These posts discuss city government.
It’s that time of year again – time to determine the City’s budget for the next fiscal year. This year seems to be slightly better than last. No lay-offs of city employees are planned and for this year, there seems to be enough money to keep services at there current levels. The City’s Budget and […]
Continue reading →The Mayor of Houston released her annual budget this week. Given the financial struggles she has faced during her term, this budget was a piece of cake. She is not proposing any new tax hikes or fees, which is truly a blessing for Houstonians. Last year, she and the City Council dramatically raised fees that […]
Continue reading →For the past 31 years, Dr. Stephen Klineberg at Rice University has been studying Houstonians. He started when Houston was a predominantly white, oil boom town in the 1980’s, through the oil bust, and onward through our gradual diversification of people and business. If you are not familiar with the study, trust me that it […]
Continue reading →Last week, we pondered the national effect of a Obama/Romney Presidential election and how voter turnout might respond. Civic leaders in the Houston region seem to think voter turnout will be higher and that makes for a good time to put bonds on the ballot. Metro, the City of Houston, Houston ISD and Houston Community […]
Continue reading →The Mayor of Houston, Annise Parker, gave her annual State of the City address to a sold out Greater Houston Partnership crowd yesterday. The TSU Ocean of Soul Marching Band put the crowd in a happy mood with a performance of joyful music and the Mayor continued to lift spirits. The Mayor reported good news […]
Continue reading →The Houston City Council again tackles the “Feeding” Ordinance today. This Ordinance was originally presented as a solution to the problem of multiple food distribution sites for Houston’s homeless. Many communities of faith and non-profit organizations take lunches to the homeless that gather in the same spots on a regular basis. Individuals also take food, […]
Continue reading →Budget time at the City of Houston is rapidly approaching. The Fiscal Affairs Committee has been meeting with city departments to learn about their core services. This week, they will discuss the recommendations of the Long-Term Financial Task Force. One of the challenges of term limits is that those elected currently do not usually have […]
Continue reading →There’s a big flight fight going on in Houston. Our big airport is a major hub for United airlines. Bush Airport was originally the home of Continental before it merged with United. United has remained committed to the Houston “hub” due to it’s Latin American gateway and significant number of international routes. Hobby Airport is […]
Continue reading →Local governments always deal with ethics. The base nature of these entities creates consistent opportunity for “grey areas” among their employees and for Elected Officials. Whether it is HISD, Harris County, City of Houston or any of our regional governments, the opportunities abound for corruption. This has been clearly demonstrated over the last few years […]
Continue reading →The County and the City have been in a spat over the application of the City of Houston’s drainage fee on Reliant Stadium. Discussions on this property have been ongoing for months. Most county property is exempt from paying the drainage fee but the Reliant Park property is considered income-producing. While it is a county […]
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