Tag Archives: bonds

Here come the new floodplain maps

Posted on February 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon to tell you if you are now in the floodplain. When Harris County debuts a massive overhaul of its floodplain maps later this year, the Houston area will be the first in the country to rely on a … Continue reading →

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Omnibus 2022 election results post

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s already midnight as I start writing this. I’m just going to do the highlights with the best information I have at this time. – Nationally, Dems are doing pretty well, all things considered. As of this writing, Dems had … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: The bonds

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron endorses a Yes vote for the Harris County bond propositions. The Castlewood subdivision in northeast Harris County was one of many neighborhoods blighted by Hurricane Harvey’s torrential rains. One too many floods inundated the shallow drainage ditches and … Continue reading →

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Community meetings about the Harris County bond referenda

Posted on September 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Ask your questions, get some answers. Harris County voters will decide in November whether to approve a bond package totaling $1.2 billion, with the vast majority aimed at road construction. On Monday, the county [began] a series of 24 community … Continue reading →

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Harris County officially gets its $750 million from the GLO

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

With hopefully more to come, as well as something for Houston. Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved an agreement Wednesday with the Texas General Land Office to receive $750 million in federal flood mitigation funding, and called on the agency … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court approves its bond package

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

But not without some bitching and griping. Harris County Commissioners Court voted Thursday to put a $1.2 billion package on the November ballot this year, with the vast majority aimed at road construction. Tensions flared when Harris County Judge Lina … Continue reading →

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Houston will have a bond on the ballot

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First I’d heard of this, but it should be pretty routine. Houston will ask voters in November to approve a $478 million bond program to buy fire and police vehicles, renovate or replace city facilities and give the city’s animal … Continue reading →

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Harris County ponders a bond election

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

First one in awhile. Harris County leaders will begin discussions Tuesday about whether to add a bond election to the November ballot. The bond would be a hybrid measure to raise money for roads, parks, flood control, and public safety. … Continue reading →

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We are making progress on the flood bond projects

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s not lose sight of that. Three years into Harris County’s historic $2.5 billion flood bond program, progress can feel maddeningly slow. After decades of underinvestment in flood protection, however, any completed project is a welcome improvement for nearby residents. … Continue reading →

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HISD schools closed Monday and Tuesday

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More effects of the storm. Houston ISD plans to remain closed Monday and Tuesday, then hold online-only classes for the last three days of next week, as the district manages the fallout from water and power issues caused by freezing … Continue reading →

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Flooding affects toll roads, too.

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This makes sense to me. Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to create a local government corporation to manage Harris County’s toll road system in a move expected to provide a windfall to county coffers and allow surplus toll collections to … Continue reading →

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Our students need laptops

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

The pandemic has made this clear. Houston ISD officials hope to provide every student with a district-issued laptop in 2020-21 and beyond, an ambitious target that would deliver much-needed technology to children but require voters to approve a bond package … Continue reading →

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HISD takes a step towards a bond referendum

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Just a step. If there’s to be a bond referendum on the ballot, this year or later, they’ll have to vote again to authorize that. Houston ISD trustees kept hopes alive for a November bond election during Thursday night’s board … Continue reading →

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Meanwhile, the HISD Board of Trustees is still a thing

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the new Board, not the same as the old Board. Hours after Houston ISD’s four recently elected trustees took office, enshrining the district’s first all-female school board, the new-look governing team on Thursday made its first big decision. Trustees … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: For the Metro bond

Posted on October 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

All of the candidate endorsements have been done by the Chron, but there remain the endorsements for ballot propositions. Which is to say, the Metro referendum and the constitutional amendments. I’ll address the latter tomorrow, but for now here’s the … Continue reading →

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A look at the Constitutional amendments we will see this November

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are ten of them, including a couple I will vote against as hard as I can. House Joint Resolution 4 would let the Texas Water Development dole out dollars from a flood infrastructure fund — created by Senate Bill … Continue reading →

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Appeals court affirms pension bond lawsuit

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this is now over. The Texas 1st Court of Appeals has struck down an appeal from a Houston businessman who contested the city’s 2017 pension bond referendum, appearing to end the legal challenge that began almost a year and … Continue reading →

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Of course we could have done more on flood mitigation before now

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron: Harris County faces challenge, opportunity managing $2.5B flood bond program. I want to focus on this bit. Jim Blackburn, co-director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters Center at Rice University, estimates the bond … Continue reading →

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Emmett speaks post-bond

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

With the flood bond referendum safely passed, we now turn to what comes next. Land and housing preservation is key to the Houston region becoming more resilient, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said Tuesday, on the heels of last weekend’s … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum passes easily

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It was in the 85-15 range as of the 8:30 update from the County Clerk. Only a handful of precincts had reported as of that time, and I’m not going to stay up late waiting for more comprehensive numbers – … Continue reading →

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Flood bond election day is today

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a Trib story about the bond. Flood experts say the bond is a good start — and indicative of an unprecedented shift in the collective mindset of local leaders and residents — but that it won’t come close to … Continue reading →

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Day Seven flood bond EV totals

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The word of the week is “slow”. Fewer than 46,000 ballots have been cast in the first week of early voting on Harris County’s $2.5 billion flood bond referendum, but county officials on Monday said they expect many more voters … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum: Interview with Lina Hidalgo

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I do have one more interview to bring you for the flood bond referendum, for which we are already in the early voting period, and that interview is with Lina Hidalgo, the Democratic candidate for Harris County Judge. Had this … Continue reading →

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Day Two flood bond EV totals

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry I wasn’t able to post the Day One totals yesterday, but here are the Day Two EV totals for the flood bond referendum. So far 4,984 people have voted in person, with almost exactly the same number on Monday … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum: Interview with Jen Powis

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, early voting for the flood bond referendum on August 25 begins today, running through the 21st. There are a lot of groups and organizations that are keenly interested in this bond issue and how it will affect … Continue reading →

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More details on the flood bond referendum

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting starts today. The Harris County Flood Control District on Monday released its complete list of projects that would be funded by the county’s $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond proposal, two days before early voting on the measure begins. … Continue reading →

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Poll shows flood bond referendum in good shape

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Standard caveats apply. A majority of Harris County voters say they will support a $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond at the polls later this month, according to University of Houston research released Monday. Sixty-two percent of residents who said they … Continue reading →

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Flood bond referendum: Interview with Ed Emmett

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, early voting for the August 25 flood bond referendum begins this week, on Wednesday the 8th. Those of you who make the effort to show up and vote will get to decide whether or not to … Continue reading →

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Early voting for the flood bond referendum

Posted on August 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a little weird, but there’s two full weeks of it and for the most part you can vote at the usual places. Harris County will have 25 balloting locations during the first weekend of early voting for the $2.5 … Continue reading →

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On campaigning for the flood bond

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is good, but I don’t know if it will be enough. The Harris County Flood Control District’s summer barnstorming tour of county watersheds to seek public input on its $2.5 billion flood bond proposal is getting officials exactly what … Continue reading →

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CD07 candidates endorse the August flood bond referendum

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What I would expect. U.S. Rep. John Culberson and his challenger, Lizzie Fletcher, found rare common ground on Wednesday as both endorsed Harris County’s proposed $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond proposal. Culberson said he can match every local dollar Harris … Continue reading →

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More on the latest Harvey funds

Posted on July 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full Chron story regarding that allocation of federal Harvey recovery money from Thursday. It wasn’t clear from the Trib story I quoted from, but that levee system is, at least in part, the Ike Dike. Jim Blackburn of … Continue reading →

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Your Houston PAC

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a new player on the local scene. Bill Baldwin, a longtime real estate broker, volunteer and member of Houston’s planning commission, has launched a political action committee aimed at improving the city’s neighborhoods, schools and local governments. The tenets … Continue reading →

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More details on the flood bond referendum

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is the longer version of the original story. Through at least two-dozen public meetings across the county’s watersheds, County Judge Ed Emmett said residents have a crucial role to play as they provide feedback for the projects they think … Continue reading →

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