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24 May 2006
City Council action
A couple of items were (temporarily) put on hold during today's Council meeting.
First, funding for a day labor site was tagged by Councilmembers Toni Lawrence, Pam Holm, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, Michael Berry and Anne Clutterbuck (Item 54). Councilwoman Carol Alvarado was not pleased.
Second, approval of the red light camera contract with ATS was stalled again, this time by Councilmembers Addie Wiseman, Ron Green, Jarvis Johnson, Pam Holm, and Toni Lawrence (Item 22).
UPDATE: KTRH-740's story says the day labor site contract was delayed by Councilwoman Addie Wiseman, too.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/06 03:14 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (11)
21 October 2004
Council shelves expensive Tasers, for now
KPRC-2 reports that City Council today voted to put off a decision to purchase nearly $5 million in Taser equipment, a priority that we criticized last week.
Council member Addie Wiseman sounded a familiar theme:
"Personally, I believe we need more police officers out on the street. Here, we're being asked to spend millions of dollars. We're having to borrow money to make this purchase," said Addie Wiseman, a Houston City Councilwoman.
Onetime conservative Michael Berry, on the other hand, is disappointed that Council is reconsidering the expenditure:
"I wish we could have passed it today, but I think some people felt like they needed some more information. I've had my questions answered. I feel very comfortable with it. I'm a huge proponent of this Taser technology and I think we need to move forward with it," said Michael Berry, of the Houston City Council.
Rumor has it that that Councilman Berry also likes cotton candy and lollipops. A whole bunch!
Television reports showed that Police Chief Hurtt is still not wearing the HPD uniform.
MORE: Coverage from KTRK-13 and KHOU-11.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/21/04 12:00 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)
06 July 2005
Wiseman perturbs the city boss
KTRK-13's Miya Shay reports on today's city council meeting, where Houston MediaSource associates showed up to bark at councilmember Addie Wiseman, who seems to have barked right back at them.
Mayor Bill White sounds perturbed that a debate over the extent to which the city should fund vulgar/obscene speech on a public access channel has sidetracked other agenda items (like harassing citizens downtown, or designing shiny new HPD badges):
All the sniping has left the mayor a little frustrated.
"Has it taken a disproportionate amount of time, particularly by Councilwoman Wiseman?" the mayor asked himself. He answered with a "Yes."
We thought we had safely retired the Boss Hogg White nickname, but if he's going to start sounding like a city boss again....
UPDATE (07-07-2005): Matt Stiles covers the story for the Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Wiseman perturbs the city boss"> 07/06/05 10:13 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
30 May 2006
May 31st Council meeting
This week's Council meeting includes another chance to consider the day labor center contract, and Councilwoman Addie Wiseman has suggested the following amendment to that contract:
62. WRITTEN Motion by Council Member Wiseman to amend Item 62A below as follows:
E. RECRUITMENT/INTAKE/REGISTRATION/DOCUMENTATION PLAN, OF EXHIBIT B, CONTRACTOR, AND/OR ITS SUBCONTRACTORS OR DESIGNEES, will take action to verify that laborers wishing to utilize services at this location are authorized to work in the United States.
Laborers who do not meet criteria prescribed by OMB No. 1615-0047, will be prohibited from obtaining service at this location.”
Sounds reasonable enough.
Also, the red light camera contract is on the agenda again (Items 58 and 59). And can anyone translate this item?:
57. ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, HOUSTON, TEXAS, relating to the Regulation of Parking by providing for the transfer of the Residential Parking Permit Program to the Convention and Entertainment Facilities Department and the clarification of provisions concerning the adjudication of parking violations; containing findings and other provisions relating to the foregoing subject; providing an effective date; providing for severability
TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER WISEMAN
This was Item 20 on Agenda of May 24, 2006
I'm just wondering what that's all about.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/30/06 04:03 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (4)
29 December 2004
Some kinks in the new towing policy
The Los Angeles Times has a story on Houston's new towing policy, with this toward the end:
Motorists can tell the wrecker driver where to tow the car, within 30 miles. Members of AAA and other auto clubs offering roadside assistance will not be allowed to wait for a private tow truck. That was news to Henry Martinez, 54, who was checking under the hood of his SUV at a gas station on Tuesday.
"My auto club guarantees they'll be there in 15 minutes, and you mean I can't wait for them?" he said. "They can tow the other guy, but don't tow me."
I seem to remember, back when this was being publicly debated prior to the city council vote, Dan Patrick or Edd Hendee of KSEV-700, discussing this issue. One of them was interviewing someone about the downside of this towing proposal (I think it was a city councilperson, maybe Addie Wiseman) and that person pointed out that drivers who are members of a roadside assistance program, such as AAA, would not be allowed to wait for their program to send a tow truck. That struck a cord with KSEV and its listeners and the next day someone on the pro-towing side was forced to called in to either Patrick's or Hendee's show and provide assurances that this was not the case.
My memory is not absolutely clear on the details, but I am fairly certain I remember the basics of those two interviews. If any readers remember that interview and the people who were interviewed, we would appreciate comments or emails helping clarify, or correct, those details.
The idea of rapid towing is great in theory, but the actual policy has some big kinks that need to be worked out:
Advocates for the poor pointed out that under the law, a car could be impounded if the driver could not immediately pay for the tow; to get their vehicle back, drivers would then have to pay not only the tow charge but storage fees for their car.
"The impact it will have on people who can least afford it is certainly an issue," said Houston Councilwoman Addie Wiseman, who voted against the measure. "And senior citizens traveling through Houston in recreational vehicles run the risk of having to pay $1,500 for a heavy tow fee if their mobile vacation homes break down. This ordinance is flawed in every sense of the word."
Two state lawmakers from Houston have talked to her about reviewing the measure after the Legislature convenes on Jan. 11, Wiseman said.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 12/29/04 12:48 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (1)
08 June 2006
Isiah Carey whips the Mayor's press shop into action
We're becoming big fans of KRIV-26 reporter Isiah Carey's blog.
At first, it was the free-wheeling nature of the thing that captured our attention. One suspects that KRIV's news director either doesn't read the blog or doesn't get that whole "internet" thing, as the material can be a little raw.
The last couple of days, it's been fun just to watch Carey getting the Mayor's press shop hopping.
It seems Carey recently interviewed Addie Wiseman for KRIV. The on-air report mainly dealt with the MediaSource issue. However, Carey later posted an allegation from Wiseman that Mayor White's office was/is ignoring her requests on behalf of her district constituents.
Mayor White's press shop wasn't going to let THAT go unchallenged, of course, and they zipped over documents that they contend disproves Wiseman's allegations, which Carey has put in a new post.
It's going to be disappointing if KRIV ever gets a real news site, and puts a tighter leash on Carey.
In the meantime, though, if all it takes is a little negative publicity to get the Mayor's office to swing into action, maybe we could convince Carey to post more about surging crime and HPD's manpower shortage.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/08/06 09:35 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
18 October 2006
Smoking ban expansion passes overwhelmingly
After all the talk last week about possible amendments to the proposed smoking ban and lack of consensus and alleged uncertainty, Council today overwhelmingly expanded the smoking ban, approving the ordinance 13-2 while shooting down various amendments. Alexis Grant reports for the Chronicle:
The City Council voted today to extend Houston's indoor smoking ban to bars but to continue allowing smoking in outdoor patios and in bars that promote cigar smoking and derive significant revenue from tobacco sales.
The 13-2 vote was a victory for Mayor Bill White, who wanted to extend the ban while leaving some locations available for public smoking. The only dissenters were council members Addie Wiseman and Michael Berry, who had said previously that they opposed any extension of the ban and that the decision on whether to allow smoking should be up to individual businesses.
The council rejected several amendments that would have weakened the ordinance or extended its reach. The only amendment approved expands the ban to include meetings of nonprofit organizations at their own facilities.
Apparently, the influence of lobbyists on this issue (which concerned the Editorial LiveJournalists) was way overestimated, as Mayor White and Councilmember Alvarado easily won approval of the ban they wanted, and Councilmembers Berry and Wiseman stood in opposition to the ordinance, just as they promised they would all along. The best guess here is that some of these amendments were just window dressing to allow certain councilmembers to tell constituents they tried to improve the ordinance, but their colleagues wouldn't go along, and they had to do something.
