in which voters … Continue reading →

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The city’s 2012 budget

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Cuts, deferred payments, and more cuts. Mayor Annise Parker, facing what she described as the toughest fiscal environment in more than 20 years, on Thursday proposed a $1.8 billion budget that calls for laying off 747 employees, closing pools and … Continue reading →

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Council officially approves new redistricting map

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let the filings begin! The Houston City Council approved a new political map for the city on Wednesday that expands the council by two seats and gives Houston’s burgeoning Latino population what community leaders see as its best opportunity to … Continue reading →

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Firefighters avoid layoffs

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city and the firefighters’ union reach an agreement on the deadline for sending layoff notices to cut HFD’s budget by $17.7 million but not require any layoffs. The agreement’s components include program cuts and fees for services that are … Continue reading →

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More city layoffs

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

How high will it get? More than 600 city employees have received layoff notices this month as the city sheds payroll in a budget crisis. The count is mounting daily as city leaders orchestrate a department-by-department approach to telling their … Continue reading →

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Mayor presents revised Council map

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the release. There was a press conference today at 10 to roll it out. Mayor Annise Parker today revealed a second version of the staff redistricting map that incorporates recommendations from members of various Houston communities. The new plan … Continue reading →

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Spinning off the convention business

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city is looking to get out of the convention and entertainment business and maybe make a few bucks in the process. The city’s Convention and Entertainment Facilities department currently runs the George R. Brown Convention Center and other city-owned … Continue reading →

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Push poll on Rebuild Houston

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I got a phone call Wednesday night from Baselice and Associates, doing a robopoll about Rebuild (formerly Renew) Houston. They asked the following: 1. If I voted last year, and if I voted for or against Prop 1, which they … Continue reading →

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Does it count if it’s a TIRZ?

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is interesting. As the city of Houston seeks to close a $21 million budget gap in the next eight weeks, it is counting on selling a public building to one of its own redevelopment agencies. And while the … Continue reading →

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Property values decline again

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Oddly, this is good budget news in the “we were expecting it to be worse” category. Local governments and school districts this year will suffer a second-straight year of sliding property tax revenues — their main source of revenue — … Continue reading →

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City layoffs begin

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With more to follow later. Expressing faith that the “brighter tomorrow we wait for is just around the corner,” the Parker administration on Thursday began pink-slipping municipal workers in hope of easing an expected $80 million budget shortfall in the … Continue reading →

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HISD redistricting on the horizon

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is likely to be a lot less contentious than other map-drawing exercises we’ve seen, but no redistricting exercise is ever completely bloodless. Gene Locke of Andrews Kurth told [HISD] trustees they should have a plan to submit to the … Continue reading →

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Bettencourt and Hotze lose in court again

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

If there’s a lawsuit against the city over a matter of how money is raised or spent, you can be sure that Bruce Hotze and Paul Bettencourt are involved. Thankfully, they have a lousy record of getting what they want … Continue reading →

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More Sports Authority woes

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority is dealing with more financial issues that may require it to dip way into its cash reserves. Lawyers for the authority and MBIA now are disputing whether Swiss bank UBS gave proper notice of its … Continue reading →

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Council will vote on SafeClear changes

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Back in March, the city announced that it would be removing most of the subsidies for SafeClear as a cost-saving measure. The details have now been finalized and will be ready for Council action in June. Roadside services, such as … Continue reading →

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The last hearings on Council redistricting

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of action, and lots of alternatives, at the two Council meetings on Wednesday. Hispanic civic leaders on Wednesday presented an alternative redistricting map for the Houston City Council that creates a third district on the city’s southwest side where … Continue reading →

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One Heights, two districts

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As we head into the last of the public meetings on City Council redistricting, we are reminded that you can’t always get what you want from the process. A proposed redistricting map that separates historic neighborhoods in the Houston Heights … Continue reading →

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RIP, Joe Roach

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Former Houston City Council member Joe Roach has passed away at the age of 49. A Clear Lake-area Republican, Roach — a one-time chief prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office — leaped onto the local political scene by … Continue reading →

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The State of the City 2011

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting a little better, but we’re still not close to being in good times. The city of Houston’s budget deficit for the coming fiscal year has been whittled to roughly $80 million from $130 million, Mayor Annise Parker said … Continue reading →

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A third opportunity district

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Greg breaks out the mapmaking tools and redraws the city’s proposed Council map in a way that creates a more realistic third Hispanic opportunity district. It’s not a heavy favorite to elect a Latino candidate the way districts H and … Continue reading →

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First public hearing on Council redistricting this Wednesday

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Public Hearings on Proposed City Council Redistricting Plan On Wednesday, April 6, 2011, the Houston City Council was presented with the proposed City Council Redistricting Plan. Three public hearings will be held to discuss the proposed plan … Continue reading →

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More on the new Council map

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the proposed new Council map. Reactions were about what you’d expect for the most part. “There’s two Latino council members and you have, currently, nine districts,” [District I Council Member James Rodriguez] said. “We’re moving … Continue reading →

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Drainage fee passes with exemptions

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Council has passed the drainage fee ordinance required by Renew Rebuild Houston, with exemptions for existing church and school properties. The fee will apply to all future “impervious cover” at church and school buildings, such as roofs and parking lots. … Continue reading →

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Proposed new City Council map is out

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Feast your eyes: Numbers and a sideways view of the map can be seen here. You can also see these docs plus a map of current Council districts at Houston Politics. A few rough observations: – The first thing you … Continue reading →

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Tough times for libraries

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And there’s no end in sight. Already squeezed by curtailed hours and reduced staff, Houston Public Library officials today will pull the budget belt a notch tighter, telling City Hall how they plan to cope with an expected budget cut … Continue reading →

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Costello opposes exempting the churches

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houston City Council Member Stephen Costello asks the Mayor and Council to exempt only state-mandated property from the drainage fee. Costello, the At Large Position 1 Council Member, offered an amendment Wednesday to the Municipal Drainage Utility … Continue reading →

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Mayor seeks pension fund cuts

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Given the size of the budget shortfall for next year and the amount that the city pays into the various pension funds, Mayor Parker’s proposal to pay less should not be a surprise to anyone. City Attorney David Feldman and … Continue reading →

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“Nobody likes a sore winner”

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker’s updated drainage fee proposal, which would allow for exemptions to schools and churches, was introduced to City Council amid a torrent of whining from the pro-exemption forces. Church and school leaders testified at a special council meeting that … Continue reading →

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Constable Bailey to step down

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This from last week was a surprise. Harris County’s longest-serving current constable resigned today at commissioners court, upset by the layoffs he said he was forced to make after the county passed its leanest budget in years earlier this month. … Continue reading →

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More on the drainage fee exemptions

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the Mayor’s change in direction to exempt churches and schools from the new drainage fee. Under previous numbers published by the administration, exempting those institutions would raise the monthly fee on other property owners by … Continue reading →

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No more free tows

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Change is coming to SafeClear – it will now cost $50 for a tow on a highway inside the city, instead of it being provided for free. Passing the cost of towing to motorists is expected to save the city … Continue reading →

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