Tag Archives: Sallie Alcorn

Houston re-ups its membership in H-GAC

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard not to get really effing discouraged sometimes. Houston City Council voted 9-4 to renew its membership in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Wednesday after fiery discussions over whether the city’s continued involvement violated the city charter. Council Members Tarsha Jackson, Abbie Kamin, Edward … Continue reading →

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Compost those pumpkins

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

News you can use. The day after Halloween, the city of Houston will roll out its annual effort to keep pumpkins out of landfills where they would contribute to the production of harmful greenhouse gases. The city’s Solid Waste Management … Continue reading →

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We’re not cutting our way out of this

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A preview of today’s budget debate from the Houston Landing. Four city council members are proposing a 5 percent increase in Houston’s property tax rate they say would enable the city to avoid $86 million in spending cuts and bring … Continue reading →

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Whitmire plays his greatest hits

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Mayor John Whitmire gave his first State of the City address this week. Here’s the preview story for what we were to expect. Mayor John Whitmire will lay out his administration’s priorities during his inaugural State of the City address … Continue reading →

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I got those “Same old HGAC” blues

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t see this resolving any time soon. Nearly seven months after Houston missed a deadline to increase its role in regional planning, negotiations with the Houston-Galveston Area Council have stalled indefinitely, despite a mandate by Houston voters in last … Continue reading →

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July 2024 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Senate and Congress State offices Harris County offices No preambles here. This used to be a dead time in the city electoral cycle, as no one was allowed to fundraise until the January of the election year. That’s long … Continue reading →

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HPD releases a dropped cases report

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Kudos for the serious review, but boy did this go on for a long time without anyone doing anything about it. Between 2016 and 2024, Houston Police Department leaders had multiple opportunities to question — and potentially stop — the … Continue reading →

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City Council versus HISD

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I doubt they can do anything, but I’m happy to watch them try. One year after the state takeover of Houston Independent School District, some City Council members are urging Mayor John Whitmire to take a more proactive approach in … Continue reading →

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Solid Waste study approved

Posted on May 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Could this be the precursor to a garbage fee? Maybe. As Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department faces ongoing challenges in providing basic services, such as consistent garbage collection and recycling pickup, City Council has promised to give the department a … Continue reading →

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January 2024 campaign finance reports – City of Houston

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: State offices Harris County offices Senate Congress I did a lot of posting before now on the city finance reports, so it’s probably best to summarize: 8 Day reports for Mayoral candidates 30 Day reports – that post was … Continue reading →

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It’s budget cut proposal time

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A familiar ritual. Facing a projected budget shortfall and costly settlement with the firefighters union, Mayor John Whitmire has directed most city departments to identify potential 5% budget cuts for the coming fiscal year. Finance Director Melissa Dubowski said Wednesday … Continue reading →

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How are the city’s talks with H-GAC going?

Posted on January 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Things seemed to be going reasonably well. The deadline had passed but no one seemed to fussed about it. Despite a deadline set by Houston voters for early January, the process to increase Houston’s role in regional planning will take … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: At Large #5

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Mayor’s race Controller’s race Harris Health bond referendum At Large #1 At Large #2 At Large #3 At Large #4 Returning to this as promised for the November elections. I will be doing the same for the runoffs shortly, … Continue reading →

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And now for the H-GAC negotiations

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Prop 2, the Fair For Houston ballot item, passed easily last week. The item charges the city of Houston to negotiate with H-GAC for a revised system of “proportional voting”. Those negotiations are next on the docket. Legal questions remain, … Continue reading →

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2023 election results: Houston and Harris County

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to be brief, and will have a longer look at things tomorrow. A bit more than 20% of the E-Day votes had been tallied as of 10 PM, but for the most part I’d say we had a … Continue reading →

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30 day campaign finance reports – At Large Council candidates

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: Mayor City Controller District Council And here are the At Large Council candidates. The January finance reports for city of Houston candidates are here, and the July reports are here. Dist Candidate Raised Spent Loan On Hand ============================================================ AL1 … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Cantu and Alcorn

Posted on October 10, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Two At Large endorsements are up, beginning with Richard Cantu in the open At Large #3 race. Perhaps it was coincidence that Richard Cantu, 54, sat in the center of the table at our screening with candidates for this race, … Continue reading →

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Ed Emmett opines against Prop B

Posted on October 9, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

He’s the first prominent local politician that I’m aware of to take this position. Promoted by a group called Fair for Houston, the petition is seeking to have cities’ and counties’ voting strength (within organizations such as the H-GAC board … Continue reading →

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City to provide some funding to B-Cycle

Posted on September 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to extend a half-million dollar lifeline to the city’s nonprofit bike share program, he said Wednesday. Turner said he will present City Council next week with a proposal to send funding to Houston Bike … Continue reading →

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Interview with CM Sallie Alcorn

Posted on September 14, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

There are three open At Large Council seats this year, which means there are two incumbents running for re-election. Council Member Sallie Alcorn is the incumbent in At Large #5, serving as the chair of the Regulatory and Neighborhood Affairs … Continue reading →

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July 2023 campaign finance reports: City of Houston, part 2

Posted on July 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Previously: Congress SD15 City of Houston, part 1 Harris County January finance reports for city of Houston candidates are here. This post will look at the various At Large candidates. I’ll do the district races and the Controller’s race later. … Continue reading →

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HCA Healthcare hacked

Posted on July 17, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

A national breach with Houston connections. HCA Healthcare, which operates more than a dozen hospitals in the Houston area, announced that personal information from as many as 11 million patients nationwide has been stolen in a data breach and could be sold … Continue reading →

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Chron story on Fair For Houston

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. Local advocates have launched a petition drive aimed at increasing the city’s voice on the Houston-Galveston Area Council, a 13-county regional planning council that has been criticized by Houston leaders for what they consider unfair federal fund allocation. Consisting of … Continue reading →

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A new proposal for adding sidewalks

Posted on January 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’d like to hear more about this. Some homeowners and developers soon may be able to opt out of requirements to build sidewalks and instead pay a fee into a new fund the city would use to build sidewalks across … Continue reading →

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January 2023 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s late January, so you know what that means: It’s campaign finance report time again. The reports of the greatest interest will be for the city of Houston, but I’ll be checking in on HISD, HCC, and Harris County as … Continue reading →

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July 2022 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re still more than a year out from the 2023 election, but we are now up to three serious conteners for Mayor, plus two others in the wild, so the finance reports are beginning to generate some real interest. The … Continue reading →

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City passes its budget

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not too much drama. Houston’s $5.7 billion budget for the next fiscal year includes a big jump in revenue from water bills, raises for all city employees and the largest unspent reserves in years. City Council voted 15-2 to adopt … Continue reading →

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Houston updates its noise ordinance

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This was probably inevitable, though it sure took a long time. Houston bars, nightclubs and restaurants must obtain new permits to play amplified music within 120 days under a revised ordinance aimed at cracking down on disruptive late-night noise without … Continue reading →

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Keep your hands off of the Harvey money, H-GAC

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously. You’ve done enough already. First, a regional council of government officials left Harris County and most of its cities out of a plan to distribute $488 million in federal flood mitigation funds stemming from Hurricane Harvey. As justification, the Houston-Galveston Area Council … Continue reading →

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January 2022 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on March 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

January finance reports are always worth a look, if only as a ritual to start the new year. We’re a year out from election season truly beginning for Houston, but as we now have two brand name contenders for Mayor … Continue reading →

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Et tu, H-GAC?

Posted on February 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

WTAF? Houston is slated to get just 2 percent of the regional council’s $488 million tranche for storm mitigation, angering city leaders who say the city consistently has been shorted when it comes to the federal money. The Houston-Galveston Area … Continue reading →

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Chip your dogs and cats

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the law now in Houston. The city now will now will require resident pet owners to get microchips for their dogs and cats, and will ban so-called ‘puppy mill’ breeders from providing animals to pet stores. City Council voted … Continue reading →

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Get ready to compost

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I hope this expands in the near future. The city launched a composting pilot program Wednesday, opening three sites where residents can drop off compost-friendly waste that otherwise would wind up in a landfill. The hope is the program will … Continue reading →

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July 2021 campaign finance reports: City of Houston

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

PREVIOUSLY: Congress, Harris County As we know, this is not an election year for city of Houston offices. That usually makes for a pretty dull summary of finance reports, since it’s just incumbents and about half of them are term-limited … Continue reading →

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