Tag Archives: property taxes

HISD to take over North Forest ISD

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be a challenge, assuming it does go forward. The North Forest Independent School District is nearing the end of its appeals to stay open, paving the way for Houston ISD to take over. State education commissioner … Continue reading →

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More on the county going after city sales tax revenue

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And on we go. Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday will decide whether to seek legislation to capture city of Houston sales taxes generated at county facilities, including Reliant Park. Commissioner Steve Radack floated the idea at the court’s last … Continue reading →

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The Chamber of Commerce tax cut gets extended

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Remember the Chamber of Commerce tax cut from the 2009 legislative session? Ed Sills of the Texas AFL-CIO has an update on it: Much to our chagrin, the 2009 Texas Legislature approved a law that exempts local Chambers of Commerce … Continue reading →

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On cities and counties

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m really getting tired of all this BS. Smarting from a $353,000 bill for the Reliant complex under the city of Houston’s new drainage fee, Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday discussed seeking legislation to let it keep city sales … Continue reading →

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Class size issues are everywhere

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We know that waiver requests to exceed the 22 student class size limit are way up. But that mandated limit is only for grades K through 4. What about higher grade levels? Patricia Kilday Hart reports that those classrooms are … Continue reading →

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Who needs flood control?

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Not Harris County, apparently. Harris County, despite a history of costly floods, appears likely to scale back its flood control work in the coming years in the face of declining federal funding. In a typical year, the county gets about … Continue reading →

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Another school finance lawsuit update

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib brings some news about the impending school finance lawsuits. Yes, lawsuits – there are two in the works. The Equity Center’s lawsuit will focus on fairness, attacking the target revenue system established in 2006 when lawmakers reduced the … Continue reading →

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More districts will join in school finance lawsuit

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon to a courtroom near you. School districts will throw everything short of the kitchen sink into their upcoming lawsuit against the state of Texas for shortchanging public education, a lead attorney in the case said Tuesday. “We are … Continue reading →

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Giving tax breaks to those that don’t need them

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You can add this to the list of things schools might have to pay for that they don’t have the money to pay for. Three environmental commissioners appointed by Gov. Rick Perry are considering whether to grant some of the … Continue reading →

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No tax rate increase this year

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise. Mayor Annise Parker has officially proposed not raising taxes this year. Through her finance director, the mayor is asking the City Council at its Sept. 21 meeting to adopt the existing property tax rate of 0.63875 per $100 … Continue reading →

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It’s news but it’s not new

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Before the Labor Day weekend, Sen. Dan Patrick said something that was considered to be newsworthy even though he and others have been saying it for years. A Republican state senator calling for a tax increase is clearly in the … Continue reading →

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Inevitable school finance lawsuit update

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Duly noted. Superintendents from several low and medium-wealth school districts appear ready to sue the state over its school finance system as early as October. Wayne Pierce, executive director the Equity Center – a group representing 690 districts – said … Continue reading →

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Harris County property appraisals dip a little

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is what counts as good news these days. The appraised value of property countywide has declined slightly, according to numbers released Thursday, but not nearly on the scale of last year’s 3 percent plunge that translated into tens of … Continue reading →

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Back to school

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Time to do more with less, kids. Just don’t expect to be cut any slack on those standardized tests. When Texas students return to public schools this week, some will see a slight uptick in class sizes and fewer teachers, … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against business margins tax

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Allstate Claims Service, L.P., which is based in Boerne, has filed a lawsuit alleging that the business margins tax is an illegally-passed income tax in Texas. Oh, boy. Nikki Laing, a CPA and third-year Baylor law student, studied the structure … Continue reading →

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Talking about the T word

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Scott McCown brings up the subject of taxes but leaves it short of where to go from here. If a stronger economy, honest budgeting and pitting priorities against each other aren’t the answer, what is? Texas must modestly increase taxes. … Continue reading →

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That next school finance lawsuit is coming

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Look for it when school starts this fall. Texas lawmakers who left town recently after cutting public education and doing little to fix school funding disparities have guaranteed another school finance lawsuit, according to educators and lawyers involved in the … Continue reading →

