10 May 2006
San Antonio sues online travel companies
Last month Mayor White tried to convince City Council to approve his idea to go after online travel websites for underpaid hotel occupancy taxes. Controller Annise Parker and Council expressed skepticism that the city would be successful and the mayor's new revenue stream was (temporarily) tabled.
Today Charles Kuffner highlights the news that San Antonio beat Houston to the courthouse, filing suit against several online travel sites (although Kuff doesn't mention Mayor White's attempt to do the same):
Three Dallas-Fort Worth Web-based travel firms are among several that are being sued for millions of dollars on the grounds that they didn't properly remit taxes for hotel stays arranged through the companies.
Dallas-based Hotels.com and Travelweb and Southlake-based Travelocity.com, a subsidiary of Sabre Holdings Corp. (NYSE: TSG), were among 19 firms that allegedly underpaid hotel occupancy taxes in violation of state and local tax laws, according to a press release from the city of San Antonio.
[snip]
The suit was filed in federal district court in San Antonio Monday morning, said Steve Wolens, of the Dallas office of Baron & Budd P.C., who is working with the city of San Antonio.
Can Houston be far behind?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/10/06 01:43 PM |
Time to scale back Metro's eminent domain authority?
We've posted before on Metro's eye-popping ability to condemn land -- a 1,500-foot radius around any transit station -- and now state Rep. Martha Wong is contemplating doing something to reduce that:
State Rep. Martha Wong (R-Houston) says her staff is reviewing the transit agency's condemnation authority and could propose limiting legislation in the near future.
Wrangling over a light rail segment along a stretch of Richmond Avenue in Wong's district has raised questions about a 1978 decision by the Texas Legislature that gives Metro the power to condemn property within 1,500 feet -- about the length of five football fields -- of a transit station.
The allowed range is far too excessive for Wong, who looks to adjust the distance allowed in the enabling legislation passed almost 40 years ago.
Says Wong: "They could buy up the Galleria basically if they wanted to do that. They could claim eminent domain there."
All for the greater good, you know.
As always with a Jenna Colley story, there is much more to read and digest.
Sidenote: I wonder what the CTC thinks of Metro's condemnation authority. The CTC has said before that the Harris County Toll Road Authority has too much eminent domain power. Surely they'd agree that Metro's power is worrisome?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/10/06 07:29 AM |
04 May 2006
Chron: City may soon hit Proposition 1 cap
The Chronicle's Dan Feldstein reports that property tax collections in Houston may soon exceed what is allowed under Proposition 1:
Houston homeowners could get a tax break as early as next year because of a revenue cap voters approved two years ago.
In a twist of circumstances, however, the relief likely will come from a cap supported by Mayor Bill White rather than from a competing measure that supporters said would be more effective.
Tax activists thundered against White's Proposition 1 when he wrote it to counter their Proposition 2, saying he was trying to fool voters.
Proposition 2 mandates that total city revenue collections — from property taxes, sales taxes and all other sources — cannot exceed the previous year's total plus the rate of inflation and population growth. If they do, taxpayers get a rebate.
Proposition 1 puts a loose cap on water rates and hones in on property taxes. Under its rules, City Council must set a property tax rate each year so that collections don't rise more than 4.5 percent or the rate of inflation plus population growth, whichever is lower.
[snip]
With only two months left in the city's fiscal year, estimates show a 4.9 percent rise in property tax collections, busting Proposition 1's 4.5 percent cap. That means this fall, when Council sets a new tax rate, it will have to roll back its base collection number, and that could mean a mandated tax rate cut, White and City Controller Annise Parker said this week.
Feldstein is correct to note the "twist of circumstances." Although advocates of limited government generally have good reason to fear the creativity of municipal officials when it comes to new revenue streams, the fact is that runaway appraisal creep is much more of a pressing problem. At one time, Dan Patrick and the CLOUT activists were dismissed as cranks for calling it a pressing problem. They're not dismissed so easily these days.
Whatever Bill White's motivation for supporting Proposition 1, taxpayers can certainly thank the mayor for any relief it provides.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/04/06 09:19 PM |
02 May 2006
HPD offers assurances that illegal immigrants are safe
From KTRH-740:
The Houston Police Department's crackdown on crime in the southwest part of town leads to some confusion over whether officers are cracking down on illegal immigrants.
