Tag Archives: Houston City Council

Revising the city ethics code

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know enough about the specifics of this to draw any firm conclusions, but it sounds reasonable enough from the description. The city is poised to significantly tighten its ethics rules, closing loopholes that allow lobbyists to avoid registration … Continue reading →

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

Cohen looking at City Council

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Former State Rep. Ellen Cohen is exploring a run for City Council in the updated District C. “It has a real appeal to me,” added Cohen. Potential candidates do not have to register until August at the earliest, though Cohen … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A very early look at the 2011 elections

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas on the Potomac lists 11 national races of interest for 2011. Well, of interest to some – outside of the Dallas Mayoral race, none of these mean much to me, and that’s only if incumbent Tom Leppart leaves to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The mandatory furlough plan

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Happy New Year, city employees. Thousands of city of Houston employees will have to take six unpaid days off in the coming six months, one of a series of actions Mayor Annise Parker is taking to close a $29 million … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Preparing to implement Prop 1

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Proposition 1, originally known as Renew Houston but now apparently dubbed “Rebuilding Houston”, was passed by voters last month, which means that the Mayor and City Council must come up with a way to raise the $125 million per year … Continue reading →

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

Fee for all

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Much as the state will soon do, the city of Houston is raising a bunch of fees. The city of Houston is poised to raise an estimated 150 fees for services ranging from pool inspections to boiler permits, part of … Continue reading →

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

What we have here is failure to communicate

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been pondering this Rick Casey column about the issues of communications and Council relations in Mayor Parker’s office. I don’t have much to add to it at this time. I’ve had some conversations with people in recent days that … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Voluntary to become involuntary

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

That sure didn’t take long. By unanimous vote of City Council, the voluntary furloughs will become involuntary by the end of the year, with Mayor Parker deciding how many enforced unpaid days off are needed to help close the budget … Continue reading →

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

Council shakeup

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Things are getting mighty interesting down at City Hall. Mayor Annise Parker has parted ways with two major conservatives on the Houston City Council, removing Councilman Mike Sullivan from his role overseeing redistricting and accepting the resignation of Councilwoman Anne … Continue reading →

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

Dynamo Stadium lease deal reached

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We didn’t get the World Cup, but soccer fans here had something to celebrate this week. The Dynamo have agreed to pay $76 million to build a professional soccer stadium in downtown Houston and then lease it from the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dynamo Stadium lease deal reached

HPD braces for cuts

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

More than $15 million is going to be cut from HPD’s budget, in part to lost red light camera revenue and in part to the overall budget picture. The equivalent of more than 100 civilian jobs, including temporary workers, will … Continue reading →

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

The city’s financial picture looks grim

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s ugly. A draft of the fiscal 2012 budget, which begins in July, shows a projected shortfall of at least $118 million. For fiscal 2012 through fiscal 2015, the shortfall is an estimated $542 million. […] Several City Council members … Continue reading →

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

Red light cameras to be turned off Monday

Posted on November 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This was unexpected. This week, officials with American Traffic Solutions Inc., of Scottsdale, Ariz., received a letter dated Nov. 10 from city attorney David Feldman, who reversed his previous opinion that the contract requires Houston to give ATS a 120-day … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mobile billboards

Posted on November 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, City Council passed a more restrictive billboard ordinance in 2008, and just recently got a favorable resolution in a lawsuit about billboards in the extra-territorial jurisdiction. But that doesn’t mean the billboard battle is over. Nonsequiteuse wants … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Mobile billboards

What now for Renew Houston?

Posted on November 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In addition to the disposal of the red light cameras and the associated costs of their removal, Mayor Parker and City Council now need to work out the details for Prop 1, which created the dedicated fund for streets and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What now for the red light cameras?

