Tag Archives: privatization

Private dam proposal withdrawn

Posted on October 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. After months of opposition by communities along the Llano River, the former CEO of Houston-based energy company Phillips 66 has withdrawn his permit application to build a private dam on his ranch in Edwards County, according to state … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Private dam proposal withdrawn

New frontiers in bad ideas

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Private dams. No, seriosuly. A private dam proposed on the South Llano River, a major tributary to the Highland Lakes, is the center of a debate in the Hill Country this week as a public hearing set for Thursday evening … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on New frontiers in bad ideas

The thing you need to know about the guy behind the “three million illegal votes” claim

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

He’s a known liar and grifter. When President-elect Donald Trump tweeted Sunday — without evidence — that “millions” of people voted illegally in the race for the White House, he invited a wrath of condemnation for again stoking doubts about … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why that empty private toll road has been so empty

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Someone did a study to try to answer that question. In the Austin area, more than 220,000 vehicles travel on I-35 on a daily basis. In contrast, SH 130, the tolled bypass around Austin only carries 40,000 vehicles daily. Why … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

We don’t want to share marriage with those icky gay people

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Ed Kilgore detects a new trend. Now that the Christian Right has been reduced to the sputtering defiance of Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal or to the sullen silence of many others, one can hope that conservative acceptance of same-sex … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More on Sheriff Hickman

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A profile of appointed Sheriff Ron Hickman that’s long on biography but short on policy. Hickman is 63 and has spent his entire career doing police work. No step on his path has been sudden or unanticipated. Hickman expressed interest … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

On driving the empty private toll road

Posted on February 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Robert Rivard takes a ride on the lonely private toll road SH 130. Let me explain: SH 130, completed in October 2012, runs from an intersection just east of Seguin on I-10 to an intersection just north of Georgetown on … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on On driving the empty private toll road

We still have those outsourcing blues

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We never learn from history. That’s just how we roll in this state. In 1991, the Texas attorney general’s office signed an $11 million contract to computerize its child-support payments system. By 1997, the deal with Andersen Consulting had ballooned … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We still have those outsourcing blues

The overcrowded jails of Montgomery County

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes it’s hard to be a County Commissioner. Montgomery County officials are facing a dilemma partly of their own making: What to do with an ever-growing jail population after selling off another lockup. The county’s jailers are struggling to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The overcrowded jails of Montgomery County

Building speculative privatized toll roads is risky business

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Just ask the Texas 130 investors. Moody’s Investor Service has downgraded the credit rating of the private company that built and operates the Texas 130 toll road extension, a rating that could continue to drop unless traffic “aggressively” grows on … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Report recommends against privatizing the Harris County jail

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Very good news. Privatizing the Harris County jail would be risky and may not result in savings, according to an internal county memo recommending that Commissioners Court keep the state’s largest lockup in Sheriff Adrian Garcia’s hands. The confidential Feb. … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jail privatization update

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Grits, from about two weeks ago: In a conference call last week with investors (see the transcript), Corrections Corporation of America said it expects to find out by next spring whether they will receive a contract to operate the Harris … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Jail privatization update

The helium shortage gets real

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It could affect Thanksgiving. “We’ve secured helium to meet some of our parade needs, and we are working to secure more,” Kim Stoilis, president and chief executive officer of the Houston Festival Foundation, said in an email Wednesday. “We’re excited … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Psych hospital privatization rejected

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Department of State Health Services has rejected a bid by Geo Care to privatize Kerrville State Hospital. Last year, legislators told State Health Services it had to solicit proposals from mental health providers that wanted to run one … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Psych hospital privatization rejected

Why are we paying for a privatized psych hospital?

Posted on September 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Makes no sense to me. The Department of State Health Services has spent more than $2 million on bond interest for a psychiatric hospital that it doesn’t own and that was championed by Senate Finance Chairman Tommy Williams. But that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Why are we paying for a privatized psych hospital?

