Tag Archives: Paul Bettencourt

We’re gonna get election-audited again

Posted on August 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Feh. Harris County has again been selected for a state-mandated elections audit following a random draw conducted by the Texas Secretary of State Tuesday. The audit is the county’s second in four years stemming from a 2021 bill the Legislature … Continue reading →

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Abbott keeps trying to back away from his love of data centers

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. And kind of pathetic. Amid growing public backlash to the rapid buildout of data centers across Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced a moratorium on the approval of data centers until regulatory agencies can audit proposed data centers … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott would really like everyone to stop talking about data centers already

Posted on July 30, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Gina Hinojosa is talking about them. Gina Hinojosa, the Democrat running for governor, on Thursday called on Gov. Greg Abbott to halt all data center construction in the state until lawmakers craft rules for the projects, which have voters up … Continue reading →

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Talarico’s data center plan

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Seems perfectly fine. Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico on Wednesday called for a broad set of tighter regulations on data centers in Texas, seizing on what has become a potential political liability for Republicans who until recently had embraced … Continue reading →

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More weasel words on data centers from Abbott

Posted on July 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

He really is trying to find the guy that did this. Gov. Greg Abbott called for blocking new data center development in rural parts of the state during a campaign stop in East Texas on Tuesday. “We must prohibit them … Continue reading →

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San Marcos bans data center construction

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Bring on the fight that will surely follow. San Marcos has become the first Texas city to ban data centers within city limits, banking on its local authority to stop the data center boom and setting a precedent for other … Continue reading →

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A data center roundup

Posted on June 14, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From Jeremy Wallace’s newsletter. A flood of new data centers trying to hook into the Texas electrical grid could force the state to significantly expand its power grid to accommodate the new demand. More than 480 “large” data centers have … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Abbott flip flops a little on data centers

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Someone’s feeling heat. Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday released sweeping regulatory recommendations on data centers for the Legislature to pass in the 2027 session, as Texas grapples with an explosion of artificial intelligence-driven development and soaring power demands. In a … Continue reading →

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Hill County undoes its data center moratorium

Posted on June 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing like a big lawsuit to force the issue. A rural North Texas county that appears to be the first in the state to pass a data center moratorium has rescinded the measure after being sued by a developer for … Continue reading →

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As goes Hood County

Posted on June 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

So goes the battle to have some control over data centers. This is just the beginning of the data center revolution in Hood County, a rural community of 62,000 people about an hour southwest of Fort Worth. Developers have proposed eight … Continue reading →

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More data center pushback

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. A rural Texas county on Tuesday approved a one-year pause on the construction of new data centers in unincorporated areas, citing public safety and public health concerns. The 3-2 vote by county commissioners in Hill County, roughly 55 … Continue reading →

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The Republican data center problem

Posted on May 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

What do you do when your business interests want one thing and your voters want the opposite? What do you think? As the massive, digital information-processing facilities proliferate, Republicans are caught between a zealous president and governor bent on Texas … Continue reading →

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Sorry, but data centers don’t need those tax breaks

Posted on April 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Let them pay their taxes. Texas will lose out on at least $3.1 billion in sales tax revenue over the next two years thanks to an exemption for the state’s booming data center industry, according to the comptroller’s office. That … Continue reading →

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The revenue cap squeeze on first responders

Posted on September 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Great story, and an even better illustration of a couple of points I’ve been making for quite some time. Just weeks after flash flooding killed more than 100 people in Kerr County, many of the first responders who served on … Continue reading →

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STAAR to be replaced with even more tests

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m so glad my kids have graduated. The Texas House on Tuesday greenlit plans to scrap the STAAR test, clearing a path to replace the state exams with three smaller ones given throughout the year. The plan passed, 78-58, over … Continue reading →

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The flood hearings

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. The Texas House and Senate quickly established special committees to focus on relief efforts and determine what preparations the state must make to be better prepared for future natural disasters. Now, these panels of state lawmakers are … Continue reading →

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So now the Lege will get involved

Posted on July 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As I said yesterday, I don’t know if Greg Abbott would have called a special session to address the great tragedy happening in the Hill Country if one hadn’t already been on the calendar for other reasons. He didn’t call … Continue reading →

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From the “Time has no meaning” department

Posted on June 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This is so stupid. Texas lawmakers have disagreed for years over whether and how to abolish the unpopular semiannual clock change in the state, but a bill that is on its way to the governor will finally bring an end … Continue reading →

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The death of bad bills is always worth celebrating

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good, good, good. A handful of bills that would have stopped local governments from enacting their transportation priorities and hamstrung local transit efforts are likely dead. The measures failed to pass before key deadlines as the legislative session draws to … 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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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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Bill to fix joint primary problem introduced

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Worth watching. What happened? Texas state senators Thursday held a public hearing on legislation crafted to update a 2023 law requiring certain counties to drastically increase the number of polling locations if they use vote centers for countywide voting. Last … Continue reading →

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Maybe those Appraisal District elections weren’t such a hot idea

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks to Tarrant County for setting the bad example. The Tarrant Appraisal District’s recent changes to local tax policy might violate Texas law, according to a state lawmaker. “I don’t believe the actions they’ve taken are legal,” Sen. Paul Bettencourt, … Continue reading →

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So about those generators CenterPoint bought…

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I’m fine with all of this, but it shouldn’t be the endpoint of the conversation. It’s not even the main point. A state lawmaker said Monday he was considering pushing legislation to recoup some of the $800 million CenterPoint Energy … Continue reading →

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One last pre-election look at those Appraisal Board elections

Posted on May 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib, which did the initial reporting that informed me of these dumb new elections in the first place. The new law requires only counties with more than 75,000 residents to hold the elections, a designation that applies to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Good luck finding any info about those county appraisal board elections

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’ve written a bunch about the HCAD Board elections, including doing interviews with four of the candidates, so that you my readers and anyone else who stumbles across this page can hopefully know a little something about … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Chron covers the HCAD elections

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

At long, long last. Most Houston-area property owners likely are unaware that the amount of taxes they owe is decided, in part, by a group of local appraisers overseen by a little-known board of directors. But for the first time … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Some Tarrant Appraisal District drama

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. A candidate for the Tarrant Appraisal District board alleges County Judge Tim O’Hare tried to pressure him into dropping out of the race. Colleyville City Council member Chuck Kelley, who is running for Place 3, said O’Hare first … Continue reading →

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Hey look, it’s a story about the HCAD elections

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

About damn time. A question you are unlikely to hear at any bar, diner or dinner table over the next month: Who are you voting for the county appraisal district board? Few area residents are aware of the election, even … Continue reading →

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We will have a joint primary this year

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This solves a problem we had only begun to realize we had. Harris County Republicans and Democrats plan to hold a joint election during the upcoming March primaries after years of the parties conducting separate contests, County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

We’re going to be electing what now?

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I had no idea about this. It sure wasn’t covered in the runup to this past election. In a state known for too many elections, there’s another one coming to Texas’ 50 largest counties. This May, voters in those most … Continue reading →

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Do unto public schools as you would not do to charter schools

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Infuriating, but hardly surprising. In June, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath embarked on the largest school takeover in recent history, firing the governing board and the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District after one of its more than … Continue reading →

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SCOTx denies stay request in elections administrator lawsuit

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Welp. The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday denied Harris County’s request for an emergency order that would have allowed the Harris County Elections Administrator’s Office to run the upcoming November election by temporarily delaying the implementation of a new state … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Judge temporarily blocks law abolishing Harris County Elections Administrator

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A good first step, but we’re far from finished here. The Texas Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday appealed the decision of a judge to temporarily block a new law passed by Republicans to abolish Harris County’s elections chief position. The … Continue reading →

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