Tag Archives: budget

Mayor Turner announces pension fund deal

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Negotiators for the City, the Houston Police Officers’ Pension System, the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund and the Houston Municipal Employees Pension System have developed Preliminary Points of Understanding on a structural approach to long term, … Continue reading →

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Some officials take note of special education funding restrictions

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. The vice chairman of the State Board of Education, a Houston school board member, a key state senator and scores of parents and disability advocates all expressed strong opposition on Monday to a Texas Education Agency performance-based … Continue reading →

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“Denied”

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is worth your time to read. During the first week of school at Shadow Forest Elementary, a frail kindergartner named Roanin Walker had a meltdown at recess. Overwhelmed by the shrieking and giggling, he hid by the swings and … Continue reading →

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The recapture blues

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

What are you gonna do? At least once a year, an official from a property-wealthy Texas school calls Christy Rome and tells her they’re just not going to do it. They don’t want to send a big chunk of their … Continue reading →

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What do we want of a Fire Department study?

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever it is, this wasn’t it. A much-anticipated analysis of fire department operations essentially was dead on arrival Friday after it failed to identify cost savings and called for a multitude of investments, including three new fire stations. Mayor Sylvester … Continue reading →

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What’s that definition of insanity again?

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

How many times are we going to find ourselves in this same situation before we finally accept that we need to do something different? The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has cut funding for law enforcement operations to cover exploding overtime … Continue reading →

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Pension reform update

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Things are happening. Longtime firefighters pension fund chairman Todd Clark has retired from the department and resigned his post, a move City Hall observers interpret as perhaps the clearest sign yet that Mayor Sylvester Turner’s push for pension reform may … Continue reading →

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Meet the latest education scam

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Free money! What could possibly go wrong? An ambitious new player has emerged in the controversial effort to use taxpayer dollars to help Texas parents send their kids to private or religious schools. Texans for Education Opportunity, which launched in … Continue reading →

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Looking again for a new justice complex

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Got to do something about this sooner or later. Mayor Sylvester Turner has formed a committee to study how to acquire a new police headquarters and courts complex for Houston. Former mayor Annise Parker spent more than two years studying … Continue reading →

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No bonds this year

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe next year. Mayor Sylvester Turner likely will not ask voters to approve bonds this November to replace the nearly depleted debt residents approved in 2012, a move that may delay several projects. […] Having addressed a $160 million shortfall … Continue reading →

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Our tax system isn’t quite as stupid as it could be

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good news! A Texas Supreme Court ruling has spared the state from having to issue billions of dollars in tax refunds to oil and gas drillers — a prospect that had had threatened to shake up the next legislative session. … Continue reading →

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Pension progress report

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Our favorite subject, back in the news. Mayor Sylvester Turner and the leaders of the city’s three pension boards made clear to a visiting group of state lawmakers on Monday that they agree a fix to the city’s growing pension … Continue reading →

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Council unanimously passes Turner’s first budget

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good job. Mayor Sylvester Turner achieved his goal of securing unanimous passage of his first general fund budget Wednesday morning, a month ahead of the typical schedule and after an unusually brief and uncontentious discussion of council members’ proposed changes. … Continue reading →

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Trash subsidy will not be trashed

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: After weighing the budgetary impact and obtaining input from City Council, Mayor Sylvester Turner has decided not to pursue elimination of subsidies to homeowners associations that opt out of City trash collection services. Under the program, which … Continue reading →

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So far, so good for Mayor Turner

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the general consensus of his first four-plus months in office. Faced with a $160 million budget shortfall that would leave some wringing their hands until deadline day, Mayor Sylvester Turner presented his plan a month ahead of schedule. The … Continue reading →

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We’re still lousy at funding schools

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Texas still ranks in the bottom third of states in spending per pupil in the U.S., with essentially no change in either amount or standing, a new study shows. The finding doesn’t help, and could … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner delivers State of the City 2016

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the press release. Flooding, pensions, City finances and public safety were front and center as Mayor Sylvester Turner delivered his first State of the City before the Greater Houston Partnership. In a major move designed to produce tangible results … Continue reading →

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Cornyn files bill to speed up floodgate construction process