Posted on November 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Barring anything unusual, red light cameras will be history in Houston, but their effect will be felt for some time. City Controller Ronald Green said the loss of the devices would amount to a $10 million shortfall in revenues, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

It’s a go for REV Eco Shuttle

Posted on November 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This happened last week, but I didn’t get to posting about it at that time. A vote by city council [October 27] caps the long, strange regulatory journey of Erik Ibarra’s Rev Eco-Shuttle service. Rulespassed by the council in August restricted Jitneylicenses to … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The fate of the city propositions

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This Chron story could easily have been headlined “A bunch of people take wild guesses about what will happen to the city ballot propositions”. Political analysts say the fate of the three propositions may be tied together for some Houstonians … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The fate of the city propositions

The Mayor’s email to Council regarding drainage and street repair

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This email from Mayor Parker to City Council members about the estimated costs of street and drainage repairs found its way into my Inbox, and I’m sharing it with you because it’s something you should know about, too. Any long-term … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Mayor editorializes for Prop 1

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker lays out the case for Prop 1, the ballot referendum to establish a dedicated revenue source for street and drainage improvements. Is it necessary? Absolutely! Approximately 65 percent of our streets and drainage systems are beyond their useful … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Council passes revised historic preservation ordinance

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see that City Council finally passed the long-awaited and much-revised historic preservation ordinance, and even more glad to see that the 90-day waiver for demolitions has been excised, so that what we have now is an actual … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

CM Johnson gets no-billed on evading arrest charge

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news for Council Member Jarvis Johnson. A Harris County grand jury has declined this morning to indict Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson on charges stemming from his arrest in June for evading arrest, according to his attorney. Johnson … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on CM Johnson gets no-billed on evading arrest charge

The preservation ordinance fight

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The revised preservation ordinance came before Council last week. It got a lot of feedback in addition to being tagged. Mayor Pro Tem Anne Clutterbuck also opposed the changes to the ordinance, which include a provision that would prevent property … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Jenifer Pool announces for Council

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We have another contender for the one At Large Council seat that will be open next fall, former Houston GLBT Political Caucus President Jenifer Pool. From her press release, which I received late Wednesday: Jenifer Rene Pool announced her candidacy … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2011 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Jenifer Pool announces for Council

DA investigating CM Johnson

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson’s office pressured city officials to certify a security firm as a minority-owned business to win a lucrative subcontract for the company, which later gave a 40 percent ownership stake to a close Johnson associate, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on DA investigating CM Johnson

The anti-Prop 1 factions gear up

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The usual suspects have gotten the band back together to ensure that no action is taken to mitigate flooding in Houston. Former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt has teamed up with anti-tax advocate Bruce Hotze and conservative activist Norman … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Council approves the Wal-Mart 380 agreement

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Over strong neighborhood objections, City Council this morning passed a package of economic development incentives worth more than $6 million for the developer of a future Walmart store near the Heights. City Councilwoman Anne Clutterbuck offered two amendments … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Council approves the Wal-Mart 380 agreement

Interview with Gordon Quan

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We begin the wrapup of county candidates with Gordon Quan, who is running for County Judge. I interviewed him for the primary as well. As I said then, Quan has lived in Harris County since his family came here from … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Public Hearing on Final Draft of Historic Preservation Ordinance

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

From the Inbox: Final Draft of Proposed Amendments to Historic Preservation Ordinance Released Houstonians, After a two-month process involving public input from stakeholders, I have released the final draft of proposed amendments to the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with State Rep. Carol Alvarado

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m wrapping up the legislative interviews this week. First up is State Rep. Carol Alvarado, who is serving her first term representing HD145. Rep. Alvarado had previously served three terms on Houston City Council, where she was the author of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Lawsuit filed to stop red light camera referendum

Posted on September 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

And now the fun really begins. A federal lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in an effort to prevent Houston residents from voting on whether to ban red-light cameras. Multiple sources told KPRC Local 2 that the lawsuit was filed on … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

More on the red light camera Council vote

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The fuller version of the Chron story addresses the question about whether the petition drive was lawful or not according to the city’s charter. “It is your absolute sworn duty to place this on the ballot,” [Mayor Annise] Parker told … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Red light camera petitions certified

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

They made it just under the wire. A petition to ban red light cameras in Houston has been certified by the city secretary, making it all but certain that voters will decide in November whether the 70 devices at intersections … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

CultureMap previews the Wal-Mart

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some interesting stuff here. Restaurants and stores on Heights Boulevard, along with new pathways and landscaping on the boulevard’s esplanade, will be part of Ainbinder Company’s Walmart-anchored retail development in the Inner Loop of Houston, the developer of the project … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments