Tag Archives: budget

You’ll get to vote on some unsustainable tax cuts this November

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Get out your figurative credit card, we’re about to put a big charge on it for our future selves to pay. Voters will be asked to approve property tax cuts for Texas homeowners and businesses in November. If voters agree, … Continue reading →

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Whitmire’s budget passes

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

On to the next thing. The City Council approved Mayor John Whitmire’s nearly $7 billion budget on Wednesday after months of strenuous efforts to cut costs and streamline services as officials contended with the largest deficit in Houston’s history. The … Continue reading →

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Why are we messing with pension reform?

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I do not understand this. The Texas Legislature, with Mayor John Whitmire’s support, is on the cusp of rolling back reforms to Houston’s police and firefighter pensions, worrying experts who call the changes premature, ill-considered, even “stupid.” The proposal comes … Continue reading →

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Judge approves the Whitmire drainage settlement deal

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Okay then. A Harris County District Court judge on Friday approved Mayor John Whitmire’s settlement agreement with plaintiffs to phase in payments to the city’s drainage fund, his office said. The final confirmation comes after more than a month of tension among … Continue reading →

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Storm recovery group challenges Whitmire’s drainage deal

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Plot twist coming, maybe. I’m skipping the first part of this story in which we rehash the 2010 ReNew Houston vote, the ways that Houston made use of the drainage fee revenue that were later challenged in court, the court … Continue reading →

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Controller Hollins has some questions about the budget

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This hit my inbox on Tuesday evening, so I didn’t see it in time to queue something up for yesterday. Ahead of Wednesday’s City Council vote on the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, City Controller Chris Hollins has released a … Continue reading →

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Hollins wants a final ruling on the drainage deal before he’ll certify the budget

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. Controller Chris Hollins said he won’t certify Mayor John Whitmire’s 2026 budget until the court makes a decision on the city’s payment agreement with the plaintiffs in a years-long streets and drainage lawsuit, Hollins told the Houston Chronicle following a budget trends report Tuesday. Whitmire earlier … Continue reading →

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Mayor Whitmire releases his 2026 budget

Posted on May 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still trying to figure this out. Mayor John Whitmire proposed a $7 billion budget Tuesday for fiscal year 2026, closing a projected $220 million deficit without implementing new fees or taxes for residents. The proposal pulls $3.03 billion from Houston’s general fund, … Continue reading →

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Here’s the Mayor’s deal with HPD

Posted on May 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t wait to see what the budget looks like, because I have no idea how this is all going to work. Houston police officers will receive “the best (benefits) package in anyone’s memory,” Mayor John Whitmire said Friday, but how … Continue reading →

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How much does Houston want to piss off its neighbors?

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is me, shaking my head. A proposal to cut Houston in on revenue generated through the county’s toll roads is threatening the city’s relationship with county officials and neighboring jurisdictions. The legislation making its way through both the Texas House … Continue reading →

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House passes Abbott’s voucher bill

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. The Texas House gave initial approval early Thursday to a bill that would create a $1 billion private school voucher program, crossing a historic milestone and bringing Gov. Greg Abbott’s top legislative priority closer than ever to reaching his … Continue reading →

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Houston can defer the drainage settlement spending

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Can successfully kicked down the road. Mayor John Whitmire and plaintiffs in Houston’s drainage lawsuit have reached a deal on how the city will fund future street and drainage projects, slashing a third of its $330 million budget deficit. The … Continue reading →

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Taking from Harris to give to Houston

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This story from Tuesday perplexed me a little at first. Harris County would have to turn over tens of millions in toll road dollars to the city of Houston for use on public safety and emergency services under a bill … Continue reading →

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Taking the package

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The city’s workforce is voluntarily shrinking. More than 700 city of Houston employees are set to retire May 1 after accepting voluntary buyouts, city officials said Thursday. Many of the positions will have to be backfilled, but Whitmire administration officials … Continue reading →

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Can we make HPD more efficient?

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

You’d think that would be a thing we’d all want. Mayor John Whitmire has made clear he intends to boost salaries and benefits for Houston police officers in their new union contract, but those increases will not be tied to … Continue reading →

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I got those “too much overtime cost” blues

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

More overtime, more problems. The city of Houston is expected to spend twice as much as it budgeted on overtime this year, contributing to next year’s projected $330 million deficit, the city controller’s office said Tuesday. Overtime costs for Houston … Continue reading →

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More efficiency studying

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sure, why not. Houston Public Works and the city controller’s office will receive deeper analyses of their operations and finances after the city council on Wednesday voted to expand the purview of Mayor John Whitmire’s efficiency study. The study, completed … Continue reading →

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And here comes the voluntary retirement plan

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like the obvious move. In a letter sent to city employees Thursday, [Mayor John] Whitmire wrote that the city will be offering a “one-time Voluntary Municipal Retirement Payout Option” to employees who are eligible for retirement. The plan will … Continue reading →

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The cost of the warming centers

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this last week. The City of Houston spent about $6.5 million as the January winter storm brought freezing temperatures and snow to the region. Mayor John Whitmire’s chief of staff, Chris Newport, told the city’s resilience committee Thursday that the 10 … Continue reading →

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City to implement hiring freeze

Posted on March 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Houston Mayor John Whitmire is planning to implement a hiring freeze in the coming days that will impact all city departments except fire and police, a city spokesperson confirmed. While an exact … Continue reading →

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HISD’s looming school closures

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Boy is this going to be fun. Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles plans in the coming months to propose closing an undisclosed number of schools in the summer of 2026, as the district faces a tight budget and enrollment losses. … Continue reading →

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Harris County joins amicus against NIH cuts

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee announced today that Harris County has joined a national legal fight to protect critical medical research funding. The county is part of a coalition challenging the Trump administration’s recent decision to … Continue reading →

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Republicans don’t care at all about the NIH cuts

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Or on their constituents or even themselves. For years Republicans and Democrats alike have touted the medical breakthroughs at Texas medical research institutions like MD Anderson and Baylor College of Medicine. But after President Donald Trump announced a policy change … Continue reading →

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Here’s that Whitmire government efficiency report

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m whelmed. A sweeping study of Houston’s 22 departments, their finances and operations revealed potential misuse of city credit cards and a pressing need to streamline city government to make it more efficient, according to an executive summary obtained by … Continue reading →

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The NIH cuts’ effect on Texas

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Just wondering if any of our state leaders have a reaction to this attack on our state’s economy. Texas universities could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds that support biomedical research if a Trump administration policy withstands … Continue reading →

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Hollins’ warning about the budget

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is where we are. Houston could face a $330 million deficit in the next fiscal year – up by approximately $100 million after the Texas Supreme Court denied the city’s motion to appeal a years-long court battle over street … Continue reading →

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City to use Metro funds to help pay for that additional drainage stuff

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Sure is convenient havigna transit agency you can raid. Houston officials plan to offset a $100 million hit to the city’s budget in a recent legal ruling by using cash from the Metropolitan Transit Authority to spend more money on … Continue reading →

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SCOTx rejects appeal of that zombie ReBuild lawsuit

Posted on February 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

End of the line. The Texas Supreme Court on Friday denied Houston’s motion to appeal a long-standing lawsuit requiring the city to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on street and drainage projects. Friday’s ruling could add yet another financial challenge to a strained city … Continue reading →

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How deep is this funding freeze?

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The chaos is the point. Houston and Harris County on Tuesday were scrambling to figure out the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s pause on federal grants and aid, a move local officials said could hold up hundreds of millions … Continue reading →

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Here’s the voucher proposal

Posted on January 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here it is. Get ready to be sick of the whole debate by the end of the session. The Texas Senate revealed a bill on Friday to create an education savings accounts program, a top priority for Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

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Whitmire’s first year

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a story about how Mayor Whitmire’s first year has gone, and I’ll get to that shortly, but first I want to look at this story, about his efforts to get help from the state government for the … Continue reading →

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Harris County adopts plan for court translators

Posted on December 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good start, now needs follow through. Harris County’s district and county courts unveiled an updated plan Wednesday for expanding interpreter services for those navigating the court system, but said they will need millions in additional funding to sustain the effort. … Continue reading →

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Expanding ETHAN

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds like a good idea. The city may spin off the Houston Fire Department’s emergency telemedicine program to a local government corporation in hopes of generating enough funding to support the initiative and, perhaps, even turn a profit. The city’s … Continue reading →

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Metro to help fund HPD traffic enforcement

Posted on December 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A modest revision to an originally large plan. Metro Police Department will spend almost $50 million of its budget to partially fund the city’s traffic enforcement and street light operations in 2025, but that extra funding won’t have much impact … Continue reading →

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