Tag Archives: Houston City Controller

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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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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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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January 2025 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Harris County offices Continuing with our January campaign finance report review, let’s check in on the current City of Houston elected officials and other people of interest. Candidate Raised Spent Loan On Hand ======================================================= Whitmire 52,900 61,210 0 2,432,442 … Continue reading →

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Hollins requests expansion of Whitmire’s investigation

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, it sure sounds reasonable. Controller Chris Hollins penned a letter Tuesday to the Office of the Inspector General and City Council Ethics Committee calling on Mayor John Whitmire’s State of the City address to be included in “pay to play” … Continue reading →

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The 2027 Mayor’s race is officially underway

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I think that’s the lens that one must use when looking at this. Mayor John Whitmire and City Controller Chris Hollins traded barbs in dueling press conferences Thursday, each alleging the other has conflicts of interest by providing special access … Continue reading →

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July 2024 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Senate and Congress State offices Harris County offices No preambles here. This used to be a dead time in the city electoral cycle, as no one was allowed to fundraise until the January of the election year. That’s long … Continue reading →

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The lost Harvey recovery funds

Posted on August 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good job on the audit front. Now let’s see what we can learn from this. Houston lost at least $8.5 million in potential reimbursements for a federally funded Hurricane Harvey home repair program due to missed deadlines and filing errors, … Continue reading →

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Firefighter deal certified and approved

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

That’s that. Houston City Council approved the $1.5 billion settlement and labor contract with the city firefighters union on Wednesday, a deal that now forces Mayor John Whitmire to quickly find new sources of revenue to help pay for it. … Continue reading →

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Controller Hollins has not certified the firefighter deal yet

Posted on June 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Hours after Mayor John Whitmire told City Council members on Friday that Controller Chris Hollins plans to certify the mayor’s landmark contract with the Houston firefighters union, Hollins walked back that claim, saying his review … Continue reading →

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Council approves bond deal for firefighter back pay

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This is a big component of the firefighter pay deal, just not the whole thing. Houston City Council approved Wednesday a historic bond deal, estimated to cost taxpayers over $1 billion, to spread $650 million in backpay to firefighters over … Continue reading →

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Hollins not ready to certify firefighters’ deal

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. The proposed $1.5 billion settlement and labor contract with the Houston firefighters union appears unlikely to be certified in time for Wednesday’s scheduled City Council vote because a lengthy list of questions Controller Chris Hollins sent Mayor John Whitmire … Continue reading →

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What could it have cost for the firefighters?

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

City Controller Chris Hollins throws out some numbers and kicks up a fuss. Houston Controller Chris Hollins faced fierce criticism from firefighters union president Marty Lancton, after estimating that equalizing past pay for Houston firefighters with their peers in other … Continue reading →

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January 2024 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: State offices Harris County offices Senate Congress I did a lot of posting before now on the city finance reports, so it’s probably best to summarize: 8 Day reports for Mayoral candidates 30 Day reports – that post was … Continue reading →

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Chris Hollins begins his term as Controller

Posted on January 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of potential for action here. Houston Controller Chris Hollins knows that following Tuesday’s inaugural celebration comes the hard work. But the 37-year-old former Harris County Clerk says he is up to the task. “The people of Houston put (me) … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: 2023 Controller’s runoff

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Mayoral runoff The City Controller runoff also wasn’t particularly close, as Chris Hollins bested many (many, many, many) time candidate Orlando Sanchez by 17 points. There are some interesting things to point out here though, so let’s get to … Continue reading →

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2023 runoff results: Whitmire and Hollins win

Posted on December 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m writing this at about 11:30 PM, with 169 of 450 voting centers reporting results. One race is very much in the balance, one other could possibly swing. Keep all that in mind. John Whitmire led 65-35 in Harris County … Continue reading →

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Today is Runoff Day 2023

Posted on December 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

You know what to do if you haven’t already. Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth reminds voters that Election Day for the Joint Runoff is tomorrow, Saturday, December 9. There will be 450 vote centers across the county open from 7 … Continue reading →

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8 Day runoff 2023 campaign finance reports

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The last campaign finance reports for the year are the 8 day reports for the runoff elections. These were mostly filed on Friday, so let’s have a look at them. The 8 Day reports from November for the Mayor’s race … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: 2023 Controller’s race

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Mayor’s race I got in a groove and took what I learned from mucking around with the Mayor’s race data and was able to clean up the same for the Controller’s race in relatively short order. As you’ll see, … Continue reading →

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SurveyUSA Mayoral runoff poll: Whitmire 42, SJL 35

Posted on November 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We finally have a second pollster. State Sen. John Whitmire maintains a 7 percentage point lead over U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in the Houston mayoral race, with a fifth of likely voters having yet to make up their minds … Continue reading →

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2023 election results: Houston and Harris County

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to be brief, and will have a longer look at things tomorrow. A bit more than 20% of the E-Day votes had been tallied as of 10 PM, but for the most part I’d say we had a … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For Hollins

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes a strong endorsement of Chris Hollins for Houston City Controller. Overseeing Harris County’s vote during one of the most contentious presidential elections in American history, smack dab in the middle of a raging pandemic, Hollins led a … Continue reading →

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Past interviews with Mayoral candidates

Posted on October 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

As I said last week, I have decided to wait until the runoff to do Mayoral candidate interviews. The size of the field and the limited amount of time I had available to try to schedule probably seven interviews with … Continue reading →

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30 day 2023 campaign finance reports – Houston City Controller

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: Mayor Continuing with 30 day campaign finance reports, here they are for Houston City Controller candidates. The July reports for these candidates can be found here. Candidate Raised Spent Loan On Hand ====================================================== Hollins 160,578 598,460 0 214,799 Martin … Continue reading →

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UH-Hobby Center poll: Whitmire 34, Jackson Lee 31

Posted on October 11, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Same pollster as before, nearly the same result. There has been almost no movement in Houston’s mayoral race over the last three months, with state Sen. John Whitmire and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee still firmly entrenched atop the crowded … Continue reading →

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Interview with Chris Hollins

Posted on October 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve had a few familiar names among the candidates for office so far, but I daresay there’s only one who qualifies as a national name. That would be Chris Hollins, who drew national plaudits for his efforts to make the … Continue reading →

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Interview with CM Dave Martin

Posted on October 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We are entering the home stretch here as we meet the Controller candidates. Dave Martin is the term-limited incumbent Council member in District E, and he also serves as the Mayor Pro Tem, which is like being the Vice Mayor. … Continue reading →

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Once again with the residency question

Posted on September 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Every election, without fail. Robin Williams, a police officer in Missouri City, was 16 months into her long-shot bid to become Houston’s next mayor when city officials made a discovery that threatened to suddenly end her campaign: She did not … Continue reading →

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Two Controller candidates favor Fair for Houston

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The third is Orlando Sanchez. A ballot measure seeking to increase Houston and Harris County representation on regional councils is getting support from city controller candidates. Chris Hollins, the former Harris County Clerk, expressed his support for the measure Wednesday. … Continue reading →

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Once again with the non-filers

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Same story in July as in January. A dozen candidates running for elected positions at Houston City Hall failed to file required campaign finance reports in July, continuing a sloppy reporting period for the slate of candidates hoping to lead … Continue reading →

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July 2023 campaign finance reports: City of Houston, part 4

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: Congress SD15 City of Houston, part 1 Harris County City of Houston, part 2 City of Houston, part 3 January finance reports for city of Houston candidates are here. This post will look at the Controller candidates. I’ll have … Continue reading →

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