HPD's mobile command unit, which is essentially at police station on wheels, is being moved today from an apartment complex off Fondren over to Sharsptown mall.
HPD Fondren division captain Bruce Williams tells KTRH that when they first rolled the mobile command unit out, there was some concern that they were using it to help round up illegal immigrants.
Williams says, "They thought we were doing some sort of enforcement with immigration...we're not only not doing that...we're prohibited from doing that."
HPD does have its (un)official sanctuary policy (memo, general order, guideline, whatever) to think of, you know. And we certainly wouldn't want any law and order stuff to get in the way of a memo written 14 years ago.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/02/06 02:52 PM |
25 April 2006
Controller Parker shuts down special Council bank accounts
KHOU-11's News Blog reports an interesting little thing that was discovered during the Bonusgate investigation and how it's now been shut down:
Houston City Controller shuts down 11 special bank accounts set up by councilmembers and routed through the city's books.
Houston City Controller Annise Parker has shut down 11 special bank accounts set up by several councilmembers.
Parker says she closed the accounts in order to prevent any inadvertent violations of campaign finance laws or city laws.
The accounts, which were discovered during the mayor pro tem bonus scandal investigation, were set up to raise donations for community events.
They were operated as non-profits under the control of individual council members.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Let's see, today is April 25.
Here is what the Chronicle editorial board wrote about the matter on March 8:
The district attorney is deciding whether to charge the four city employees. With both Mayor White and Councilwoman Alvarado providing full cooperation, the investigation of City Hall's bonusgate should be quickly put behind us.
It's a good thing nobody in town pays much attention to the Chronicle editorial board and the investigation continues. Otherwise, who knows how many "inadvertent" abuses might have occurred?
UPDATE (04-26-2006): KHOU posts a news report, as does the Chronicle.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/25/06 04:21 PM |
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 |
15 April 2006
Chron editorial board neglects notable local example of collegiality
The Chronicle's Editorial LiveJournalists went on (and on and on and on) today about women and politics, with all the expected clichés about the more collegial environment that allegedly results from greater representation by women.
Here's an excerpt:
As it turns out, women do bring a distinct character to Congress — but it's not their politics. It's their greater focus on party-neutral legislation that aids mothers and children — and a more collegial way of doing business.
Locally, as Callie reminded me earlier, we've seen that more collegial approach manifest itself in the (temporarily!) former Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado (allegedly) calling fellow female councilmember Shelley Sekula-Gibbs a "bitch" during public proceedings.
Maybe the clichés of the Editorial LiveJournalists only apply to Congress.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/15/06 09:55 PM |
13 April 2006
KHOU: Alvarado received warnings from F&A on spending
As Anne Linehan noted in an update to this post, KHOU-11 obtained a copy of the documents compiled by the Houston Office of Inspector General on the City Hall payroll scandal. Here's an excerpt of Doug Miller's reporting from earlier:
For the first time, it was revealed that a warning from the Finance and Administration Department had been sent to the mayor pro tem's office, with a copy sent directly to Councilmember Carol Alvarado via e-mail.
It said the office was going over budget and specifically mentioned the bonuses Alvarado said she knew nothing about
There was also a handwritten note from a finance and administration official saying that one of the employees who was getting big bonuses was warned the office was going way over budget.
KHOU has helpfully posted the OIG documents to its website (warning: the pdf appears to be large). I haven't had a chance to download and read it yet, but readers are more than welcome to leave comments about it.
It will be interesting to see how Councilmember Alvarado's PR team spins this latest information.
RELATED: Houblog.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/13/06 10:28 PM |
Who read the F&A email warning of bonuses? (updated)
In today's Chronicle, Alexis Grant and Matt Stiles expound on Tuesday's Civil Service Commission hearing for the four fired Bonusgate employees:
Alvarado, who has stepped down temporarily as mayor pro tem while Harris County prosecutors investigate the payments, said she did not approve extra pay. But Hernandez said she and the other employees earned the bonuses for doing extra tasks, including projects for Alvarado's re-election campaign.
Alvarado denied requiring them work on her campaign, or that they did so on city time.
Hernandez's attorney, Walter A. Boyd III, said Alvarado's latest comments were just shifting the blame away from her own lax oversight of the pro tem office.
He noted that city finance officials had copied the councilwoman an April 2005 e-mail, revealed at Tuesday's hearing, that mentioned $18,000 in bonuses for pro tem employees.
"This is inconsistent with her continued and repeated denials of her knowledge and involvement," Boyd said.
Alvarado said she didn't remember reading the e-mail.
What's interesting about the city finance department email is this from Controller Annise Parker:
When consecutive bonus requests were received, Controllers Office staff requested confirmation from F&A that the bonuses were authorized. When the bonuses continued, they contacted the Mayor Pro Tem office and were informed that the authorizing staffers had full signature authority, which was confirmed.
Who gave confirmation is not stated. If confirmation was given by Rosie Hernandez, then that's more proof that Councilwoman Alvarado took a remarkably hands-off approach to managing her staff and day-to-day office happenings.
Also included in today's Chron story is the news of a new legal defense fund for Alvarado set up by former state representative Al Luna. Attorney Rusty Hardin doesn't come cheap, you know.
UPDATE: Whoa! KHOU-11 got a look at a 264 page OIG compilation report:
For the first time, it was revealed that a warning from the Finance and Administration Department had been sent to the mayor pro tem's office, with a copy sent directly to Councilmember Carol Alvarado via e-mail.
It said the office was going over budget and specifically mentioned the bonuses Alvarado said she knew nothing about
There was also a handwritten note from a finance and administration official saying that one of the employees who was getting big bonuses was warned the office was going way over budget.
Alvarado still maintained in Tuesday's Civil Service hearing that she knew nothing about the bonuses and it was all the fault of renegade employees. Hmmmm.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/13/06 09:35 AM |
12 April 2006
White plan to sue internet travel companies delayed by council
The Houston Business Journal notes that Mayor White's plan to hire outside legal counsel to sue internet travel companies has been held up by City Council:
The city delayed a vote on Wednesday on a measure that calls for hiring Houston-based commercial litigation firm Gibbs & Bruns LLP to investigate whether city has any legitimate legal claims to taxes online travel companies don't pay on rooms they buy in bulk and then resell to online consumers.
Typically, online companies pay taxes on the price they pay, but not on the mark-up paid by customers. If taxed on that difference, the companies would be obligated pay to millions of dollars in back taxes to the city.
[snip]
As a whole, the state's tax code does not directly address the issue -- a modern dilemma spawned by the nebulous nature of online retail activity.
"This is a very gray area," said Councilmember Carol Alvarado. "Even the state comptroller doesn't know what should be taxed."
[snip]
If hired, Gibbs & Bruns would represent the City of Houston on a contingency fee basis, with the city paying the firm a percentage of the money it might win from the online companies on a sliding scale.
According to its proposed contract with Gibbs & Bruns, the city would pay the firm 30 percent of the first $15 million it recovers, plus 25 percent of any award over $15 million up to $25 million. If the city is awarded a higher claim, then the firm would earn more. Gibbs & Bruns would also be reimbursed for any expenses incurred as part of the effort.
But the nature of the uncharted legal territory has some city officials cautious of pursuing the legal action.
Jenna Colley does not report which members of council tagged the item. Anne Linehan, however, helpfully pointed out to me earlier that the item was tagged by Councilmembers Wiseman, Holm, and Sekula-Gibbs.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/12/06 11:39 PM |
New Bonusgate revelations emerge from Civil Service hearing
The Mayor Pro Tem employees who were fired by the city have had their firings upheld by the Civil Service Commission, but they didn't go down without a fight, and there are some new revelations about Bonusgate:
The Civil Service Commission for Municipal Employees rejected their appeals early this morning after a marathon hearing in which Councilwoman Carol Alvarado and a former employee gave conflicting, sworn testimony about whether she gave permission for four employees to get large bonuses.
[snip]
But attorneys for the employees elicited revelations that Alvarado had been notified that pro tem employees were getting large bonuses, and that her council office employees received significant pay increases.
Alvarado denied ever reading the notification, saying she was copied an e-mail that she apparently never read. In it, finance officials said the pro tem employees received $18,000 in bonuses in fiscal 2005.
She also said the fact that her employees received higher salaries for a few months in early 2005 was a mistake by Hernandez. She said the extra money was a misunderstanding that was corrected after a few months, and that she stayed within her annual budget by reducing the same employees' pay.
KHOU-11 has more on the pay raises at Alvarado's district office:
During the meeting on the bonuses Tuesday night, Alvarado said that Rosie Hernandez was ordered to give yearly pay raises to the staff in her District I office.
