Tag Archives: revenue cap

State of the county 2015: Please cooperate more

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett makes his eighth State if the County address. In his eighth State of the County address, Emmett had choice words for both Austin – which is weighing a reduction in property taxes that form the … Continue reading →

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

2015 Mayoral manifesto: The preliminaries

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As you may have heard, we are electing a new Mayor this year. There’s already a large field of candidates in the race, and it is likely to grow before all is said and done. Each will have his own … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Valero’s special deal

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sorry, I just can’t get behind this. Companies routinely relocate to the city or state that lures them with the best tax break, but Valero wants Houston City Council to give its eastside refinery the same treatment without having … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Valero’s special deal

City deficit not as big as feared

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is a nice surprise. A huge budget deficit looming at City Hall – which has spurred talk of layoffs, service cuts, new fees and higher taxes – has been cut in half, relieving some pressure to scramble together a … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

There will be charter referenda next year

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Details are pending, but one way or another we’ll get to vote on some charter changes next November. City Council members on Thursday agreed that any city charter reforms, including changes to term limits, should go to voters in November … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There will be charter referenda next year

Charter review gets set

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From Campos: This Thursday, December 4 the City Council’s Ad Hoc Charter Review committee will meet and several members of Council want the following in BOLD discussed. I have added a few devil’s advocate observations. BTW: All members of City … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Charter review gets set

Carroll Robinson announces for City Controller

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. City Controller Race – I Am In – Carroll Robinson Dear Friends, As we begin to prepare for another holiday season, I wanted to personally let you know that, after much deliberation and prayer, I will run … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2015 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council approves meaningless tax cut

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Such awful policy. The Houston City Council unanimously passed a nominal property tax cut Tuesday afternoon, the first rate reduction in five years, as the city for the first time runs into a revenue cap imposed by voters a decade … Continue reading →

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

The revenue cap has already hit

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lovely. Houstonians will see their first property tax rate cut in five years as the city runs up against a revenue cap imposed by voters a decade ago. The modest rollback works out to $12.27 a year for the owner … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Repealing the revenue cap is only part of the answer

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Repealing the dumb revenue cap charter amendment from 2004 won’t solve the impending fiscal problems by itself. It’s still a good idea to repeal it. With an estimated $144 million budget shortfall looming next summer, the city’s finance director delivered … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Council adopts its budget for next year

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Might be the last easy budget for a couple of years. The Houston City Council agreed to boost funding for after-school programs, add cameras to catch illegal dumpers and give $1 million to each district council office to spend on … Continue reading →

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

On cops and the revenue cap

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor Parker again calls attention to the city’s stupid revenue cap and the things it will prevent the city from doing if it is left in place. If Houston voters do not want police pulled from the streets next year, … Continue reading →

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

Bell op-ed for eliminating the revenue cap

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

More like this, please. A decade ago, Houston voters restricted city property tax revenues to the combined rates of inflation and population increases. Like most arbitrary rules that politicians apply to math, this revenue cap sounds like a great idea … Continue reading →

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

We’ve got some budget challenges coming

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some chickens are coming home to roost. Beginning next summer with fiscal year 2016, Houston will face a projected $142 million gap between expected revenues and expenses in its general fund, which is fed chiefly by property and sales taxes … Continue reading →

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

Why revenue caps suck

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been expecting this. Despite a booming economy that is the envy of much of the nation, the city of Houston could face hundreds of layoffs and cuts in service next year as it runs headlong into a revenue cap … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Same old story: City wins, Hotze loses

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, they’re still litigating 2004 ballot propositions around here. The Texas Supreme Court has dismissed a six-year-old case against the City of Houston seeking to limit the city government’s annual income. Carroll Robinson, Bruce Hotze and Jeffrey Daily sought to … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Same old story: City wins, Hotze loses

Council adopts higher water rate hike

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

City Council voted to adopt the higher water rate hike that was proposed this week. And apparently set the stage for a lawsuit. Council members Mike Sullivan, Oliver Pennington and C.O. Bradford voted against the plan. Pennington, Bradford and several … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments