Tag Archives: Houston City Council

City Council approves paid parental leave for city employees

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. City of Houston employees will have access to paid parental leave for the first time beginning in May after a decade-long push to adopt the family-friendly policy that advocates hope will help the city attract and retain working parents. … Continue reading →

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City Council to return to in-person meetings

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I feel like I should always append a “For now” onto commentary about things like this. You know, for all the obvious reasons. Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday he wants all City Council members to return to the chamber next … Continue reading →

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Paid parental leave for city employees

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a thing that should have happened a long time ago. City of Houston employees soon could be eligible for up to three months of paid parental leave under a policy change expected to reach City Council next week. … Continue reading →

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Chron story on City Council redistricting

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots more info now. As Houston begins to redraw its City Council map for the 2023 elections, two districts representing western portions of the city, including Montrose, the Heights, River Oaks, and Uptown, among other neighborhoods, have out-sized populations that … Continue reading →

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Council adopts vape extension to smoking ban

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The city outlawed vaping in public spaces Wednesday, amending Houston’s smoking ordinance to include electronic cigarettes. City Council voted 16-0 to approve the amendment, proposed last year by the Houston Health Department in response to growing scientific consensus on … Continue reading →

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More eating outdoors downtown

Posted on March 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good idea, and I’m glad it’s being continued. DINING IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON CAN be a hassle, what with the limited parking and COVD-19 restrictions affecting seating space at so many eateries. Fortunately, the city of Houston is … Continue reading →

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City Council to consider adding vapes to smoking ordinance

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds reasonable. I’ll be interested to hear what the opponents have to say. City Council on Wednesday will consider a proposal to bar the use of e-cigarettes and any kind of vaping in public spaces under Houston’s smoking ordinance. The … Continue reading →

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City Council redistricting is on the dock

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a schedule of events related to redistricting for Houston City Council. Some of this has already happened. Last week, unless it got tagged in which case it will come up again at the next Council meeting, Council should have … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

January finance reports are always worth a look, if only as a ritual to start the new year. We’re a year out from election season truly beginning for Houston, but as we now have two brand name contenders for Mayor … Continue reading →

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Chip your dogs and cats

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the law now in Houston. The city now will now will require resident pet owners to get microchips for their dogs and cats, and will ban so-called ‘puppy mill’ breeders from providing animals to pet stores. City Council voted … Continue reading →

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Huffman wins District G election

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

No runoff needed. Mary Nan Huffman, an attorney for the Houston Police Officers’ Union, has won a special election to become the next District G representative on City Council, according to the unofficial returns. With all voting centers reporting Tuesday … Continue reading →

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Is it time to ditch At Large seats on Houston City Council?

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one argument for it. The lack of Latinos on the City Council undermines the legitimacy of Houston’s government, experts say, and is something that a prominent Hispanic organization is pushing to change with a lawsuit and ballot proposition. The … Continue reading →

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District G special election final early turnout

Posted on January 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to start this post with some numbers, to provide context. Election Mail Early E-Day Total Mail% Early% ========================================================== May09 Dist H 647 1,259 2,280 4,186 33.9% 45.5% May18 Dist K 1,737 1,867 1,531 5,135 41.2% 70.2% Jan22 Dist … Continue reading →

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Nobody is voting by mail in the District G special election

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the early voting report through Saturday for the District G special election. A total of 1,608 ballots have been cast in the first six days, of which 1,569 have been in person and thirty-nine (39) have been by mail. … Continue reading →

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Early voting starts tomorrow for the District G special election

Posted on January 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, it’s time again for an election. . Sample Ballots for the Jan. 25 City of Houston, District G Election are now available. Clock face seven oclock Early Voting: Jan. 10-21. Round pushpin Location List: http://harrisvotes.com/locations Ballot box with ballot … Continue reading →

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District G special election lineup set

Posted on December 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, did you know there was another filing deadline this week? It’s true! Five candidates are running to represent west Houston as the next City Council member for District G. Councilmember Greg Travis resigned the post in October to run for a … Continue reading →

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How’s that city push to get its employees vaccinated going?

