Tag Archives: Commissioners Court

Post-election Dynamo Stadium update

Posted on December 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So where do we stand with Dynamo Stadium now that the Mayoral election is over? Pretty much where we were before it, actually. Of the MLS teams pushing for a stadium, the Dynamo appear closest to the goal. Team ownership … Continue reading →

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Tax cuts have consequences

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We’re all familiar with the financial constraints that the city of Houston is operating under. Harris County is experiencing similar problems. “As best we can tell appraisals are going to be flat, if not down a little, so that means … Continue reading →

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Putting prisoners to work

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Harris County Commissioner El Franco Lee has proposed that the county consider putting more prisoners to work cleaning local bayous and parks. The plan would give working inmates three days’ credit … Continue reading →

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More back and forth on the latest jail proposal

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Grits argues that the latest proposal to build a new processing center for the jail would result in a tax increase because of the need to hire more staff, which is not accounted for in the bonds. The Chron wonders … Continue reading →

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Red light camera amnesty

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Got a red light camera ticket that you haven’t paid? Want to get it taken care of but fear there may be consequences for having waited so long? Well, now’s your chance to do it, as HPD has announced a … Continue reading →

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Metro and the sales tax

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Metro chair David Wolff would like to see the portion of the sales tax revenue that gets diverted from its coffers to Harris County and the smaller cities go back to Metro. Wolff believes METRO can build significantly more if … Continue reading →

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Sheriff to try again for new jail facility

Posted on November 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Sheriff Adrian Garcia wants to take another crack at building a new jail facility. As was the case in 2007, when a referendum to float bonds for a new jail was voted down, this too would be voted on by … Continue reading →

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The Dynamo Stadium issue in the Mayor’s race

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Moving away for the moment from ridiculous homophobic scare tactics in the Mayor’s race runoff to an issue of actual substance, we have the matter of the Dynamo Stadium deal and where the respective candidates stand on it. [Annise] Parker … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court wants a lapdog, not a watchdog

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Back in June, we learned that County Attorney Vince Ryan was going after polluters that had been ignoring court orders to clean up their acts. You would think this would be a good thing to do – you know, enforcing … Continue reading →

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It’s hard out here on a pedestrian

Posted on November 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure it will come as no surprise to learn that Houston is not a good city for pedestrians, at least from a safety perspective. Houston ranked eighth on a new list of the most dangerous urban areas for pedestrians. … Continue reading →

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Lawrence backs out of running for Eversole’s seat

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

And we’re back where we started. Houston Councilwoman Toni Lawrence has decided she won’t run against Jerry Eversole for the Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner’s seat. “I did talk to Jerry on Tuesday and told him I was not going … Continue reading →

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Eversole running for re-election

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Surprise! Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jerry Eversole announced on Friday that he will run for re-election, potentially pitting him against a term-limited Houston city councilwoman and, perhaps, his own tarnished reputation. Eversole, 66, who was hit with a $75,000 … Continue reading →

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City not paying toll road fines

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. The city has avoided paying county toll road fines using a defense it does not want motorists to use when contesting red-light camera violations. […] A city finance official claimed the toll fines are owed by the individual employees … Continue reading →

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County puts off vote on helping the city deny vehicle registration to red light camera scofflaws

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. For the second time in a month, Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday postponed a vote on an agreement with the city to block vehicle registrations for red-light camera violators who do not pay their fines. Court members … Continue reading →

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The hole the Sports Authority is in

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Sure is a great time for stuff like this to happen, isn’t it? Harris County taxpayers may have to inject up to $7 million a year into the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority for the next two years due to a … Continue reading →

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County doesn’t want to help city collect red light camera fines

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Last year, City Council passed an ordinance that would put a hold on vehicle registrations for which there are outstanding red light camera fines. The city’s ability to do this is contingent on cooperation from the county, as it is … Continue reading →

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The Grand Parkway ain’t dead yet

Posted on October 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It may not receive stimulus funds, but don’t go presiding over Last Rites for the Grand Parkway. Commissioners Court on Tuesday delayed a planned request to reallocate $181 million in federal stimulus funds for part of the 180-mile Grand Parkway … Continue reading →