Instead, Hernandez reportedly gave the total yearly raises on every bi-weekly pay check.
That was discovered in the spring of 2005.
We asked Alvarado the obvious question, why didn't she fire Hernandez back then?
"Now that I look back upon it, I'm not sure if that was an honest mistake. She may have been doing it intentionally to make it look like this was happening in both offices. But immediately, when we discovered what was happening, it was corrected, and my district staff took a cut in pay," Alvarado said.
Well, well. Alvarado admits Hernandez was authorized to give pay raises to her district office staff. Allegedly Hernandez didn't handle the raise the way Alvarado intended, but still. Up until now I believe (glancing through bH's archives) Alvarado has claimed ignorance about any sort of pay raise. Now she admits she did tell Hernandez to take care of the paperwork for bonuses for her district office. And let's not forget that "Alvarado tried to change the system in order to give one of the accused employees, Rosie Hernandez, more power over payroll." Other council members put the brakes on that plan.
This is not to say that Councilwoman Alvarado has done anything wrong, but it would seem that some of her actions (and a tremendous lack of oversight) allowed the improper bonus problem to snowball out of control.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: Does this mean that there IS a fireable offense at the City of Houston?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/12/06 06:32 AM |
11 April 2006
Was she marching on her lunch break?
From Chron.com's NewsWatch: Immigration blog in a post on yesterday's downtown march:
While most protesters opted for cushy sandals or sneakers, Emily Patterson marched on in two inch black heels - and a gray business suit.
Over the deafening sound of cheers echoing under an overpass, Patterson said she didn't feel out of place. Patterson is a criminal defense attorney with the Mayor's Advisory Committee on Immigrants and Refugee affairs.
"Everyone's effected [sic] by immigration,'' she said.
Wow. (You can visit MACIRA's page on the city's website here.)
Which gets me wondering if any other city employees were out marching yesterday.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/11/06 10:55 AM |
10 April 2006
Greater Houston Partnership enters University line fray
Rad Sallee brings us the news that the Greater Houston Partnership is backing Metro's efforts to consider a Richmond light rail line, without the need for a new referendum:
The Greater Houston Partnership, whose clout helped get the Metropolitan Transit Authority's first light rail line built, upped the ante with a resolution saying Metro should be allowed to explore alternative routes without having to fight another referendum campaign.
Metro's $2 billion long-term transit plan would be "severely impacted and delayed" by another referendum, the resolution says.
With the route studies in progress, it says, "it is premature and ill-advised to eliminate alternative alignments."
The GHP's press release is here (pdf) and includes this:
We should evaluate before we decide, instead of deciding before we evaluate.
Ummm, didn't Metro evaluate and decide when IT wrote up the 2003 referendum?
I do wish Sallee had pointed out that three of Metro's board members are also on the board of the Greater Houston Partnership: David Wolff, Gerald B. Smith, and George DeMontrond. It does seem worth mentioning.
And as an aside, at this week's city council meeting Mayor White will be offering up some renominations for Metro's board:
2. REQUEST from Mayor for confirmation of the reappointment of the following to the Board of the METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY, for two year terms:
·Position 1 - MR. DAVID WOLFF
·Position 2 - MR. GEORGE A. DEMONTROND, III
·Position 3 - MR. JAMES W. E. DIXON, II
·Position 4 - MS. CARMEN ORTA
·Position 5 - MR. GERALD B. SMITH
(Thanks to Tom Bazan for the heads up on that last bit.)
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/10/06 06:56 PM |
06 April 2006
New parking meters: world class, cutting edge AND trailblazing!
From KHOU-11's story:
This project represents the nation’s first parking meter system that does not rely on a cellular network but will communicate using a dedicated 802.11g WiFi network.
Uh oh. Why does that sound familiar?
In 1999, former Houston Mayor Lee Brown trumpeted Houston as the first city to have a completely automated water meter reading system.
[snip]
Johnson said part of the problem is the new meters did not stand up that well to Houston's climate.
"This is cutting edge technology. Nobody has ever done this before in a city this size," he said.
Oh dear.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/06/06 06:44 AM |
30 March 2006
FBI enters City Hall probe
The FBI has requested Councilwoman Carol Alvarado's bank records:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation asked for the bank records of Houston City Councilwoman Carol Alvarado as it entered the investigation into improper bonuses at City Hall, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.
