Tag Archives: property taxes

HISD starts cutting

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

HISD’s board of trustees began the budget cutting process on Thursday in anticipation of cuts to public education funding in the Legislature. Barring some really good news from the Lege, there will be much more of this to come. The … Continue reading →

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Harris County passes its budget

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about what you’d expect. Facing an 11.3 percent drop in revenue, Harris County Commissioners Court passed a budget today that could mean dozens of law enforcement jobs cut or left vacant, hundreds fewer patients receiving mental health counseling and … Continue reading →

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1200 teachers at risk in HISD

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a lot of jobs. The Houston school board is scheduled to vote Thursday on Superintendent Terry Grier’s plan to reduce the amount of money the district doles out to each school, paving the way for layoffs in light of … Continue reading →

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HISD’s budget and magnet meeting

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A whole lot happened on Thursday evening with HISD. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier proposed a major shake-up Thursday night to the district’s popular magnet program, calling for 25 schools to lose the special status and for funding increases or … Continue reading →

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“Brutal” budget cuts proposed

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This looks really bad. Mayor Annise Parker began to outline budget cuts on Thursday that could result in layoffs of more than 2,300 city employees, telling department heads that erasing an estimated $130 million gap will require “extremely tough, if … Continue reading →

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How about a temporary sales tax hike?

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I am deeply conflicted about this. State Rep. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, has filed a bill to temporarily increase the state sales tax by 2 cents on the dollar for two years. He estimates it would raise $6 billion, which … Continue reading →

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HISD may raise tax rate

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas may not be considering any revenue enhancements to deal with its budget shortage, but that doesn’t mean that other taxing entities, such as school districts, won’t consider them. Melinda Garrett, HISD’s chief financial officer, said the … Continue reading →

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Here comes Harris County’s budget

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s as bad as you’d expect. A budget on its way to Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday would cut $138 million from current spending on roads, inoculating against disease, promoting economic development, constables’ patrols and performing other services. The … Continue reading →

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Is it time for a statewide property tax?

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. State Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, on Tuesday breathed some new life into a proposal to enact a statewide school property tax to address Texas’ persistent education funding woes. “We’ve never made a change in the school finance system without … Continue reading →

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Three things you can do to help save Texas public schools

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

1. First and foremost, make sure you understand the scope of the issue and how it will affect you. Here’s an email that was sent out by the Spring Branch ISD to its parents: Why should you care about the … Continue reading →

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Rural school districts prepare for the worst

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have very mixed emotions reading a story like this. For the residents of [the] tiny West Texas farming community [of Miles], the school district is central to their identity, history and way of life. “There’s a wonderful feel about … Continue reading →

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The balanced budget fantasy

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s really only one thing to say about this. One of Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign staples last year was that America would be a far better place if it were more like the Lone Star State — limited government, fewer … Continue reading →

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The business lobby’s guide to balancing the budget

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bill Hammond, the president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business, pens an op-ed with his preferred approach to the budget. The main thing to note is right here: The state has $72.2 billion available for general-purpose spending during … Continue reading →

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There are some budget cuts even Dan Patrick doesn’t like

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to believe, I know. Republicans and Democrats alike protested at the Senate Finance Committee’s first hearing on proposed budget cuts. They said reductions in programs for disabled children and the mentally ill would go too deep. “When I look … Continue reading →

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Are you ready for the next big budget deficit?

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s coming in the next legislative session. Pressed by Democratic senators on the Finance Committee, John Heleman said the state will have a $10 billion structural deficit in future budgets largely because the business tax has underperformed and the 2006 … Continue reading →

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Business leaders urged to oppose “cuts only” approach to the budget

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. Former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby is helping lead an effort to rally Texas business leaders against what he calls a “catastrophic” cuts-only approach to balancing the state’s budget in the face of a massive shortfall, estimated … Continue reading →

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Superintendents speak out against school funding cuts

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More of this, please. Speaking at a press conference during the Texas Association of School Administrators’ Midwinter Conference, superintendents and trustees urged the Legislature to use the Rainy Day Fund and search for new revenue through fees instead of the … Continue reading →

