Tag Archives: property taxes

Harris County threatens to sue Harris County Appraisal District

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That headline may sound dry, but this is a big deal. Worried about the erosion of the tax base, county officials said Wednesday that they may consider suing the Harris County Appraisal District over concerns it is undervaluing certain business … Continue reading →

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School finance trial do-over set to start soon

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Once more into the breach. Hundreds of school districts in North Texas and across the state will resume their courtroom battle over funding in January, arguing that new money and reduced testing did little to fix Texas’ school finance system. … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: The Dome and the jail

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Now that precinct data is out, the Chron has an updated take on what sunk the Astrodome referendum. Overall, 53.4 percent of Harris County voters rejected the bond issue that would have renovated the long-vacant Dome into a convention and … Continue reading →

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Theories abound about why the Dome referendum failed

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus said the outcome of both county bond propositions, as well as the Katy stadium, is indicative of resistance among conservative voters to big-ticket spending items … Continue reading →

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Mostly good news for Apollo

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the story so far. A three-year, multimillion-dollar experiment to improve 20 struggling HISD schools yielded big gains in math and limited progress in reading, according to partial results of a study released Wednesday. Now, Superintendent Terry Grier and the … Continue reading →

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HISD board approves 3-cent tax increase

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It was a close vote. Property owners in the Houston Independent School District will see their tax bills rise after trustees Thursday narrowly approved the first tax rate increase for operations in a dozen years. The board voted 4-3 to … Continue reading →

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Hall’s tax troubles, again

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This isn’t new news, but it’s getting a lot more play now. Top mayoral challenger Ben Hall agreed to pay the IRS more than $680,000 in back taxes and penalties earlier this year, court documents show. On Jan. 16, less … Continue reading →

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Early to Rise appeal denied

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That pretty much wraps it up, for now at least. A controversial 1-cent property tax to buoy local preschools will not be on the November ballot following a Houston appeals court ruling. The 14th Court of Appeals, in an opinion … Continue reading →

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The law and the Early To Rise petition process

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Much has been made about the obscurity of the state law that allows for the petition process that the Early To Rise folks have followed to put an item on the ballot that would raise money for pre-K education in … Continue reading →

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Time for more information about Early To Rise

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

What Lisa Falkenberg says. They’ve turned over more than 150,000 signatures in favor of putting an early education tax on the Harris County ballot in November. Now the folks behind the Early to Rise campaign need to turn over the … Continue reading →

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Astrodome referendum officially on the ballot

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s been a long, strange trip, but at last you will get to vote on the fate of the Astrodome. The Commissioners Court on Tuesday unanimously voted to place a bond election for up to $217 million to convert the … Continue reading →

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Astrodome referendum headed for the ballot

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If you’ve been waiting for the chance to vote on the fate of the Astrodome, your wait will soon be over. Commissioners Court next Tuesday is expected to approve a measure asking voters to authorize the county to spend as … Continue reading →

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Sheriff Garcia endorses the Early To Rise campaign

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It makes sense that he would. The group attempting to get a 1-cent tax hike on the November ballot to bolster early childhood education programs got a hearty endorsement from Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia on Wednesday, and announced it … Continue reading →

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Petitioning for Early To Rise

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This arrived in my inbox a couple of days ago: With only two weeks to go, we really need your help! We are working to get an initiative on the ballot in November 2013 to fund the Early to Rise Program. The … Continue reading →

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HISD budgets for teacher pay raise and more Apollo

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Whether that will mean a tax hike, and if so how much, remains undetermined. Houston ISD employees will see a 2 percent pay raise and many schools will receive more money to help struggling students under the budget that trustees … Continue reading →

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Seniors get a tax cut from Council

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Houston City Council voted to provide property tax relief to seniors Wednesday, one of many votes at a marathon meeting at which council unanimously approved a $4.5 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. … Continue reading →

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HISD contemplates tax hike

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not as much as they once thought they would raise them, since enough money was restored by the Legislature to stave off the need to raise taxes for that purpose. Superintendent Terry Grier’s budget proposal, released Monday, would increase … Continue reading →

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Would you pay more for pre-K in Harris County?

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You might get the chance to vote on it. The recently formed Harris County School Readiness Corp., a group whose membership includes former Houston first lady Andrea White, is circulating a petition calling for the placement of an item on … Continue reading →

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Budget time in Houston

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Houston City Council has begun the process of debating Mayor Parker’s budget for the next fiscal year by proposing 60 amendments to it. Parker’s budget would spend $4.5 billion, including fee-supported enterprise funds such as the aviation department and utility … Continue reading →

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So where does the school finance lawsuit stand?

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Though Judge John Dietz issued a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in the school finance lawsuit back in February, he still hasn’t written his full decision yet. That’s because he wanted to see what the Legislature did this session, … Continue reading →

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From the “Tax breaks for me but not for thee” department

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There are two types of people in Texas: Those for whom the tax code is written to favor, and everybody else. The Dallas Country Club, not a place usually thought of as needing a huge tax break, used a quirk … Continue reading →

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Ben Hall’s tax problem

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. A campaign video shows Ben Hall, the former city attorney who is now running for mayor, sitting in a classroom amid a group of schoolchildren as his voiceover talks about the importance of education. “Our children are our future,” … Continue reading →

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On HCAD and rigging the system

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This Houston Press cover story on the Harris County Appraisal District is provocative, to say the least. A months-long investigation by the Houston Press finds that Brookfield isn’t the only mega-dollar company that’s sitting pretty with a momentous tax break. … Continue reading →

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Grier asks for Apollo money

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It is his signature program. Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier on Thursday lobbied the school board for at least $17 million to expand his Apollo school reform effort, noting new research showing its benefits. Grier is facing resistance from some … Continue reading →

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It’s going to be a good year for the tax assessor

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That should make it a good year for the entities that depend on property tax revenues, as Loren Steffy notes. When Williams Tower sold for $412 million recently, the new owners may have expected a break on property taxes. After … Continue reading →

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Why do we give tax breaks to country clubs?

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’ve talked before about sunsetting tax expenditures. Sens. John Carona and Rodney Ellis have filed a bill to require a periodic review of the many exemptions, exceptions, and other special cases in the tax code, with the … Continue reading →

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An opponent for the Controller

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Big Jolly reports on a new candidate. There are two powerful elected positions in the City of Houston: Mayor and City Controller. So naturally I was curious when I heard that someone was going to challenge the incumbent Controller Ronald … Continue reading →

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More on sunsetting tax expenditures

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I say again, this is a good idea that really needs to happen. The Texas tax code is rich with tax breaks. There are tax breaks for industries relocating to the state and for anyone with an Internet connection. Tax … Continue reading →

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Senate committee restores some money to public education

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Emphasis on the “some”. Texas public schools would get back a chunk of the $5.4 billion in state funding they lost two years ago under a budget proposal adopted by the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. But they probably should … Continue reading →

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School districts are still a long way from getting relief

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

School districts may have gotten a favorable ruling in the latest school finance lawsuit, and if it survives appeal it could have far-reaching effects on the current system, but that doesn’t mean that things will get better for them now. … Continue reading →

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This time it’s different

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Why is this school finance ruling different from all other school finance rulings? For one thing, it was way more comprehensive. The changes needed to correct the constitutional violations [Judge John] Dietz identified could comprise the most far-reaching overhaul of … Continue reading →

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School finance system ruled unconstitutional

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Surely no one is surprised by this. The system Texas uses to fund public schools violates the state’s constitution by not providing enough money and failing to distribute the money in a fair way, a judge ruled Monday in a … Continue reading →

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How would you pay for extra school security?

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Would you be willing to tax yourself for it? Texas school districts could create special taxing districts to fund more security under a proposal unveiled Tuesday by three Houston-area lawmakers. The Texas School District Security Act would allow school boards … Continue reading →

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School finance dispatches

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Some bad news for the state in the school finance lawsuit. State District Judge John Dietz directed state attorneys Wednesday to redo a key study that underestimated the funding advantages of higher-wealth school districts — a blow to the state’s … Continue reading →

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