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HISD adopts its budget

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No tax increase, at least not at this time. Students in the Houston Independent School District can expect to see larger class sizes and fewer teachers, librarians and elective courses next year under the spending plan that trustees approved Thursday. … Continue reading →

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City passes its budget

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It wasn’t much different than the Mayor’s original proposal. The overall spending plan totals $4 billion, including $1.8 billion from the tax- and fee-supported general fund. The remaining $2.2 billion involves the city’s enterprise funds, such as the airport and … Continue reading →

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HISD contemplates a tax increase

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

They’re not saying it explicitly yet, but the inference is clear. Houston ISD board president Paula Harris said today that raising property taxes, dipping into the district’s savings account and suing the state over school finance inequities are all possibilities. … Continue reading →

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You may say to yourself “Well, how did I get here?”

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

What’s missing from this story? The city of Houston’s budget crisis that has resulted in 747 employees getting pink slips last month and likely will close pools and community centers did not happen overnight. It has been brewing for the … Continue reading →

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Our young population

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From last week, a story about new Census data that shows (among other things) how young Texas’ population is. The state’s median age — meaning half of residents are older, and half younger — is 33.6, substantially lower than the … Continue reading →

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The city’s 2012 budget

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Cuts, deferred payments, and more cuts. Mayor Annise Parker, facing what she described as the toughest fiscal environment in more than 20 years, on Thursday proposed a $1.8 billion budget that calls for laying off 747 employees, closing pools and … Continue reading →

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San Antonio’s budget situation

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just for comparison. “Our 2011 numbers still are not where they were in 2008,” [San Antonio] City Manager Sheryl Sculley told the council during a briefing session Wednesday. The projected shortfall in the general fund in the next budget has … Continue reading →

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Property values decline again

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Oddly, this is good budget news in the “we were expecting it to be worse” category. Local governments and school districts this year will suffer a second-straight year of sliding property tax revenues — their main source of revenue — … Continue reading →

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Agricultural tax breaks

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s been a fair amount of talk this session about examining different types of tax exemptions, all of which combine to cost Texas billions in revenue, but there’s one type of exemption for which I have not seen any discussion: … Continue reading →

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The State of the City 2011

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting a little better, but we’re still not close to being in good times. The city of Houston’s budget deficit for the coming fiscal year has been whittled to roughly $80 million from $130 million, Mayor Annise Parker said … Continue reading →

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When you find yourself in a hole, go ahead and keep digging

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So Texas has this big budget shortfall. You’ve probably heard about it. A big part of that shortfall is structural, thanks to the 2006 property tax cut that was supposed to be funded primarily by the business margins tax. Unfortunately, … Continue reading →

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School finance reform bills on tap

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Whether you look at the House budget or the slightly less drastic Senate version, public schools will not get the funding they are due under the current defined formulas. That means that how the funds are distributed needs to be … Continue reading →

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Tax breaks are spending, too

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s see who among the “we have to live within our means” crowd opposes this. Faced with a looming budget shortfall, the Senate’s most powerful member is carrying legislation that would cap state spending on school property tax breaks that … Continue reading →

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Harris County prepares to get hammered

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The House budget will cost Harris County a bundle if it passes as is. Harris County health care providers would lose more than $2 billion in Medicaid funding under the Texas House budget that passed Sunday night, according to an … Continue reading →

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How does school finance work, anyway?

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a useful guide to this incredibly complex topic. Here’s our layman’s guide to figuring out the current system, compiled with the help of experts at the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, the Equity Center and the Texas … Continue reading →

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Raising cigarette taxes

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is any kind of tax increase possible for this legislative session? The House appropriations bill, scheduled for debate this weekend, would cut out the $10 million-a-year anti-smoking campaign, which remains a legacy of the state’s 1998 tobacco settlement. To save … Continue reading →

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It’s a start

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where it’s due, from a story about the Lobby Day effort by teachers and other public school supporters. New member Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, reminds folks that the current budget shortfall reflects a structural deficit that began in … Continue reading →

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