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The national folks notice Texas’ budget situation

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve probably seen this by now, but just in case you haven’t, here it is. Texas Gov. Rick Perry likes to tell Washington to stop meddling in state affairs. He vocally opposed the Obama administration’s 2009 stimulus program to spur … Continue reading →

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Cuts here mean hikes there

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The only problem with this AP story is the headline, “Texas budget cuts may shift burden to locals”. There’s no “may” about it – the Pitts budget would absolutely shift a huge burden to local governments. Cuts set off a … Continue reading →

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Tax expenditures

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

According to a legislative report prepared by the Ways and Means Committee, Texas is losing over $4 billion per biennium to various tax exemptions and expenditures. One of the largest carve-outs was for the natural gas tax, which totaled about … Continue reading →

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Closing loopholes

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, from Rep. Mike Villarreal: Rep. Villarreal announced legislation to close a $20 million corporate tax giveaway, citing it as an example of how the state’s outmoded tax system created the current fiscal crisis. “With the state’s fiscal … Continue reading →

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LSG on the budget

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Legislative Study Group, chaired by Rep. Garnet Coleman, now has an analysis of the Pitts budget outline, which you can read here. The main point to remember: How We Got Here: Built-In Budget Shortfall Comes from the 2006 Tax … Continue reading →

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This is your government on dogma

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We won’t get Jim Pitts’ bare bones budget outline till late tonight, so as not to be a buzzkill on the Perry coronation inauguration. We did, however, get an opening bid from the ideological purists, and while it’s not worth … Continue reading →

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From the “I told you so” department

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, our former Comptroller: Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn did not win friends five years ago when she warned Gov. Rick Perry and state lawmakers they were writing the “largest hot check in Texas history” during a tax overhaul … Continue reading →

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Cities and counties prepare to play defense

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s going to be a rough session for cities and counties, who have every reason to believe that a large part of the Lege’s budget-balancing strategy will be to foist expenses on them. “As will all of the big cities … Continue reading →

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There’s still no such thing as a rainy day

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Having been in denial about the size of the budget deficit, Governor Perry goes into denial about how to deal with it. Gov. Rick Perry on Monday said he was opposed to using the state’s rainy day fund to help … Continue reading →

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We have a number for the hole

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There’s actually more than one number that can be used to accurately describe the state budget deficit, depending on what your perspective is, but however you look at it, it’s big and it’s no longer projected or theoretical. State Comptroller … Continue reading →

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Krugman on the Texas budget deficit

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

By now, you’ve probably seen Paul Krugman’s column about the Texas budget deficit. He uses it to make some great points about the failure of the conservative slash-and-burn approach, but he missed a couple of facts that make it all … Continue reading →

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Still more on class size limits

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Real good article in the Press about class size limits and the possible effects of raising them, which I’ve written about before. A couple of points: A famous education study done in Tennessee in the 1980s shows class size matters. … Continue reading →

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These are only “hard choices” for some people

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I suspect that for too many members of the incoming Legislature, the decisions they’ll be making about the budget will be ones they’re not at all uncomfortable with. The Legislature’s Republican leadership will confront weighty questions, such as how many … Continue reading →

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The mandatory furlough plan

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Happy New Year, city employees. Thousands of city of Houston employees will have to take six unpaid days off in the coming six months, one of a series of actions Mayor Annise Parker is taking to close a $29 million … Continue reading →

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Voluntary to become involuntary

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

That sure didn’t take long. By unanimous vote of City Council, the voluntary furloughs will become involuntary by the end of the year, with Mayor Parker deciding how many enforced unpaid days off are needed to help close the budget … Continue reading →

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Voluntary furloughs

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was inevitable. Mayor Annise Parker announced a voluntary furlough program for civilian employees in December, the first in what may be a series of difficult steps the city must take to close a $30 million budget deficit … Continue reading →

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Do we or do we not have a structural deficit?

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In this corner, State Rep. Mike Villarreal: In a kerfuffle involving two House members who really like to engage in detailed discussions of Texas’ tax system, Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, sent reporters a letter in which he told Rep. … Continue reading →

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