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad, actually. Nearly three months after Mayor Sylvester Turner signed an executive order requiring Houston’s 21,000 city employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, receive a medical or religious exemption, or submit COVID-19 test results every two weeks, compliance with … Continue reading →

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Special election set for District G

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Our first election of 2022. The special election to fill west Houston’s District G seat on City Council will be Tuesday, Jan. 25. City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to call the election. Candidates interested in the position have until Dec. … Continue reading →

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CM Travis resigns to run for HD133

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Did not see that coming. City Councilmember Greg Travis on Wednesday announced he is running for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives, effectively resigning his District G post at City Hall. Travis told supporters at a River Oaks … Continue reading →

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What about City Council and redistricting?

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest: . NEW: Except for #DistrictD, all the #CouncilDistricts held by minorities need to add people to equalize population in #Houston’s #political jurisdictions. #redistricting @MarcCommentary @jcortina @PabloMPinto @houtopia @ReneeCrossTX @UHPoliticalSci @MarkPJonesTX @bjrottinghaus — hectordeleon (@hdl_perspective) 9:54 PM – 21 … Continue reading →

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July 2021 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Congress, Harris County As we know, this is not an election year for city of Houston offices. That usually makes for a pretty dull summary of finance reports, since it’s just incumbents and about half of them are term-limited … Continue reading →

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Council will decide when charter amendment votes will be

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Fine, but they should be this year. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday promised to bring a charter amendment petition to City Council before a key August deadline to order an election for this year. A diverse coalition of groups, including … Continue reading →

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Charter amendment referendum likely #2 on its way

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pending signature verification. The Houston firefighters’ union says it has collected enough signatures on a petition to make it easier to bring contract talks with the city to binding arbitration. The city secretary now must verify at least 20,000 signatures, … Continue reading →

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We will have that charter election

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For that thing I still don’t have a pithy name for. Someone form a PAC and throw me a bone here. A petition filed in April by a group seeking to give City Council members the ability to place items … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court upholds Houston historic preservation ordinance

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Blast from the past. The Texas Supreme Court has upheld Houston’s ordinance regulating the preservation of historic districts, after residents argued it was an illegal zoning measure. Two homeowners in the Heights challenged the law, arguing that it constituted zoning … Continue reading →

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City’s budget passes

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There was a little bit of drama, but nothing too big. Houston’s City Council voted Wednesday to approve a $5.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year that relies heavily on a massive infusion of federal aid to close a … Continue reading →

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Here comes our boring budget

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Save the drama for the budget amendments. A few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Sylvester Turner painted a dire picture of the city’s finances as he laid out his plan to balance last year’s $5 billion city budget. Like … Continue reading →

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Downtown kiosks

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not sure yet how I feel about this. City Council on Wednesday will consider a plan to install up to 125 interactive digital kiosks around the city, a proposal that has drawn support from city officials who tout the … Continue reading →

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Where are we with Houston police reform?

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It feels like it’s been on the back burner for awhile, but we’re about to get some action this month. Houston officials are developing a system for residents to report police misconduct online and will announce changes later this month … Continue reading →

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Charter amendment petitions are in

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I need a simpler name for this thing, so that Future Me will have an easier time searching for relevant posts. Houston voters likely will get to decide in November whether City Council members should have the power to place … Continue reading →

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Here come the petitions for the latest charter amendment effort

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still skeptical of this, but we’ll see how it goes. A coalition pushing to give Houston City Council members more input at City Hall says it has gathered the required 20,000 signatures to place a charter amendment on the … Continue reading →

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Get your shot at the airport

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I applaud the creative thinking, which we will continue to need. Parking lots at Bush and Hobby airports soon will be home to mass vaccination clinics for the Houston Health Department, as the supply of shots continues to ramp up. … Continue reading →

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Consent decree to fix sewers finalized

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

All done. A federal judge on Wednesday signed off on a deal between Houston and federal regulators that will require the city to spend an estimated $2 billion over the next 15 years to upgrade its troubled sanitary sewer system. … Continue reading →

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Scooters banned from sidewalks

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me. Houston has scuttled scooter rentals along city sidewalks, and kicked riders of the two-wheel transports in busy areas into the street. City Council on Wednesday approved changes to Houston’s codes outlawing any rental activity that impedes public … Continue reading →

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