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where credit is due. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn filed legislation Wednesday that he says would expedite the long process of constructing a hurricane protection system for the Texas coast, including the particularly vulnerable Houston region. But while local officials … Continue reading →

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Kill that trash subsidy

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Works for me. Mayor Sylvester Turner, working to close a $160 million budget deficit, has proposed scrapping payments that scores of Houston neighborhoods served by private trash haulers receive to help offset the cost of their waste contracts. The idea … Continue reading →

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The state is starting to feel the squeeze

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Things are tough all over. The state is facing big problems affecting vulnerable populations that will take significant money to fix at the same time that a slump in the energy industry is chipping into its revenues, House Speaker Joe … Continue reading →

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Don’t expect Congress to pay for a Gulf Coast floodgate system

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I sure don’t. After nearly a decade of bickering and finger pointing, Texas scientists and lawmakers finally seem to agree that building some version of a “coastal spine” — a massive seawall and floodgate system — would best help protect … Continue reading →

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First look at how HISD will balance its budget

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Seems to be fairly well-received. The Houston school district’s interim superintendent on Thursday rescinded his proposal to reduce funding for gifted students amid concerns from parents and board members. At the same time, Ken Huewitt proposed bolstering the budgets of … Continue reading →

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Two Medicaid stories

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: State health officials confirmed Tuesday they have asked the Obama administration to keep a 15-month lifeline of federal Medicaid money flowing into Texas to help hospitals treat uninsured patients. That money would offer temporary relief to health care providers who face losing … Continue reading →

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Turner announces his budget

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Utilizing a shared sacrifice approach, Mayor Sylvester Turner today unveiled a proposed Fiscal Year 2017 General Fund budget that eliminates a projected $160 million shortfall that was the result of cost increases, voter imposed revenue limitations, a … Continue reading →

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Have I mentioned lately that the revenue cap is stupid public policy?

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Because it is. Sales taxes are Houston’s second-largest source of revenue for the general fund, which pays for most core services. Just as concerning for city officials, however, was more news about the city’s largest general fund revenue source: property … Continue reading →

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Mayor Turner releases transition team report

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, a glimpse of what to expect in the near to medium future from Mayor Turner. Mayor Sylvester Turner has released a 17-page report that details the work of his transition team chaired by businessman and long-time civic … Continue reading →

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Lawsuits and low oil prices

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Both are threatening the next Texas budget. Last week, lawyers for the state of Texas got the latest in a string of bad legal news. A lawsuit challenging the state’s foster care system as inhumane appeared to gain steam when … Continue reading →

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It’s not easy going green

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

And by “going green” I mean legalizing pot, at least in Texas. Advocacy groups and lawmakers say marijuana policy reform in Texas could be the fiscally responsible thing to do in light of the state’s decreasing oil and gas revenues. … Continue reading →

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Doing more to get tax breaks

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see about this. Companies seeking city tax breaks soon could get a boost if they commit to providing additional community benefits – such as workforce housing, paid internships for low-income students or jobs for those who previously were incarcerated … Continue reading →

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Recycling officially re-upped

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

That new recycling agreement with Waste Management was on Council’s agenda yesterday. Here’s a reminder of what it was about. Originally, Houston was to ink a four-year deal with Waste Management, paying a $95-per-ton processing fee, a nearly 50 percent … Continue reading →

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We’re not so good at school funding

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I’m as shocked as you are. Texas earned the worst marks in the country for its funding of public education, according to a research report released Wednesday. Researchers with Rutgers Graduate School of Education and the New Jersey-based … Continue reading →

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Prepping for the city budget

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Turner gives a brief preview of what is to come. Mayor Sylvester Turner said Friday that he expects to lay off 40 city employees and eliminate 54 vacant positions as he seeks to close a budget shortfall of as … Continue reading →

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What kind of ruling might we expect in the school finance case?

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

KUHF explores the possibilities. Four major scenarios to watch for: The Texas Supreme Court could not rule at all. Instead, it could send the case back to the lower court to see if the latest $2.5 billion dollars to the … Continue reading →

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Now what for recycling?

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sure hope there’s a plan. Houston’s curbside recycling program is in limbo after Mayor Sylvester Turner and City Council rejected a new contract with Waste Management on Wednesday, prompting concern among residents and environmental activists about a potential lapse in … Continue reading →

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