It's the first indication that the federal government is involved in the probe.
The FBI request is for all of Alvarado's bank accounts, open or closed. It went out Wednesday to major banks across the country through what's known as the loss avoidance alert system, which is an electronic network connecting banks with law enforcement.
The FBI would not comment on the investigation. But Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal confirmed for KPRC that the federal request was made.
As usual, Alvarado's attorney, Rusty Hardin, says this was completely expected, which means the councilwoman must've said, "Sí, yo puedo."
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/30/06 06:13 PM |
29 March 2006
DA's office delivers Bonusgate subpoenas
The city hall probe rolls along, as grand jury subpoenas are handed out:
The district attorney's office handed out grand jury subpoenas Wednesday. One went to the mayor pro tem's office and a number went to other city departments.
The grand jury subpoena was delivered to the office of the mayor pro tem around noon on Wednesday. It asked that the acting mayor pro tem, Michael Berry, appear in front of the grand jury Friday morning. Or, in lieu of that action, to deliver a series of documents requested by the district attorney's office.
The subpoena asks for documents detailing the bonus policies and procedures, not only in the mayor pro tem's office, but in the offices of every single councilmember, though Carol Alvarado's spokesperson says she hasn't received a subpoena yet.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/29/06 07:15 PM |
Another boondoggle to add to the Lee P. Brown files
This KPRC-2 story on Houston's (not-functioning-very-well) automated water meter reading system is mind-blowing:
In 1999, former Houston Mayor Lee Brown trumpeted Houston as the first city to have a completely automated water meter reading system.
The goal of the program was to save the city millions of dollars by eliminating a small army of employees who physically read the meters. Instead, radio transmitters beam the information from the meter to a computer in a van as it drives by.
The project was supposed to cost $50 million and be complete in 2003. Instead, it's now costing approximately $75 million and won't be complete until 2008.
"The failure rate is beyond anything that we should have experienced," Houston City Controller Annise Parker said.
The Troubleshooters started asking questions about this program last summer. That prompted Parker to do her own review. She found the radio transmitters on the water meters have a 47 percent failure rate.
Forty-seven percent failure rate? $25 million cost overrun? Where's THAT money coming from?
But wait, it gets worse:
"That's something that we're not really proud of," said Wes Johnson, with the public works department.
Johnson said part of the problem is the new meters did not stand up that well to Houston's climate.
"This is cutting edge technology. Nobody has ever done this before in a city this size," he said.
Holy cow. A $50 million project with cutting edge technology that had never been done on this scale before, and no one thought to ask if it could stand up to Houston's weather??? Again, who's footing the bill for all this?
But wait, there's more:
The other part of the problem came when the city first started installing the transmitters. Initially, city employees did the work.
"A significant number of these were damaged. Some of our guys and gals didn't exactly know how to install them and damaged them during installation," Johnson said.
Aaargh!
But wait, there's even more:
But that's not the end of it. There are still at least 55,000 of the transmitters that are not working, are out of warranty and the city has no idea why they won't work.
"It almost reminds you of the $700 toilet that the Air Force bought years ago. It's sort of like, 'How bad can it get for the taxpayer?'" Houston City Councilman Michael Berry said.
How bad? So far, it's cost more than $3 million just to replace bad transmitters.
This is a perfect example of why government is rarely the answer to...anything.
So, here are the obligatory questions: Who's the genius who sold the city this project? What company is getting all this money for a product that doesn't work? Who's the moron who had untrained city employees installing what are obviously very sensitive meters?
At least Metro is attempting to recover taxpayer money lost on a non-working smart card fare system. Is the city going to sue the manufacturer of this barely-functioning water meter system? Why should taxpayers have to fund all these cost overruns for something that doesn't work? Why don't government contracts have escape clauses built in to make sure taxpayers don't get stuck paying for these boondoggles?
And call me a cynic, but which Mayor Brown official (or officials) was rewarded for getting this contract going? That IS how government (especially local government) operates.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/29/06 07:16 AM |
28 March 2006
Carol Alvarado to student protesters: Si se puede (updated)
(Temporarily not Mayor Pro Tem) Carol Alvarado greeted student protesters this morning at City Hall:
Upon reaching City Hall, the crowd of students was greeted outside by Councilwoman Carol Alvardo, who chanted with the students "Si Se Puede'' - meaning "Yes we can."
