Tag Archives: economy

Texas keeps growing

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Texas has four of the fastest-growing cities in the country, according to current Census reports. Among cities with more than 100,000 residents, four of the top 10 that experienced the greatest percentage increase in population were in Texas: Frisco, McKinney, … Continue reading →

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Radnofsky urges Abbott to sue Wall Street

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas should file a sweeping lawsuit against Wall Street firms similar to the ones that led to the multibillion-dollar tobacco settlements of the 1990s, Democratic attorney general candidate Barbara Ann Radnofsky argued Monday. Shortly after she launched her appeal, … Continue reading →

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Some good job news

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. At least, I hope it’s a start. A surge in temporary federal Census Bureau jobs coupled with new leisure and hospitality positions helped local employers create 20,200 new jobs during May. The data, released Friday by the … Continue reading →

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(A little bit of) job growth returns to Houston

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. From small hand-lettered signs on shop windows to Fortune 500 heavyweights hosting job fairs, Houston companies are once again starting to look for workers. The influx of new jobs helped push the Houston area’s unemployment rate down … Continue reading →

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Dallas has it worse than we do

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Houston has its budget proposal for this year, and while it’s no thing of beauty, it’s not got any layoffs, furloughs, or truly drastic cuts in it. The city of Dallas is still working on their budget, and they’re in … Continue reading →

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Business tax falls short again

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Same story, next verse. The state business tax again comes due Monday, and no one is suggesting it will yield near the approximately $6 billion originally forecast. The tax is expected to bring in $4.3 billion this year. “I think … Continue reading →

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Where have all our sales taxes gone?

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege would like to know. “The situation is not good,” said Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, who has asked representatives of Comptroller Susan Combs to testify before his Appropriations Committee. State revenues remain “well short” of predictions, although sales tax … Continue reading →

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The unemployment tax and the Enterprise Fund

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We know that unemployment insurance taxes have gone up, and we know that the increase is more than it would have been had Governor Perry not rejected $555 million in stimulus funds for unemployment insurance. But there’s another way in … Continue reading →

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A gloomy Survey

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The 2010 Houston Area Survey is out, and not surprisingly the results are pretty gloomy. Harris County residents this year offered the bleakest assessment of their personal finances, past and future, in the 29-year history of the Houston Area Survey. … Continue reading →

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Collecting sales tax on Internet purchases

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Tax revenues are down in nearly every state. Most states rely on sales taxes for a significant portion of their revenues. Purchases made over the Internet are generally exempt from sales taxes. You do the math. In recent weeks, legislators … Continue reading →

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Metro and the FTA

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t see this KHOU story, in which a regular Metro critic claims that the agency deliberately gave outdated sales tax revenue information to the Federal Transit Administration in order to get $900 million in federal money for the North … Continue reading →

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The pitch from the gambling industry

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We know that the gambling industry, which never sleeps, has been busy preparing for the next legislative session. The Trib gives us an overview of their pitch, about which I’m sure you’ll be hearing plenty more in the coming months. … Continue reading →

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Feel the fees

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib reviews the bidding from the 2003 legislative session as a preview for what’s to come next year. The 2003 session most closely mirrors the current scenario — a national recession, a previous budget balanced with the use of … Continue reading →

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Nothin’ but good times ahead

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In his recent conversation with the Chron’s Peggy Fikac, State Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden said the following: Q: How likely is it that lawmakers will face another big budget shortfall in 2013, with fewer resources to bridge the … Continue reading →

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Library hours to be cut back

Posted on April 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise here. Hammered by $2.2 million in budget cuts, the Houston Public Library system this month will reduce its hours by 28 percent — closing most of its 42 branches on Saturdays — and trim expenditures for library materials. … Continue reading →

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Renew Houston

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The fact that Houston is currently in the throes of a severe revenue shortage doesn’t change the fact that there’s a great need to renovate and repair large portions of the city’s infrastructure. Naturally, that will cost a lot of … Continue reading →

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Giant Presidential heads coming home

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We in Houston welcome them with open arms, for however long we get to have them back. Less than a month after foreclosure proceedings put the brakes on Pearland’s WaterLights District and Presidential Park & Gardens, the homeless presidents are … Continue reading →

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First, you have to admit you have a problem