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County to move forward on mental health center for inmates

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This sounds good. Harris County officials agreed Tuesday to establish a “reintegration center” to reduce the revolving door of mentally ill and homeless prisoners who are a major factor in chronic overcrowding at the county jails. The discussion of the … Continue reading →

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Grand Parkway will not get stimulus funds

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As the Chron story headline says, it wasn’t so shovel-ready after all. Harris County officials will request that $181 million in federal stimulus funding for portions of the county’s controversial Grand Parkway tollroad project be shifted to other projects, citing … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court approves public defenders plan

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The “hybrid” public defenders office that Commissioners Court had been considering was approved Tuesday by a 5-0 vote, though the details still need to be worked out in time for the February 2010 budget meeting. “It’s going to take however … Continue reading →

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The county’s proposal for a public defender’s office

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Next week, a proposal for a “hybrid” public defender’s office will be presented to Harris County Commissioners Court. It is considered a hybrid because it would allow courts to use both public defenders and private attorneys. For example, two of … Continue reading →

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In support of a public defender’s office in Harris County

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Criminal Justice Coalition has sent a letter to County Judge Ed Emmett and Harris County Commissioners Court in support of establishing a public defender’s office in Harris County. You can read the letter here. The Court approved a study … Continue reading →

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Lawrence forms exploratory committee for Commissioners Court

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Houston City Council Member Toni Lawrence, the one term-limited member of city government who hadn’t announced a run for somethinge else yet, has now announced that she is forming an exploratory committee for the presumed-to-be-open Commissioners Court seat in Precinct … Continue reading →

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Interview with Dexter Handy

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

My penultimate City Council candidate interview is with Dexter Handy, who is running in District G. Handy is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force where he had a distinguished 28-year career that included a stint as Chief of … Continue reading →

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The city’s current budget situation

Posted on September 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

With the way the economy has been over the past year, we shouldn’t be surprised that the city of Houston is facing a revenue shortfall – the same thing is happening at the state level as well. The question is … Continue reading →

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More on the city-county TIRZ deal

Posted on August 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron does a kind of big picture overview story of the city-county TIRZ deal that we heard about earlier this week. If successful, the months-long negotiations between the city and Harris County could provide a solution for problems that … Continue reading →

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A city-county threefer?

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering why there didn’t seem to be any progress in making a Dynamo Stadium deal, it appears the reason for that is there will be much more to it than just a stadium deal. The city … Continue reading →

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Outsourcing inmates

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We know Sheriff Adrian Garcia has a plan to fix problems with the Harris County jails. He’s been up front about what he wants to do, and he’s helped create the position of “jail czar”, who is tasked with finding … Continue reading →

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Here comes Addie

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Timing is everything in this life. [Former Houston City Council Member Addie] Wiseman tells me she is going to run a full and vigorous campaign to replace State Rep. Joe Crabb. Details are still being worked out, she didn’t have … Continue reading →

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Just how viable is the Grand Parkway anyway?

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So it’s official, Commissioners Court has voted to seek stimulus funding for the Grand Parkway Segment E despite numerous concerns about the way they went about it. Houston Tomorrow explores a facet of this that I hadn’t been aware of … Continue reading →

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Grits on the jail czar

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

When I blogged about the creation of a “jail czar” position in Harris County whose job it will be to deal with overcrowding in the local jails, I said hoped that Scott Henson would comment on it. He did leave … Continue reading →

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Eversole sets a record

Posted on July 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You da man, Jerry! Give credit to Jerry Eversole: When he broke the rules, he did it in a big way. The fine levied against the Harris County commissioner this month is the highest in the history of the Texas … Continue reading →

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The jail czar

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I think the whole “czar” thing is overdone, but if it takes hiring a person whose only job it is to focus on jail overcrowding to get something done in a real and lasting way about it, then so be … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Harris County Commissioners for Sharp

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Senate candidate John Sharp has a press release out touting the endorsements of Harris County Commissioners Sylvia Garcia and El Franco Lee. It’s printed beneath the fold. As far as endorsements like these go, they’re pretty good gets – if … Continue reading →

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