Opposing the privatized psych hospital

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Some pushback on a bad idea. A coalition of influential Texas organizations is pushing back against the proposed privatization of a state psychiatric hospital by Geo Care, a subsidiary of a prison operations group that has a troubled history in … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Privatizing psych hospitals makes as much sense as privatizing prisons

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Especially when it’s the same outfit doing the privatizing in each case. Sixteen months after the Montgomery County Mental Health Treatment Facility opened in Conroe, the state’s first publicly funded, privately run psychiatric hospital is facing at least $53,000 in … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Suehs to retire

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner Tom Suehs will call it a career this August. Suehs’ announcement follows news last month that Billy Millwee, the state’s Medicaid director, was retiring, leaving an even bigger void than anticipated at the top … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Suehs to retire

Outsourcing Texas border security

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

What could possibly go wrong? A little-known private defense contractor from Virginia has quietly received about $20 million under a series of no-bid contracts with the State of Texas to develop its border security strategies, an effort that included shaping … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Outsourcing Texas border security

Thinking long term about the city’s finances

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

If you didn’t have to worry about practicality or implementation issues, what ideas would you have about improving the city’s long term financial health? That in a nutshell is the mission of the Long-Range Financial Management Task Force that was … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Weekend link dump for December 25

Posted on December 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few more hours till the after-Christmas sales start. Assuming there are any more Chistmases after this one. The case against Santa Claus. Trying to exert control over the presents your kids get is ultimately doomed to fail. How … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Weekend link dump for December 25

More on privatizing the Harris County jail

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Grits: On Sunday, Grits broke the news that Corrections Corporation of America had submitted a bid to manage the Harris County Jail, citing information given to investors about a county-issued RFP which hadn’t been reported in the local media. Last night, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

More Perry privatization problems

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Insert your favorite cliche about being shocked. The state of Texas has quietly outsourced the management of more than $1 billion in federal disaster recovery funds to an engineering firm with close ties to Gov. Rick Perry’s administration, paying the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on More Perry privatization problems

We’re running out of helium

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Am I the only one that finds this a little disturbing? Deep beneath the dry, dusty ground outside this Panhandle city lies something lighter than air: helium. But the supply of the gas that inflates balloons, cools MRI machines and … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Who wants to help build the Grand Parkway?

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The State of Texas wants to know. The Texas Department of Transportation, which has responsibility for the parkway in Harris, Montgomery and Chambers Counties, is moving toward use of a public-private partnership to get faster funding for the multibillion-dollar, 184-mile … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Council approves deal to spin off Convention Center

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Houston First, which merges the city’s Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department and the Houston Convention Center Hotel Corporation, which runs the Hilton Americas. The corporation will not have to come to the council to get expenses approved. The unionized … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More on the city’s convention center spinoff proposal

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This press release from the Mayor’s office about the proposed spinoff of the city’s convention business hit my inbox this afternoon: Mayor Annise Parker today recommended consolidation of the city’s Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department (CEFD) into the Houston Convention … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on the city’s convention center spinoff proposal

Spinning off the convention business

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city is looking to get out of the convention and entertainment business and maybe make a few bucks in the process. The city’s Convention and Entertainment Facilities department currently runs the George R. Brown Convention Center and other city-owned … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Jail privatization

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Does anyone really think that privatizing the Harris County Jail would be a good idea? The suggestion comes from Commissioner Steve Radack, who said the item is a way for the county to examine all ways of cutting costs as … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

More on paying for roads and other forms of transportation

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Given that the private toll road debate is set to gear up again in Texas, it is fortuitous that the Texas Public Interest Research Group, a/k/a TexPIRG, chose last week to release a report called Do Roads pay For Themselves? … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on paying for roads and other forms of transportation

Will we re-fight the toll road privatization battle?

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. I’m a little dubious, however. Over a long July Fourth weekend two years ago, with time running out on a chaotic special session, the Legislature refused to extend authority for the Texas Department of Transportation to contract with private … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

State officially begins the IBM termination process

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Been a long time coming. The state gave notice to IBM [last] week that it will terminate the troubled $863 million data center consolidation contract. The process could take a full two years as the Department of Information Resources finds … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on State officially begins the IBM termination process

We can learn from Indiana’s example

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Indiana decided a couple of years ago that it was paying too much for Medicaid, so they created to create a program called Healthy Indiana that provided vouchers for low income people to use to purchase private … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bye-bye, IBM

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Better luck next time. The Department of Information Resources appears to be giving up on IBM — once and for all. The agency isn’t formally terminating its contract with the information technology and business consulting giant, which was supposed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Bye-bye, IBM