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Peggy Fikac has a frustrating conversation with State Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden. I say frustrating because I know he knows what the correct answer to this is, and I also know he’s never going to say it out … Continue reading →

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More of the case against eliminating fares

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Keep Houston Houston gives a wide-ranging argument against Metro eliminating fares as some folks have advocated. His last reason resonates with me: People don’t value what they don’t pay for It’s a pretty simple concept, really. Removing fares shifts the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Property tax values drop

Posted on April 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This budget news is really really bad. Thirty percent of Harris County homes declined in market value this year, as the area’s overall tax base dropped for the first time in at least two decades, officials announced Thursday. The reduced … Continue reading →

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If there’s a big sporting event in town…

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Then it must be time for a story about the economic impact of that big sporting event. For a city that has hosted the Super Bowl, the World Series and NBA and MLB All-Star games in the past decade, the … Continue reading →

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The hole keeps getting deeper

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve said multiple times that even if we survive the 2011 legislative session, the budget problems we’ll be dealing with next year aren’t going away. The reason for that is because we have a structural deficit, as the giant unaffordable … Continue reading →

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Pearland Presidential heads in peril

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, noes!! A struggling national economy and tight credit market have taken their toll on the proposed WaterLights District in Pearland, which announced Wednesday that Amegy Bank has posted the property for foreclosure. Plans for the mixed-used project at Texas … Continue reading →

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The city’s budget gap widens

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Everywhere you look, it’s bad budget news. Mayor Annise Parker raised the possibility of furloughs and layoffs for city employees for the first time Wednesday, saying the city’s dire budget outlook will require City Council to consider all available options … Continue reading →

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How are you going to balance the budget?

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re thinking that the candidates for Governor are being a bit vague about how they’re going to deal with the looming budget shortfall, you’re not alone. Texas expects a shortfall of at least $12 billion when lawmakers meet to … Continue reading →

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The county budget blues

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The news keeps being bad. Not unexpected, but bad. During hearings last month, department heads said worst-case scenarios could mean layoffs, less mosquito spraying, tax office closures and fewer resources to serve a still-growing county population. County Auditor Barbara Schott’s … Continue reading →

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Sales tax collections keep going down

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you hear is the budget writers gnashing their teeth. In more grim news for Texas’ budget, state Comptroller Susan Combs said Friday that monthly sales tax collections are down again, the eighth straight month of double-digit declines. Collections … Continue reading →

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At long last, the Ashby Highrise Lawsuit

Posted on February 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Ashby Highrise developers have filed suit against the city. The developers of the Ashby high-rise sued the city of Houston today seeking more than $40 million in compensation after repeated denials of their permit application. “The city must learn … Continue reading →

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The abandoned shrine

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What a waste. A multi-million dollar mess has neighbors in an upscale Houston neighborhood looking for answers. They’re tired of seeing a big, empty building with boarded-up windows, broken doors and dead landscaping. “An eyesore, quite ugly,” said Jan O’Brien, … Continue reading →

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The recession and the Texas Enterprise Fund

Posted on January 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

A report worth reading from Texans for Public Justice: The global recession that hit Texas in 2008 is playing havoc with Governor Perry’s signature business-incentive program: the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF). A review of 45 TEF projects that received $363 … Continue reading →

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Unemployment up in Texas

Posted on January 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Not the kind of story Rick Perry wants to see with an election coming up. The state’s economic recovery hit a snag in December, as employers cut 23,900 jobs after expanding payrolls in October and November. The Texas unemployment rate … Continue reading →

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Are we recovering yet?

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Economist Ray Perryman thinks so. Texas will be “last in, first out” among states battling the recession, although a recovery that has already started will require patience, a leading economist says. The Lone Star State proved resilient because of advantages … Continue reading →

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No Rice-BCM merger

Posted on January 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The longstanding merger talks between Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have been terminated. Rice President David Leebron and Baylor College of Medicine President Dr. William Butler gave no reason for the talks ending in their statement. “Since we … Continue reading →

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Perry (not) for President

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

By now you’re probably aware of the current Texas Monthly cover story, in which Paul Burka makes the case that Rick Perry is positioning himself for a run at the Presidency in 2012. I don’t care to get into a … Continue reading →

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