The ordinance will not take effect until September 2007.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 10/18/06 01:19 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (22)
14 January 2005
There's still some $AFEclear opposition
State Sen. John Whitmire is not sold on Mayor White's proposed $AFEclear changes:
"I appreciate the city going back to the drawing board, but they need to stay there," said state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston.
"There is something wrong when people don't understand the plight of people who have zero money but could safely ... repair their automobile on the freeway shoulder," Whitmire said.
He said he is concerned that drivers who can neither pay towing fees nor qualify for free tows could lose their cars to storage yards, which would resell them. And he said police should not be providing a taxi service for the stranded passengers.
[snip]
Whitmire said there is support in the Legislature for requiring approval from the Texas Transportation Commission for cities' highway towing ordinances to ensure they are "reasonable and consistent with other jurisdictions."
"A high percentage of Houston motorists are from out of town, and as they pass through the different cities and the county there are different policies," Whitmire said.
Those last two paragraphs are interesting. It doesn't mean that $AFEclear would have to be shelved, but the Legislature might require Houston to have a freeway-clearing program that is in line with what other Texas cities do.
Councilwoman Addie Wiseman has her own concerns with the $AFEclear modifications:
Councilwoman Addie Wiseman, who voted against the ordinance, was skeptical of the proposed changes. "I fear that this latest knee-jerk move will only bring us additional legal problems. I don't think anything has been resolved here," she said.
Wiseman said she wants to see the exact language White will offer and where the money will come from. "Give us the numbers," she said. "When we looked through the budget last year, I didn't see a $300,000 slush fund sitting around. I want to know what will be sacrificed for this.
"Also, if vehicles on the shoulders present a safety hazard, then why are police vehicles allowed to sit there, with the officer standing behind them checking his radar?"
And Councilwoman Carol Mims-Galloway has asked Mayor White for a moratorium on the $AFEclear program until the changes are approved by city council. The old $AFEclear rules remain in effect until city council gives its okay, as one driver discovered:
Arlene Cuellar felt caught in the middle Wednesday when her disabled vehicle was towed from the South Loop and she had to shell out the fee. Under the current plan, she had to pay $78 -- $75 for the mandatory fee and $3 for extra mileage.
"I just don't think it's fair because I'm a single mother and really can't afford it. But what choice do you have?" Cuellar said.
Under the changes Houston City Council is expected to pass next week, Cuellar would have qualified for a free tow up to one mile.
"I saw on the news last night where it said they were going to try and do it up to a mile free and then you try to get your car fixed from there. But I asked (the wrecker driver) and he said, 'No, it's in the making but they're working on it,'" Cuellar said.
The Chronicle story also says that Councilwoman Galloway has asked Mayor White to have Houston partner with Harris County in the Motorist Assistance Program. That idea, of course, is loaded with common sense, but I would guess the mayor can't do that because of all the franchise fees the towing companies paid for freeway rights. The city does not want to give back that money.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/14/05 07:03 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
02 February 2005
City Council has revised $AFEclear
City Council has made a $AFEclear decision:
Houston's City Council decided today to give motorists with flat tires and empty gas tanks a break: Instead of paying $75 for mandatory tows, drivers stranded on the shoulder with easy-to-fix problems will be able to get free short-distance tows away from Houston's busy freeways.
The city will pay for tows under a mile by deducting it from the money that tow-truck drivers pay the city to participate in the Safe Clear program. If the city's tab reaches more than $75,000 for three months or $150,000 for six months, the City Council will have to revisit the issue.
[snip]
Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs failed in her bid to completely rescind the Safe Clear program, garnering only the support of Councilwoman Addie Wiseman.
"We can't put a Band-Aid on this situation, and there is no such thing as a free tow," she said at today's council meeting. "It is not a crime to have a flat, and it is not a crime to run out of gas."
Wiseman failed to push though at least a six-month moratorium, calling Safe Clear an "illegal seizure of people's personal property" and an "atrocity."
"We're toying with people's livelihoods," she said. "I'm offended by that."
Saying that the city government is inciting panic among its citizens, Wiseman cited Monday's death of a 77-year-old man killed when he ran across several lanes of traffic as a Safe Clear wrecker pulled up to his disabled vehicle. Police said Lawrence Kahng had run out of fuel on the East Freeway and was getting a can of gasoline when he ran into traffic.
Wiseman especially objected to towing cars not just from moving lanes of traffic but also from the shoulder. The amended ordinance approved today still requires motorists to pay for tows from lanes of moving traffic but allows the free short-distance tows if drivers manage to get their cars on to the shoulder.
RELATED: KPRC-2 coverage
UPDATE: KHOU-11 and KTRK-13 have posted stories on the city council approved changes to $AFEclear. It appears, as best I can decipher, that if your car breaks down in a traffic lane you will be charged $75. If you are involved in an accident, the tow will cost $124. So, get your car over to the shoulder, for that "free" tow! And as Dan Patrick reminds us, if you have a flat tire outside the city limits, be sure to drive on your rim until you get inside the city limits so Houston will pay someone to change your tire for you.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/02/05 02:08 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
16 February 2006
Bonusgate: Is yesterday's news just the beginning? (updated)
Further to the news that broke yesterday regarding the Mayor Pro Tem's office, Houblog today suggests that the practice of doling out illegitimate "bonuses" to municipal employees may extend well beyond the immediate scandal, and he gives some insight into the mechanism that may have been used to award such "bonuses."
Seriously, has anyone seen or heard from the City Controller?
Please read the Houblog post in its entirety. This investigation may become very interesting.
UPDATE (02-17-2006): Paul Bettencourt is guest hosting for Edd Hendee on KSEV-700, and is riled up over bonusgate. He just interviewed Councilmember Addie Wiseman, who also seemed flabbergasted over the bonusgate scandal. However, Councilmember Wiseman admitted on air that she has doled out much smaller bonuses -- technically "temporary pay increases" that would amount to a bonus of $1000 -- to her own employees. Neither she nor Bettencourt seemed to think this sleight of hand (which is the mechanism described by Houblog) is/was a big deal, because of the amount.
Hang on folks, because as Houblog suggests, a thorough investigation is liable to get very interesting.
Here is today's Chronicle coverage from Matt Stiles.
UPDATE 2 (02-17-2006): Houblog posts more today.
UPDATE 3 (02-17-2006): Rick Casey (yes, Rick Casey) has a column on this topic that's actually timely and substantive, and doesn't appear to crib too much from the work of others. Who knew he could pull that off?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/16/06 04:53 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (7)
03 February 2006
Oz Bar films patrons in restroom
It's about time for the local television news outlets to start their titillating "undercover" investigations for ratings purposes.
KHOU-11's Mark Greenblatt jumped right in last night with a report on cameras in the restrooms at the Oz Bar in north Houston.
The owner of the bar, Randy Ozburn, came off looking pretty bad in the KHOU report.
He compounded the problem just a while ago with a phone call to the Michael Berry show on KPRC-950. Ozburn repeatedly stuck foot in mouth. He also managed to sneak a "bullshit" bomb past the KPRC censors, at least on the streaming audio version.
Let's hope Councilmember Addie Wiseman wasn't listening, or Councilmember Berry and Ken Charles are likely to get all kinds of grief!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/03/06 09:54 AM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (3)
03 November 2004
Hurtt gets his stun guns
Two weeks ago, City Council shelved a decision to pay $5 million for Taser equipment.
KHOU-11 reports that City Council approved the purchase today.
It's good to know that city has $5 million to throw around for stun guns, but the Mayor and Council have yet to address HPD's manpower issues.
(11-04-2004 Update) Mike Snyder covers the story for the Chronicle. Councilmembers Addie Wiseman and Ada Edwards voted against the authorization, arguing against the expenditure in light of the fact the city has not addressed HPD manpower shortages. A Houston police officers' union also argued the city should forego Tasers and spend the money on addressing manpower problems.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 11/03/04 08:36 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)
14 December 2005
Council approves MediaSource contract
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reports that City Council has finally approved a contract with Houston MediaSource, the (recently) controversial custodian of the public access channel:
It took more than five months, but City Council today finally approved a contract for its cable public-access channel, Houston MediaSource.
The council, which rejected a previous contract in September over concerns about explicit programming, voted 11-4 to give the non-profit channel about $400,000 over the next six months.
[snip]
Voting against the contract, which includes new provisions for keeping potentially obscene material off the air, were council members Addie Wiseman, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, Michael Berry and Mark Ellis.
The six-month contract, coupled with the turnover at MediaSource, seems like a good idea. Council can revisit the issue in six months if problems persist.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/14/05 10:05 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (2)
13 January 2008
Mayor White warns Council to stick with his agenda
Did you see Carolyn Feibel's post last week on Chron.com's City Hall blog, about Mayor White's warning to the new city council?
Bill White began today with a little lecture to the newly-constituted council. He laid out three rules of diplomacy for everyone to follow, while half-apologizing if he came off as schoolmarmish.
Nevertheless, White made clear he wants council members to do their homework, read reports, go to committee meetings, and traffic in specifics, not loose rhetorical generalities.
His strongest admonition: don't exaggerate!
When giving examples of unacceptable exaggeration, White seemed to be alluding to the growing controversy over the 23-story Ashby high-rise proposed near Rice University, and the city's consideration of a traffic ordinance to limit its density.
Translation: Let my communication team set the agenda and the tone for issues, especially divisive ones.
Mayor White has to be especially relieved that Addie Wiseman has been term-limited out of Council.
Mayor White's warning comes off as heavy-handed considering councilmembers are elected by their constituents, not the mayor. Councilmembers answer to their constituencies, not Mayor White. But as we have seen in his previous two terms, Mayor White is a master at building consensus behind the scenes, and if he can't build a consensus (a rarity!), he won't press forward with an issue. Most of all, though, he does NOT appreciate surprises.
White also seemed to make a preemptive statement against those who might contend he is interfering in the Ashby high-rise plan because the neighborhood is home to politically active, influential and affluent residents.
"The most modest citizen and the most humble dwelling has every right of the most powerful citizen, no matter how much money they have," White said, apropos of nothing, it seemed.
Might that be directed at Councilman Jarvis Johnson, who said this when the initial Ashby high rise brouhaha erupted?
But Councilman Jarvis Johnson, who represents District B in northeast Houston, said residents of the poor and working-class neighborhoods he represents had a difficult time getting a sympathetic ear at City Hall when they complained about single-family housing developments with no parks or other amenities.
"The city said there were standards that we set that (the developers) followed," he said. "How can this community (Southampton) push the envelope so much?"
It's not hard to figure out why Southampton residents are getting preferential treatment, no matter how hard Mayor White and his press office try to characterize it otherwise.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 01/13/08 07:52 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
10 October 2007
County, city consider tax rate cut
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett has suggested cutting the county's property tax rate by one cent, and the Chronicle's Bill Murphy has the story:
Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday floated the idea of cutting the county's property tax rate 1 cent — a decrease that would save the average homeowner about $12 annually.
County Judge Ed Emmett, who will seek election next year to the post to which he was appointed this year, led the push for the tax cut.
He said appraisals on all types of property rose 12 percent on average this year, but county government doesn't require a 12 percent increase in tax revenue.
Commissioners Court will hold a public hearing on the proposed cut at 9 a.m. Tuesday, on the ninth floor of the Harris County Administration Building, 1001 Preston. The court will vote on the tax rate Oct. 23.
The current Harris County overall property tax rate is 63.99 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Commissioner El Franco Lee said he may support the cut if it does not harm delivery of needed services. But he called the proposed reduction nothing more than a token gesture.
He said Emmett is pressing for the cut because he is seeking election and thinks there is a sector of the public that will be impressed by even a small cut in the tax rate.
The "token gesture" of a one-cent reduction, when county revenues are increasing by 12 percent a year, is a welcome move.
We see the same issue at the city level, where Mayor White is proposing a smaller rate reduction, but the city's revenues will still go up by $80 million over the previous year, thanks to appraisal increases. As Councilmember Addie Wiseman notes, homeowners won't see any savings:
"A dramatic increase like that, it's an insult to the intelligence of the people of this city to say you're giving them a tax cut when, in fact, their taxes are increasing," said City Councilwoman Addie Wiseman. "Bottom line: When (taxpayers) go and write their checks, they won't see a decrease."
In today's Chronicle story, former county District Clerk Charles Bacarisse, who will run for the county judge seat in the Republican primary, is proposing a five-cent reduction. That would be great, except that it is highly unlikely to pass commissioners court. As the story notes, in 2004 commissioners defeated Judge Eckels proposed quarter-cent rate cut.
As County Tax Assessor Paul Bettencourt says, "Any property tax relief is good. Something is always better than nothing."
Yes. What would be even better is if government would limit its own growth. From Judge Emmett's press release:
“It seems to me that the rate of government growth is too high,” Emmett said. “That money needs to be put back in the hands of the community that earned it. My proposal today is meant to start a discussion. For me, it’s a matter of principle that the government should not grow faster than the economy or the community.”
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/10/07 05:47 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (16)
02 November 2006
Council to debate airport advertising contract
An airport advertising contract will be a topic for Council to discuss next week, and according to KHOU-11's Doug Miller, the advertising isn't aimed at passengers:
On the council agenda next week is an airport advertising contract: $600,000 a year for three years.
They’ve actually had a similar contract for the last four years, but now that it’s been put out for another bid some council members are asking a simple question: “Why in the world do Houston’s airports need to advertise?”
“If they want to fly into Houston, they’re going to have to fly into one of our airports and not our lakes,” said council member Addie Wiseman.
But aviation officials said passengers are not exactly the target here.
“The main target market is decision-makers at airlines, decision makers at distribution companies, all these kind of businesses that make the airports grow,” said Rich Fernandez with the Houston Aviation Department.
For example, the city’s building a new airport facility for perishable cargo like flowers and fruits.
Ads in trade journals could help convince foreign importers to fly their perishable goods into the U.S. through Houston.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/02/06 09:22 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (5)
21 April 2006
City extends contract of waste disposal company that ripped it off
KTRK-13 reported on Wednesday that City Council granted a one-year contract extension to a waste-disposal company that overbilled the city:
A garbage collection company that overbilled Houston taxpayers will continue picking up your trash.
On Wednesday, the Houston city council granted Republic Waste a one year contract extension. Our 13 Undercover team found that Republic charged the $2 million for hauling trash that didn't belong to Houston residents. Mayor White pointed out that Republic paid back the money and fired employees.
White says it's cheaper to renew the contract instead of taking bids for a new garbage contract.
Today's Chronicle coverage, which surprisingly credits KTRK for breaking the original story, goes into further detail:
Republic agreed in February to a $2 million settlement with the city, as well as a $140,000 reimbursement for the audit, which was completed last week.
A second phase of the audit by Controller Annise Parker will examine other aspects of city trash collection.
The first phase confirmed that Republic, which picks up trash for 86,000 households in Houston, charged the city for collecting and disposing of tons of garbage from other cities. The company has more than $50 million in city contracts.
A separate investigation linked the wrongdoing to several company employees and showed that top officials played no part in the scheme.
Will Flower, a spokesman for Republic, said Wednesday's council vote shows the city has confidence in his company.
Councilwomen Addie Wiseman and Shelley Sekula-Gibbs voted against the contract. Wiseman said the company misused taxpayer dollars and violated the public's trust.
The vote was 12-2. Councilman Ronald Green was absent.
Is this an example of "running the city like a business," as Mayor White likes to put it?
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/21/06 05:31 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
02 September 2005
Council approves new MediaSource board members
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reports that City Council has approved Mayor White's appointees to the Houston MediaSource board:
The new board members, approved by all but one council member, will replace those on the 15-member panel whose two-year terms expired at the end of last year.
The newly composed board now must deal with two months of controversy over the channel airing a few programs earlier this summer that had nudity and profanity. Council has repeatedly delayed renewal of MediaSource's $800,000 contract, which the panel is set to consider next week.
The programs also sparked a debate about whether the city could regulate the channel's content without inviting First Amendment lawsuits.
In response, Mayor Bill White proposed shaking up the board with new members who could offer fresh ideas.
Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs called the new board "a whitewash" that would do little to change the underlying issue: questions about content on the channel.
"I don't see this as any real change," she said, casting a "no" vote. "That's not really what the citizens of Houston deserve."
Councilwoman Addie Wiseman, who first raised the issue and has been the channel's chief critic, voted for the new board members.
It's Mayor White's style to work issues behind the scenes, wait for any controversy to die, and to act exactly as he intended all along. Appointing new board members to replace members whose terms had already expired is about the weakest response one might imagine. It's the equivalent of staying the course and still being able to say "I did something about this!"
The Mayor and his political staff knew well that critics of MediaSource wouldn't be able to sustain criticism and slow other city business for a long time. Mayor White simply outwaited the critics. Councilmember Sekula-Gibbs' solitary "no" vote was more opposition than I expected.
The contract vote itself could still be interesting, but the bet here is that Mayor White will find a way to include language that neutralizes Councilmember Wiseman politically, even if it doesn't truly address her concerns.
PREVIOUSLY: Mayor trying to save MediaSource contract.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/02/05 03:59 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)
23 June 2005
Spirit-filled city council approves mayor's budget
City council approved Mayor White's proposed budget yesterday and Matt Stiles provides some details:
The council, with two dissenting votes, approved the general fund — the tax- and fee-supported portion that covers city departments' operating costs — as part of a $3.2 billion overall budget that also includes enterprise funds such as those dedicated to aviation, water and sewer, and convention facilities.
About 64 percent of all nondebt costs in the general fund will go to public safety, which increased about $48 million, or 5.8 percent, in a budget that doesn't require large cuts or spending increases in most departments.
Part of the added public safety costs comes from $19 million set aside in the event that the city's firefighters approve a collective-bargaining deal in the coming weeks.
[snip]
"This is a strong mayor form of government. The mayor is going to always do what the mayor wants to do. There's very little that a council can do unless they are all united against the mayor," said Councilman Mark Goldberg.
Among several other amendments passed by the council was an $878,000 cap on city spending for the Safe Clear mandatory freeway towing program. That figure, which doesn't affect additional contributions to the program from the Metropolitan Transit Authority and tow-truck operators, was the fiscal 2006 Safe Clear expenditure estimated last week by Controller Annise Parker.
The two council members who voted against the budget, Addie Wiseman and Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, criticized the decision to issue $71 million in pension revenue bonds to help cover payments to pensions instead of using tax revenue.
"We're relying on $71 million in pension bonds, passing the burden on to future councils," Wiseman said.
The story also included this amusing quote:
"City Hall is operating in a businesslike fashion," White said. "There's a good spirit around the council table that we're working toward some common goals of creating a good quality of life in our neighborhoods, greater mobility and better value for the taxpayer dollar."
Aha. We can look to Councilman Mark Goldberg for the definition of "good spirit":
"This is a strong mayor form of government. The mayor is going to always do what the mayor wants to do. There's very little that a council can do unless they are all united against the mayor," said Councilman Mark Goldberg.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/23/05 11:04 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
31 May 2006
Red light camera contract passes
Houston’s controversial [plan] to install red light cameras at intersections has passed through a divided Houston City Council.
[snip]
Mayor Bill White’s administration worked hard to hustle up the votes for the plan.
It ultimately passed by a margin of 7 to 6.
Council members who voted for the plan were Jarvis Johnson, Anne Clutterbuck, M.J. Khan, Adrian Garcia, Carol Alvarado, Sue Lovell and Ron Green.
Those who voted against were Toni Lawrence, Ada Edwards, Addie Wiseman, M Holm, Shelly Sekula-Gibbs, and Michael Berry.
Councilman Peter Brown was absent.
Mayor White claimed the cameras will increase safety and save lives, but opponents argue that red light cameras are nothing more than an attempt to squeeze more revenues out of taxpayers.
American Traffic Solutions hopes to have the first cameras deployed in six weeks.
All of the yes votes are predictable, I think, except Anne Clutterbuck's. Her vote is disappointing.
It will be interesting to see if any lawsuits are filed once the cameras are installed.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/31/06 01:37 PM | Houston Transit | Technorati | Comments (4)
24 May 2006
City staffers helped facilitate Alvarado's personal business meetings
Matt Stiles has obtained some emails that indicate Councilwoman Carol Alvarado used city personnel to arrange meetings with a San Antonio businessman:
City Councilwoman Carol Alvarado used at least four city employees to arrange meetings with a business associate who paid her tens of thousands of dollars in consulting fees in recent years, according to e-mails obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
At least once, she asked her chief of staff to give the associate a ride, the e-mails show.
The messages from Alvarado's city e-mail account show that the employees scheduled meetings with San Antonio businessman Rudy Rodriguez, recently subpoenaed by local prosecutors who have opened a preliminary investigation into Rodriguez's relationship with Alvarado.
Rodriguez, former chair of the San Antonio River Walk Commission, has said he hired the councilwoman in 2002 to help expand his water-related development business in other cities.
Alvarado's lawyer, Rusty Hardin, says nothing unethical occurred, but others say that is not standard operating procedure:
"We wouldn't allow that," said Councilwoman Addie Wiseman, who owns a small business. "I keep my private life and council life so separate."
Other council employees, who asked not to be identified, confirmed the approach that Wiseman described: Council members block off time on their schedules for non-city events, but don't ask employees to schedule personal business appointments.
Alvarado's activities are of interest to prosecutors because she was mayor pro tem during a period when four employees in the Office of Mayor Pro Tem received bonuses that Alvarado and other city officials say were unauthorized. The employees have been fired.
At least one of them, office manager Rosita Hernandez, has said Alvarado authorized her bonuses because of extra work she did for the councilwoman. Alvarado has denied authorizing bonuses or requiring any staffers to perform non-city work.
Hernandez, who also served as the councilwoman's scheduler, was one of at least four Alvarado employees who helped arrange meetings with Rodriguez, according to e-mails. The e-mails examined by the Chronicle don't show other pro tem employees had contact with Rodriguez.
The messages, among thousands released to the Chronicle under the Texas Public Information Act, contain dozens of instances of Alvarado's employees arranging meetings with or fielding calls from Rodriguez.
There is much more in Stiles' story.
Even if Alvarado didn't do anything unethical, she has shown an amazing lack of good judgment for an elected official.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/06 08:46 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (3)
02 November 2006
City of Houston to increase total tax revenues
Well, this one flew under our radar: at the end of October, the city held two public input meetings regarding a property tax increase a proposal to increase total tax revenues (see forum for correction):
The City of Houston will hold a public hearing on a proposal to increase total tax revenues from properties on the tax roll in the preceding tax year by 2.45 percent (percentage by which proposed tax rate exceeds lower of rollback tax rate or effective tax calculated under Chapter 26, Tax Code).
The public notice continues on with much more information, including which councilmembers are for it and which are against it. Only Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and Addie Wiseman oppose the increase.
There is a second notice posted on the city's website that says the vote on the tax rate increase will occur on Wednesday, November 8th at 9 a.m. -- when most folks are at work. Of course, both public input meetings were held on weekday mornings as well.
PREVIOUSLY: City, METRO are enjoying sales tax windfall, Houston's sales tax revenue up almost 20%, Houston has a surplus and Mayor White doesn't want to share it
UPDATE: I have edited this post to reflect a correction in the forum.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 11/02/06 04:56 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (7)
09 July 2005
Wiseman wins converts on Houston MediaSource controversy
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reports that Houston MediaSource, the organization that came under fire from Councilmember Addie Wiseman a little over a week ago for allegedly running obscene/vulgar programming on a public access channel, now is coming under additional fire:
Until now, the battle over Houston MediaSource's programming largely has been waged on a limited front: the public-access channel's supporters against City Councilwoman Addie Wiseman.
Funny how airing nudity can change that.
Several council members who'd been ambivalent about the issue now say they can't support the channel's $800,000 contract with the city after a show featuring nude women aired Wednesday night.
"This absolutely has changed the dynamic of this whole debate," said Councilman Michael Berry, who said he now would vote against renewing the channel's contract. "This is no longer a free-speech-versus-censorship issue. This is about basic accountability and people who have no business putting on public programming."
The show in question, which KRIV (Channel 26) taped off the MediaSource channel, aired about 11 p.m. Wednesday — after almost 20 supporters appeared before the City Council to defend the channel against Wiseman's complaints of raunchy late-night programming.
It's also funny how people who were previously supportive of the public access channel airing obscene/vulgar material are now saying something completely different.
Here's Mayor White a few days ago, as reported by KTRK-13's Miya Shay:
All the sniping has left the mayor a little frustrated.
"Has it taken a disproportionate amount of time, particularly by Councilwoman Wiseman?" the mayor asked himself. He answered with a "Yes."
Here's Mayor White, as reported by Matt Stiles at the beginning of the controversy:
After Wiseman raised her concerns Wednesday, city lawyers began reviewing whether guidelines might be allowed, though Mayor Bill White said the city likely wouldn't have much discretion because of the First Amendment.
"Until we solve crime and traffic problems and redevelop every neighborhood, I certainly don't intend to be watching at 3 in the morning and making calls telling them what to put on TV," he said.
Here's Mayor White as reported by Matt Stiles today:
"I don't think that Houston MediaSource should get a contract unless there are some changes that would prevent an abuse," he said.
With that change of attitude complete, Mayor White now owes Councilmember Wiseman an apology.
Here is Councilmember Goldberg, as reported by Stiles at the beginning of the controversy:
Councilman Mark Goldberg ... said his colleagues should see the programming before forming opinions. He and others who voted against the delay cautioned about censorship.
"I don't think we should be about saying, 'OK, we like this program, we don't like this program,' " Goldberg said.
Here is more from Councilmember Goldberg, as reported by KHOU-11's Doug Miller at the beginning of the controversy:
"What this really is a censorship issue," argued Council Member Mark Goldberg.
[snip]
"Election time is coming up in November. There's not enough talk about, you know, the re-election for City Council. And this helps generate some extra talk," said Goldberg.
Here is Councilmember Goldberg, as reported by Stiles today:
Councilman Mark Goldberg, who chairs the committee, said he planned to show the video so his colleagues could see the material for themselves and ask for explanations.
"The purpose of the station is good," he said. "But if they are showing material that is a violation of our laws, we should reconsider whether or not we renew the contract."
With that change of attitude complete, Councilmember Goldberg also owes Councilmember Wiseman an apology.
What this longtime student of American constitutionalism continues to find obscene is the warped view of the First Amendment offered by the director of Houston MediaSource, Pat Garlinghouse. Here is Garlinghouse's contention, as conveyed by the Houston Chronicle editorial board (which apparently shares her erroneous view of the First Amendment):
Houston MediaSource executive director Pat Garlinghouse is a public access channel veteran who received awards for her work at a similar channel in Austin. She says any effort to censor content beyond what constitutes libel or violations of law is prohibited by the agreement between the city and cable operators. Producers sign contracts taking responsibility for the content of their shows, removing liability from the city, cable company and access channel managers.
"It's a First Amendment forum, and nothing can be censored," Garlinghouse stressed. "The FCC doesn't regulate us. Access channels are to be used by the public free and clear of all government intrusion."
Garlinghouse does not attempt prior restraint on producers by viewing and rating their shows in advance.
Prior restraint typically involves a court injunction to stop the publication or airing of certain material. Editorial judgment, on the other hand, involves media entities (like Houston MediaSource) determining whether material meets editorial standards (as set by the entity, or perhaps the city in the instance of a public access channel). When a Chronicle editor spikes a story, it would be nonsensical to call it prior restraint, just as it is nonsensical for Garlinghouse and the Chronicle editorial board to insist that First Amendment prior-restraint issues are in play here. The Chronicle editorial board was notably silent on one such local instance of prior restraint, so perhaps they are simply confused. It wouldn't be the first time.
First Amendment issues are not raised if a municipality simply sets reasonable standards for public access channels and asks those who oversee the content on those channels to enforce those standards. This is the argument that has been advanced from the start of this controversy to varying degrees by Councilmembers Wiseman, Mark Ellis, and Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. Stiles previously reported:
"It's not violating anyone's rights to say, 'We have standards of decency, and they've got to be adhered to,' " [Wiseman] said.
[snip]
Councilman Mark Ellis said that though he's concerned about censorship, he doesn't think the public would support the city financing material that is degrading to women, as Wiseman suggested about the comedy show.
"If we're going to be approving what basically is a tax to flow through to MediaSource, then we need to scrutinize who we are appointing to that board," he said.
Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who sought the delay based on Wiseman's concerns, said "vulgar" shows have no place on a city-owned channel.
"Free speech is important, but free speech has a limit when it starts to hurt society."
Nothing said by those three councilmembers suggests that they want to trample the First Amendment.
Finally, it's useful to recall the Houston Chronicle editorial board's typically hateful slam against Councilmember Wiseman:
Perhaps Wiseman's comments should be viewed as a routine designed to gather votes and contributions for her re-election campaign this fall.
Perhaps the Chronicle editorial board should also apologize to Councilmember Wiseman, who, at the moment, doesn't even have an opponent for her re-election campaign this fall!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ Wiseman wins converts on Houston MediaSource controversy"> 07/09/05 03:22 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (2)
28 October 2005
Houston's property tax "cut" (wink, wink)
City Council voted to cut Houston's property tax rate on Wednesday and Matt Stiles reported on the disagreement over whether or not it's really a tax cut:
The council cut the city's tax rate by a quarter of a penny. But a new state law, passed with the goal of increasing elected officials' accountability to homeowners, forced the council to declare formally that it had raised taxes, since rising property values will bring in more city revenue.
The new rate — 64.75 cents per $100 valuation — means the owner of a $100,000 assessed house will pay the city $518 in annual property taxes with a typical 20 percent homestead exemption. The previous rate was 65 cents per $100 valuation, under which that homeowner would have paid $520.
The vote came after a contentious, 90-minute debate about whether the action amounted to a tax cut — or whether it was an increase.
"Ultimately, there will be some people whose taxes go up and some people whose taxes go down, because of the actions of the appraisal district, not the city," Mayor Bill White said.
The appraisal district determines the market value of property for taxation.
As Edd Hendee and Paul Bettencourt pointed out yesterday on Edd's morning show, the mayor is being disingenuous. He knows full well what the city's funding wants are and he knows how much the average homeowner's bill will rise each year to help fund the city's wants -- eight to ten percent -- so for him to say that the appraisal district is the bad guy and not the city, well, he knows better. But, of course, he hopes the average Houston homeowner will fall for it and not blame him.
Council members Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and Addie Wiseman voted against the rate cut, saying that it was, indeed, an increase. They also said it didn't provide enough tax relief.
Sekula-Gibbs proposed a new rate of 64.17 cents per $100 valuation. That figure, she said, represented the "effective" tax rate, the amount that would keep revenue level with the previous year minus new appraised properties or exceptions.
The council, by a 10-5 margin, voted against considering her plan, which would have reduced the city's revenue for the current fiscal year by about $9 million, she said.
Wiseman, who had tense exchanges with White and others on the council, was adamant that the panel had increased taxes. She forced Councilman Adrian Garcia, who read the motion with the language required by the state law, to repeat the phrase twice.
"The decision here is to raise taxes, but by a smaller amount," said Wiseman, who later issued a news release describing her "outrage."
The debate grew so tense that Councilwoman Ada Edwards at one point interrupted, saying, "Ms. Wiseman, this is not your meeting. You have to have some respect for the decorum of this body."
The decorum, the process, the tradition. True politicians always value those things above any real substantive debate and action. No rocking the boat!
Good for Councilmembers Wiseman and Sekula-Gibbs. Texas homeowners ARE being run over, trampled on and spit upon, due to this state's broken taxation system. How much longer can governmental bureaucracies strangle the golden goose? We are going to find out.
Sedosi has some thoughts on this looming trainwreck:
The Municipalities? As seen here they are quite comfortable taking in 5-10% revenue increases annually while having a convenient scapegoat on hand to blame for rising tax values.
[snip]
The fact is next year the City of Houston will get a pay raise from taxpayers at a rate that is higher than the Cost of Living Index and population growth. Most of this increase will come on the backs of property owners who are already struggling under increased fuel and food prices.
Some will say that this isn't a problem, that the "issue" is Conservatives wanting to give more to the rich.
Except its not the rich that are going to be forced out of their homes, it's the poor and middle class that are feeling the crunch the hardest.
I would only add to those on-target points that even with a 65-exemption, many of Texas' retired homeowners cannot indefinitely afford property tax bills that increase much faster than their retirement funds do. Soon, very soon, Texas' system will have to be fixed and hard choices will have to be made. Unfortunately, many politicians prefer the ostrich-approach.
RELATED: Doug Miller's (KHOU-11) coverage, which gives the mayor and the city a pass. Miller needs some educatin' on Texas' property tax system with statements like this:
But of course, Houston's booming housing market brings higher home prices and higher home prices generally bring homeowners higher property tax bills.
No. On average Houston-area homes sell for eleven percent under fair market value. Which means that Houston homes are "worth" more than they are selling for. How did they get that higher worth? Appraisal increases that have nothing to do with a home's true worth! Appraisal increases, instead, are based on government funding wants.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 10/28/05 07:49 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (1)
08 June 2006
Council cuts MediaSource budget
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles gets us up to speed on yesterday's Council vote to cut funding to Houston MediaSource:
The City Council today extended the contract with the organization that runs Houston's cable public-access channel and gave it some extra money for equipment upgrades, but cut its budget by a third.
The action came a year after profanity and nudity on the public-access channel sparked controversy. Voting against the renewed contract with non-profit Houston MediaSource were Council members Addie Wiseman, who first complained last year about the channel's content, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and Michael Berry.
City officials insisted that the budget cut isn't related to the few examples of racy programming that aired last summer, among the hours of religious, community and political shows produced by the public for the channel. They said they plan similar spending cuts for Municipal Channel, which airs council meetings and other official programs.
[snip]
A little-known accounting move in the late 1990s played a key role in the decision, say city officials, who told the council they discovered in December that the channels had been getting more money than they were entitled to under franchise agreements with cable companies.
[snip]
Some at MediaSource, which spent its reserve funds and lost its executive director because of the programming scrutiny last year, are bracing for staffing cuts and worrying that they won't be able to serve the public effectively with less money.
In the minds of at least three councilmembers, the channel's past "service" to the public is the issue.
In a later story, Councilmember Anne Clutterbuck argues in favor of using the spending cuts to hire more police officers. That sounds like a winner!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/08/06 09:51 PM | Houston Media | Technorati | Comments (0)
21 December 2004
Council approves traffic cameras
Council today approved yet another of Mayor White's priorities, the generation of new revenues for the city via an automated red light/traffic camera system.
Interestingly, the KHOU-11 coverage indicates that road sensors will be deployed, meaning road construction and delays. That's a curious way to "get Houston moving," to borrow from the seemingly forgotten priorities enunciated in the Mayor's last election campaign.
So far, Mayor White has had few problems getting council to sign off on an agenda that has included Tasers, enriching downtown developers to create a new Central Park, enhancing municipal revenues with new downtown parking meters and expanded hours, reconfiguring the city's pension plan with some unusual arrangements regarding the city's convention center hotel, and enhancing municipal revenues via cameras at traffic lights. The only major initiative that Council has forced the Mayor to back down on was his proposed African American museum, which will almost certainly make another appearance down the road. Neither the Mayor nor his Council have, thus far, seemed interested in addressing HPD's ongoing manpower concerns.
COVERAGE: Ron Nissimov/Chronicle, KTRK-13, KHOU-11.
RELATED: Red-light running, from a Houston officer's view (Hans Marticiuc, Chronicle)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 12/21/04 10:27 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (0)
07 September 2006
Council expands (little-enforced?) civility ordinance
Last week, Councilmember Ada Edwards compared a proposed civility ordinance to racism:
"We just can't keep moving people from point to point," she said. "It reminds me of the signs that said 'no blacks served here.' I find it very offensive and very frustrating. We need to find a way other than to criminalize these people."
As KTRH-740's Brent Fuller reports, Council extended the civility ordinance this week:
Avondale, Old Sixth Ward and Hyde Park are now covered by the City of Houston's "civility ordinance," which bans sitting or lying down on sidewalks for most of the day and previously applied only to Midtown and downtown.
Some at City Hall say the law should apply citywide. "To say something is illegal on one street and not on another makes no sense," said Councilwoman Addie Wiseman.Discussion of a more inclusive ban has centered on whether a citywide ordinance could pass constitutional muster. City Attorney Arturo Michel says some proof of necessity will be key. He suggested that a ban on "sleeping" should be a part of any blanket ordinance, "because on its face, that could be a safety hazard."
Councilman Adrian Garcia is calling for a specific ban on urban camping and says the question is not "are you homeless?" but rather "are you sleeping in a temporary facility inside the city limits that is not a designated camping area?"
Vagrants and panhandlers don't take Council's weak efforts to cut down on street panhandling seriously, and it doesn't seem likely that they are going to take this ordinance seriously either. In fact, if you click on the thumbnail, you can pull up a larger photo on Flickr that shows a vagrant who has set up a tent on a vacant lot in Midtown (where a civility ordinance has already been applied, but has gone unenforced), right across from the rail station. I don't think this is the sort of "development" all the rail Houtopians have in mind as they carry on about the wonders of light rail.
RELATED COVERAGE: Chronicle.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/07/06 10:18 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (10)
05 April 2006
Higher ed and flying (inferior airlines) get more expensive in Houston
The cost of flying from Hobby Airport will soon be more expensive thanks to your elected officials on Houston City Council:
Travelers flying in and out of Houston's Hobby Airport will likely face a $3 fee on each ticket by year's end after City Council approved the surcharge Wednesday.
The fee, which would help pay for capital improvements, would apply only at Hobby, not at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. It now awaits the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is expected in about eight months.
"I think it makes sense to have users of the airport, airline companies and the passengers pay for airport improvements rather than shifting it onto the general public," Mayor Bill White said.
[snip]
Three council members — Addie Wiseman, Anne Clutterbuck and Ada Edwards — voted against the measure, saying passengers should not have to pay for the budgeting mistakes of airport officials.
"The fact that there is an inability to control spending or manage spending within the Houston Airport System gives me great concern," Wiseman said.
Councilwoman Pam Holm requested an audit of how the projects are managed.
While Southwest Airlines, which carries more than 80 percent of the passengers at Hobby, requested the fee, it would apply to passengers on all airlines that operate there. These carriers are AirTran Airways, American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Dallas-based Southwest said Wednesday it was pleased with the council's action.
"We support the implementation of the PFC, and we are pleased that it was approved," Southwest spokeswoman Paula Berg said. "This common funding mechanism will help the airport finance the current expansion project and protect Hobby's identity as a low-cost transportation alternative for the citizens of Houston."
No such charge is in place at Intercontinental because Houston-based Continental Airlines is against it. The company says it would make it less competitive with other airlines.
White said the city will have the option to suspend the fee if it drives customers away from Hobby.
Yeah, right. The next time that Mayor White suspends a fee -- any fee -- we'll post about it in bold, all caps. I'm never going to have to do that. But please, good readers, do remind me if it comes to pass.
That's yet another reason to fly Continental, the hometown airline, out of Bush Intercontinental, and avoid the inferior airlines that operate out of that other, inferior airport in town.
Speaking of the southeast side of town, the University of Houston has just passed on a big tuition increase to students:
University of Houston students will pay nearly 10 percent more in tuition and fees for the coming school year, the university system's regents decided Monday.
The tuition increase will bring the cost of attending UH-Main to $2,926 a semester for Texas residents taking a full-time load of 12 units, up from $2,663 this semester.
By agreeing to the plan, the regents followed the governing boards of the Texas A&M University and University of Texas systems, which recently approved their own similar increases. Campus leaders have defended higher rates as necessary to ensure quality in the face of shrinking state subsidies.
UH's tuition increase will generate about $27 million, with $6.4 million set aside for rising energy costs, Provost Donald Foss said. The new money also will allow the aspiring research institution to add 30 faculty members and provide 2 percent salary increases.
Foss said the additional faculty positions are needed to keep pace with hiring campaigns at Texas A&M and UT-Austin.
"To keep our place in the hierarchy," he said, "we have to improve."
Trying to keep your place -- let alone go Tier One -- can get expensive.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/05/06 10:47 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (0)
08 February 2006
This is running the city like a business?
KHOU-11's Doug Miller reports that our businessman-mayor is considering an advertising educational campaign for electricity firms that don't have their names attached to a football stadium:
Now, Houston’s mayor wants to encourage more people to shop around for their electricity. He’s talking about spending around $1 million on a public education campaign that would show Houstonians how to compare prices between different electricity providers.
The state government is deregulating electric rates.
“Most people, when they get a utility bill, think that there’s somebody out there looking at the rates of these companies,” Mayor Bill White said. “Now it’s going to have to be the consumers themselves rather than the city.”
“This being a capitalist society and not a socialist society,” said Houston City Councilmember Addie Wiseman.
But a couple of council members wonder whether the city government should get involved.
“Well, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing with these electricity rates, because it’s not just the original sticker price. There is a lot of add-ons that these companies have and some of them go out of business and so you find out that sticking with the original Houston company may turn out to be better even though it didn’t look like it at first,” said Houston City Councilmember Michael Berry.
Why can't electric companies competing for business educate potential consumers? Why does the city have to spearhead the effort (to the tune of $1 million)?
Interestingly, the Houston Chronicle editorial board floated this notion that not enough Houstonians were abandoning Reliant last summer. It's still not clear why this is a matter of public policy. Surely political journalists and the mayor's staff can come up with more important priorities for the mayor's second term than this. If not, perhaps they could invite the bH crew and commenters out for dinner some Wednesday night and we could help them out.
UPDATE (02-09-2006): Matt Stiles and Mike Snyder cover this story for the Chronicle.
Also, KTRK-13's Mike McGuff suggests in the comments that Jeff Ehling will have a related story on KTRK today at 4:55 pm.
UPDATE 2 (02-09-2006): Jeff Ehling's story is posted here.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/08/06 11:03 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (13)
26 May 2007
Council Agenda for May 30
It's been a while since I've looked at a City Council agenda, but thanks to Tom Bazan, I saw that the latest one has quite a few interesting items in it.
First is something that caught Tom's eye:
4. RECOMMENDATION from Director Building Services Department for approval of final contract amount of $2,429,031.86 and acceptance of work on contract with CARRERA CONSTRUCTION, INC for Sylvester Turner Park fka West Little York Park, WBS F-504B02-0002-4 - 21.20% over the original contract amount - DISTRICT A - LAWRENCE
Twenty-one percent over budget! Love how government operates. Instead of telling a contractor that they have to work within the accepted contract, and any cost overruns have to be eaten by the contractor, the city gives them more money. Any contractor that accepts city work should be expected to do its own homework to determine if a contract is reasonable when it is approved and accepted. Now imagine the cost overruns for Metro's rail lines and the Dynamo's soccer stadium.
We are still unclear why the City of Houston should be in the subsidized housing business, but it's a priority of Mayor White, so next up are items 39 through 45:
39. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and TEJANO CENTER FOR COMMUNITY CONCERNS to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $700,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of ten (10) affordable homes - DISTRICT H - GARCIA
40. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and AVENUE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $700,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of ten (10) affordable homes - DISTRICT H - GARCIA
41. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and GUIDING LIGHT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $420,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of six (6) affordable homes - DISTRICT D - EDWARDS
42. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and RE-WARD THIRD WARD to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $700,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of ten (10) affordable homes - DISTRICTS D ‑ EDWARDS and I ‑ ALVARADO
43. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and ACRES HOMES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $700,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of ten (10) affordable homes - DISTRICT B - JOHNSON
44. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing agreement between the City of Houston, WHITNEY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and MACSC AND HOUSING, INC to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $210,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of three (3) affordable homes - DISTRICT D ‑ EDWARDS
45. ORDINANCE approving and authorizing an agreement between the City of Houston, UNITY BANK and HOLMES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION to provide a second lien construction loan of Federal “HOME” Funds in the amount of $700,000.00 for eligible costs in connection with the construction of ten (10) affordable homes - DISTRICT D - EDWARDS
The HOME webpage states that "participating jurisdictions (PJs) match 25 cents of every dollar in program funds mobilizes community resources in support of affordable housing." Maybe someone can explain which entity will be paying the matching dollars -- City of Houston (taxpayers), or the partner group listed in each entry.
Finally there's this entry:
60. RECOMMENDATION for supplemental allocation of the following funds for Professional Civic Art and Conservation Administration Services Contract for the Houston Arts Alliance:
· $183,000.00 - Fire Consolidated Construction Fund
· $467,500.00 - W&S System Consolidated Construction Fund
· $369,000.00 - Police Consolidated Construction Fund
· $161,250.00 - Public Library Consolidated Construction Fund
· $187,800.00 - Parks Consolidated Construction Fund
· $140,000.00 - Public Health Consolidated Construction Fund
DISTRICTS B ‑ JOHNSON; D - EDWARDS; G - HOLM; H - GARCIA and I - ALVARADO
TAGGED BY COUNCIL MEMBER WISEMAN
This was Item 3 on Agenda of May 16, 2007
Ultimately the recommendation will pass, but we love that Addie Wiseman asks questions about agenda items.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/26/07 08:14 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (4)
07 April 2008
Discovery Green is people! *
Discovery Green, Mayor White's grand park is about to open officially, and we've started to see both national and local media coverage of the matter.
Several days ago, the Chicago Sun-Times raved about the park (while emphasizing it's a "petite" version of that great city's Millennium Park), and the New York Times seemed awfully excited about the park.
On Sunday, the Chronicle's Mike Snyder offered a more balanced look at Discovery Green. Being the more balanced (and less cheerleading) sorts ourselves, we thought we'd share a few excerpts:
When the City Council approved the $8 million outlay on Dec. 1, 2004, council members Addie Wiseman and Gordon Quan cast the only "no" votes. Both have since left the council because of term limits.
Wiseman dissented because there was no guarantee that general tax revenues would never be used for the park, and Quan said he was concerned because White's staff couldn't answer questions such as how parking would be provided. The decision to build a parking garage under Discovery Green was made later.
Another concern often expressed about downtown parks is that they're likely to attract homeless people. Root Memorial Square, a small city park just south of Discovery Green, was the site of homeless encampments for years.
Experts on designing urban parks say the best way to prevent this is to keep them filled with people and activity.
[snip]
Because Discovery Green is in a "challenging location," [Phil] Myrick said, it will have to offer compelling activities to attract visitors from far-flung neighborhoods.
"Consider your average person on a Saturday or Sunday. Are they really going to pack up the kids and head downtown, or stay closer to home?" Myrick asked. "If downtown is the only audience (for the park), it will be a terrible waste."
Guy Hagstette, the park's director, said he's keenly aware of this challenge. Planners have worked hard, he said, to develop attractions and activities that appeal to all kinds of people. Almost all of the activities, with the exception of model boats and parking in the underground garage, will be free.
People who enjoy trendy games can play bocce, an Italian sport similar to lawn-bowling, while more traditional Texans can pitch horseshoes. Part of the model boat pool will be frozen during winter months for ice skating. Children can frolic in a "mist tree" that also serves as a piece of public art and a place for joggers to cool off.
The Houston Public Library will offer indoor and outdoor reading rooms and plans to provide free WiFi service throughout the park.
Discovery Green is a lovely trinket, and perhaps it will draw heavy use from our diverse community. Who knows, we may have to have a blogHOUSTON bocce gathering some weekend (if we can figure out exactly how that might work).
Incidentally, we found Slampo's take on Discovery Green much more entertaining than the stuff from those Chicago and New York newspapers.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/07/08 09:57 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (15)
28 February 2006
Bonusgate scandal stays in the news
The new communications team advising embattled Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado can't be happy with today's publicity.
Then again, they helped generate some of it by insisting on the following correction in today's Chronicle:
In an interview for a story that appeared on Page B1 Wednesday about the $66,000 increase in the mayor pro tem budget for fiscal 2006, Houston City Councilwoman Carol Alvarado said, "I don't know why this $50,000, or $60,000, is such a hot issue." A word in her statement was misquoted.
That was just the morning dose of bonusgate. Later in the day, Councilmember Addie Wiseman revealed a letter to Mayor White that asks some very pointed questions as to why Council (not to mention the Harris County District Attorney and the general public) has largely been kept in the dark on the matter to date. Jim Thompson helpfully posts the letter on KHOU-11's news blog.
KTRK-13's Miya Shay proved nimble enough today to track down one of the four suspended staffers, but he didn't have a comment:
Christopher Mays is one of the four workers in the mayor pro tem's office accused of accepting improper bonuses. He's been suspended since the scandal broke, but he broke his silence with Eyewitness News.
It's been a difficult week and a half for Mays and the other employees who've been on suspension. There are lots of unknowns and rumors swirling around. Mays is reluctant to say much.
"It's pretty hectic," he said. "There are some pretty serious accusations, but I would just like to withhold any comment until the matter is fully investigated."
Not to get overly philosophical, but is it really breaking silence when one announces he will have no comment?
RELATED COVERAGE: Chronicle, KHOU-11.
BLOGVERSATION: Houblog (I, II), Isiah Carey's Insite.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/28/06 09:11 PM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Comments (8)
13 June 2005
Watch your rear -- red light cameras are coming
Last night KHOU-11's lead 10 p.m. story was about red light cameras coming to Houston -- soon.
And today Matt Stiles has a story in the Chronicle about the revenue-generating, uh...safety cameras:
"They are going up, you bet," said Mayor Bill White, during a recent news conference. "Every time that somebody is killed or seriously injured in an intersectional collision, where somebody was speeding through a red light, I and council members take that as a personal responsibility."
The timetable isn't certain for setting up the cameras, which the City Council approved in December. The goal is to have some working by the end of the year, city officials said.
What will Mayor White say the first time someone is killed in a rear-end collision due to a red light camera? He could have tried lengthening yellow light times, but dismissed that proven option. Councilwoman Addie Wiseman is quoted in the story as saying she wished the city would have studied yellow light times.
KHOU's story last night said the city will begin receiving bids within the next 30 days, to be followed up by test cameras at several intersections.
The citations would be civil documents technically issued against a car's owner rather than its driver, and would carry lower penalties than tickets written by officers who witness infractions.
The camera fine likely would be $50 to $75, compared with the criminal penalty of $215.
It's not hard to predict that city officials will raise those ticket prices down the road -- you know, in the name of safety. And, of course, the mayor will eventually proclaim the cameras a tremendous success (providing little statistical backup, à la SAFEClear), and say that Houston needs cameras at MORE intersections. That's what is going on in Washington, D.C.
The city — which might give the vendor a cut of ticket revenue to save money on the installation — also is exploring the option of setting up decoy cameras in some places to serve as deterrents, officials said.
Even decoy cameras or signs have their drawbacks, as one town in Ohio recently discovered:
A truck spilled gallons of corn syrup yesterday at the intersection of Yankee Road and Verity in Middletown, Ohio after its driver, Todd Hellrigel, panic-braked after seeing a red light camera sign. He wanted to avoid being ticketed.
[snip]
The sudden stop popped open the seal on the top of the trailer causing 4,500 gallons of corn syrup to begin spilling on the road, which had no red light camera -- just the sign. It took most of the day to clear the sticky substance from the intersection. Police did not cite Hellrigel who said that he was not speeding.
RELATED: Getting Rear-Ended by the Law (The Weekly Standard)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/13/05 07:37 AM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (2)
19 January 2006
Mayor White tables decision on Texas Municipal League
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reported today that Mayor White tabled a controversial proposal for the city to pay $68,000 in dues to the Texas Municipal League:
In another example of Mayor Bill White's desire for City Council harmony, his administration worked Wednesday to avoid a potentially fractious vote on using taxpayer money for a lobbying group that has fought property tax appraisal caps.
At issue was whether to pay $68,000 in dues to the Texas Municipal League, which represents the collective concerns of cities such as Houston before the Legislature and Congress.
The issue, which has sparked recent consternation among conservatives, likely would have been decided with a narrow victory for White — or perhaps even a defeat.
So the mayor, who acknowledged some reservations about using taxpayer money, pledged instead to raise the dues from private sources.
"If you build a consensus, you'll be more effective," he said after Wednesday's meeting, "as opposed to fighting over 68,000 bucks."
This reporting is a little unusual for Stiles, in that he usually reports facts in a fairly straightforward manner, and avoids the sorts of editorial assessments of Mayor White's desires that we see in the first paragraph.
As for the second bolded paragraph, Harris County Republican Chairman Jared Woodfill indicates that eight councilmembers (Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, Ron Green, Michael Berry, Toni Lawrence, Anne Clutterbuck, Addie Wiseman, M.J. Khan, and Pam Holm) indicated they were prepared to vote against the measure. Woodfill is not a disinterested party (he pushed hard for a no vote), so make of that what you will.
Substantively, Greg Wythe raised the following good questions:
It sure seems like there's a bit more to this story that the Chron left on the cutting room floor. The mayor has made something of a habit of finding private funds for things he can't quite get through council with bipartisan support. So what's the difference there? Doesn't that private funding for public services put things at the whim of the mayor just a bit too much? And if it's deemed that there's nothing improper about this funding mechanism, then where's the fundraising group for putting more cops on the street? ... something the mayor says is his overriding passion these days.
It seems to me that the Mayor tabled this proposal for a couple of reasons: 1) There was a real chance he could lose the vote -- remember when the MediaSource loss left him stammering and asking M.J. Kahn if he really understood how he was voting? -- and Mayor White doesn't like losing; and 2) Avoiding the vote and the controversy lets Mayor White sidestep an issue that could potentially come back to dog him if he decides to run for higher office and wants the support of the broader Harris County area.
BLOGVERSATION: Lone Star Times, Houblog.
UPDATE (01-20-2006): The Chronicle's Kristen Mack reports that Councilmember Green says he would have voted with the mayor.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 01/19/06 11:54 PM | Houston Politics | Technorati | Comments (5)
03 July 2005
Sunday Chron editorial page recycles "olds"
James Howard Gibbons must have been really eager to get out of the offices at 801 Texas Avenue on Friday to get started on a long weekend, because he certainly left a dud of an editorial page for Sunday readers.
There's a staff editorial that argues the U.S. needs to lower its dependence on oil, a cutting-edge notion.
There's a staff editorial that criticizes conservative city council member Addie Wiseman for the suggestion that perhaps the city ought to be interested in whether or not vulgar and/or obscene material is being broadcast on its public access channel. The same editorial board that favors restricting some political speech erroneously says the First Amendment means anything goes on public access; it does not. (Personally, I think it would be fun if devout Christians took over the channel and began proselytizing in the wee hours of the morning, just to see how quickly the editorial board would reverse course.)
There are the usual Sunday snoozers from Cragg Hines and Clay Robison.
And then there are the items chosen by Gibbons and crew to fill out the editorial page.
Four of those stand out: We can all learn from LBJ, Ev by Jack Valenti, Tom Cruise: You are out of control by Brooke Shields, Running away from America, until I stopped by Kennedy School student Fatina Abdrabboh, and Betting our future on the mirage of endless Saudi oil by Hubbert Peak enthusiast Michael T. Klare.
Valenti's op-ed first appeared in the New York Times on 24 June 2005.
Shields' op-ed first appeared in the New York Times on 1 July 2005.
As David Benzion points out, Abdrabboh's op-ed first appeared in the New York Times on 23 June 2005, and has been widely derided across the blogosphere.
Klare's op-ed first appeared in the Los Angeles Times on 27 June 2005. Klare is one of many Hubbert Peak enthusiasts who take disputed geological facts, make a series of (frequently unstated) economic and political assumptions, and then predict calamity in the very near future. Alan at Petrified Truth alerts us to Mr. Klare's association with any number of leftist political organizations, associations that go unmentioned in the op-ed and byline but that are not irrelevant given the political and economic assumptions involved.
All of these op-eds are old -- really old, in internet time.
James Howard Gibbons, who once lectured bloggers on the superiority of editorial pages in their ideal state, ought to be embarrassed that he put out this collection of "olds" and otherwise mediocre opinion writing in a Sunday edition, holiday weekend or not. Even if he is not, one would think folks higher up the food chain at Hearst might be concerned.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/03/05 07:00 PM | Houston Chronicle | Technorati | Comments (1)
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