She congratulated the students for walking through the rain and standing up for their rights.
Two of the students met with Mayor Bill White and Alvarado before scores of them boarded buses back to their schools. As many as a thousand students were expected later today, police [sic].
"They feel like they want someone to listen to them,'' Alvarado said. "They feel very hurt because they see that their families come here to work."
Perhaps Councilwoman Alvarado should have encouraged the students to get back to school and focus on their studies.
It's unclear from the story if today's youth solidarity event was part of Joe Householder's efforts to cast the councilwoman in a more favorable light.
UPDATE: And here's what Mayor White apparently told students:
“[Mayor White] told us to keep on going, to not stop, to spread the word with everyone,” student Edgar Martinez said.
The mayor said he appreciates all the work the students are doing to get their message out, but he admitted it is a federal issue.
Chris Baker is wondering why the protesters are carrying Mexican flags if they want American citizenship. Hey Carol: ¿Dónde están las banderas Americanas?
UPDATE 2: Matt Bramanti: Skip school and you too can become a journalist!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/28/06 12:48 PM |
24 March 2006
Mack connects the red light camera dots
We (bH bloggers and commenters) have speculated before on any connections the winning red light camera vendor (ATS) might have with MayorWhiteChiefHurtt. Today Kristen Mack has the details:
HPD maintains that ATS won because it had the best overall package.
As is typical in efforts to land profitable city contracts, someone on every side has some City Hall connection.
ATS' ties are through former Texas Land Commissioner Gary Mauro, a good friend of White.
Mauro, though, says he was hired to consult ATS, not to lobby City Hall.
[snip]
The council approved the use of cameras to catch red-light violators in December 2004.
Those plans were stalled while the city fought legislative attempts to ban red-light cameras last year. Helping the city in the fight were prospective vendors, hoping for the lucrative city business.
The city won in Austin, with help from former City Councilman Bert Keller, who is vice president of sales for the southeast region for Rhode Island-based Nestor Traffic Systems. Nestor believed it could win the contract if the city kept the right to install red light cameras. But Nestor placed third among the three bidders.
Lawyer Darryl Carter, who lobbies on behalf of Dallas-based ACS, also kept close tabs on key developments in Austin.
ACS, which placed second, hasn't publicly fought the outcome — possibly because it has a motivation for maintaining warm relations with the city. ACS already collects city ambulance fees and is in line for a lucrative parking meter contract.
[snip]
By contrast, ATS, which didn't lobby at the Legislature, seemed to arrive out of nowhere. Based on the way business is usually done at City Hall, watchers were wondering how ATS was connected.
All they've been able to find is Mauro's longtime ties to White. Both worked in 1975 for then-U.S. Rep. Bob Krueger, D-New Braunfels. City Hall chatter to the contrary, Krueger says he has no ties to ATS.
But Mauro and White have other political connections. Mauro headed Bill Clinton's presidential campaigns in Texas. White worked in Clinton's administration as a deputy energy secretary.
That's good stuff from Mack...and some sunshine that needs to shine.
Let's not forget that the rules were changed during the camera test period, and that Nestor used collision-avoidance technology -- technology the city doesn't want to use.
But rest assured, Mayor White is still protecting Houstonians from red light camera shenanigans.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/24/06 08:19 AM |
Press release coverage of the Parking Commission
As noted here, City Council approved Mayor White's appointments to the new Parking Commission, and the mayor has issued a press release. KPRC-2, being ever vigilant, got the press release and posted a little something:
The City of Houston has a new commission set up to ensure citizens get a parking spot in downtown.
The formation of the Public Parking Commission was announced Wednesday.
Officials said the commission would evaluate the city's current parking situation, what needs to be improved and where new parking spots could be allocated.
It will also analyze parking-related ordinances.
For pity's sake.
The formation of the new parking authority was not announced Wednesday. The idea of the unaccountable, quasi-governmental agency was first floated in February of 2005 and it was approved by Council in August of 2005. What happened on Wednesday was approval of the people who will rule over the authority, and in turn, Houston's parking.
KPRC's blurb ("where local news comes first") is just pathetic. The Houston Business Journal posted a story that's more accurate, but clearly comes straight from the mayor's press release.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 03/24/06 07:08 AM |
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