24 February 2005
House passes red light camera bill
The Texas House has passed the bill that would most likely end Houston's planned red light camera program:
The 109-30 vote came after minimum debate in the House, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, said today that he expects that chamber to "look favorably" on the measure.
[snip]
The Legislature voted in 2003 to ban camera enforcement of criminal red light sanctions, but Houston proposes to issue civil citations to red-light violators caught by cameras.
The measure approved by the House today would close that loophole.
"The will of the House shows we are still adamantly opposed to the use of red light cameras," said Rep. Gary Elkins, R-Houston, sponsor of the bill.
If the city really wants to address red light runners, lengthening yellow light times is the way to go.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/24/05 01:22 PM |
Councilwoman has a question; blogHOUSTON has an answer
On a KTRH-740 newsbreak this morning, I heard Councilwoman Carol Alvarado complaining about the state Legislature stepping in to close the loophole that would allow Houston to install red light cameras. She wanted to know what the state would suggest Houston do to prevent red light runners.
Well, we can help with that. If Houston wants to reduce the number of red light running motorists, it should lengthen yellow light times.
blogHOUSTON is happy to provide this PSA (public service answer) at no charge to Councilwoman Alvarado.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/24/05 10:21 AM |
Mayor contemplates parking authority
KHOU-11's Doug Miller reports that Mayor White is contemplating the creation of another unnaccountable government "authority":
Now, just as Houston has a Metropolitan Transit Authority and a Houston Port Authority, the mayor's thinking about setting up a Houston parking authority.
"You really need an element, an entity, an authority that focuses strictly on parking, on enforcement, on the meters, making sure that they're all working, responsible for valet zones, cab zones, and enforcements of those ordinances," said Carol Alvarado, Houston Mayor Pro Tem.
A parking authority could take over much of the job now done by the city's municipal courts division, the people who write parking tickets.
And in the shadow of downtown high rises, city officials suggest this authority could build another government-owned parking garage.
The city already runs some garages, like the spaces beneath Tranquility Park.
"It's not clear what the mayor is talking about here, but parking authorities are a widespread function. In fact, I actually looked at the number. Of cities over 100,000, about a third have some type of parking authority," said Bob Stein, KHOU political expert.
This idea is still just that -- an idea, very much in its formative stages. And there are still plenty of unanswered questions, like, 'Who would run this authority?' 'What exactly would it do?' and perhaps most importantly, 'Would it really be an improvement?'
Here are a couple more questions: how much will this new authority cost, and how much of a "new revenue stream" is the mayor hoping to create with it?
As for Professor Stein, KHOU might have also mentioned that he has advised the mayor on at least one traffic issue (SAFEclear) and that his wife serves as a fulltime mayoral aide. Indeed, perhaps KHOU should find a political expert less connected to the policies he is evaluating.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/24/05 12:57 AM |
23 February 2005
Scooped by the Abilene Reporter-News
Banjo Jones points out that the Chronicle fell down on some important local political coverage last night.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/23/05 01:25 PM |
22 February 2005
Activists, councilmembers want tougher smoking ban
KHOU-11 is reporting that anti-smoking activists and some city councilmembers are lobbying for a tougher smoking ban than the one Mayor White is proposing:
Anti-smoking activists are showing their strength at Houston's City Hall. They're pushing political leaders to ban smoking at all of the city's bars and restaurants.
Some City Hall insiders say councilmembers are beginning to push for a tougher ordinance against public smoking.
[snip]
Down at Houston's City Hall, the mayor wants to ban smoking in the dining areas of Houston restaurants. But some councilmembers are lobbying for even tighter restrictions on smoking.
"To try to make Houston a smoke free city," says former councilmember Felix Frag, who lobbying for a stronger anti-smoking policy Tuesday.
And smoking opponents have been crowding council chambers.
"Prefereably, on my own, it'd probably be a total ban, which they've done in so many other places," says Quan. When asked if he'd favor a ban on smoking in all bars and restaurants? Quan said, "Yes."
If a restaurant wants to market itself as a non-smoking restaurant, that's great. But it's discouraging to see government stepping in to tell restaurants they have to be non-smoking.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/22/05 05:35 PM |
18 February 2005
The new and (re)improved SAFEclear
Mayor White has formally announced the SAFEclear changes that we have been hearing about for the past week:
The proposal focuses on several areas of cooperation. They are:
• A single MAP dispatching system in the TranStar facility with the Houston Police Department, the Sheriff’s Department, Metro Police patrol units and SafeClear tow operators.
• Increasing the number of MAP patrols from the current nine vehicles to 19. Initially Metro Police will staff the 10 additional vehicles during peak traffic shifts of 5:30-9:30 a.m. and 3-7 p.m. weekdays. Metro Police and HPD will work together to ensure that this additional deployment will be on those freeway segments with the highest volume of traffic incidents and responses.
• Vehicles will be donated by the Houston Automobile Dealers Association, as they have done in the existing MAP program.
• Implementing a towing assistance program funded by Metro for $30 per tow, not to exceed $442,000 per year within the SafeClear service area. Additional funding to bring the total up to $600,000 will be available for similar services outside the city limits based on agreements with those jurisdictions. Metro will also partially fund the free tows provided in the city under the SafeClear program. These tows will be limited to the peak periods of Metro’s increased MAP deployment. They will include short tows to a safe location off the freeways and assisting motorists with minor problems.
KPRC-2's story says that Metro Police will help staff the extra MAP vehicles, along with Harris County sheriff's deputies:
"The additional money that METRO will put in will amount to about $1 million per year. $400,000 of that will be salaries for the METRO officers," METRO spokesman David Wolfe said.
And the Chronicle's story has more information on the Metro funding:
The money would come from the portion of Metro's one-cent sales tax that dedicated for Houston mobility improvements. Houston officials have sole discretion as to how to use that pool of money, which totals $80 million, said White spokesman Frank Michel.
As for the unseemliness of making money off the forced towing program, the mayor agreed to put all money generated by SAFEclear into what was called mobility projects. In Sen. Whitmire's op-ed today he shed some light on what that means:
In regards to my concern that the city was using state highways as a revenue source, we concluded that the money raised through towing fees and bids will not go to the city for general purposes but will instead be applied to the expansion of the Motorist Assistance Program (MAP) and will fund an incident management program that will be placed under review by the Texas Department of Transportation
Therefore, in the spirit of the new and (re)improved SAFEclear, blogHOUSTON has made the momentous decision to stop using using the $ in SAFEclear. No doubt this is a huge relief for city officials.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/18/05 02:57 PM |
Sen. Whitmire explains why he pushed for $AFEclear reform
Sen. Whitmire has written an op-ed in today's Chronicle about why he fought to change $AFEclear:
My involvement will also have a positive effect on the Safe Clear program. What my critics fail to realize is that it was my aggressive legislative approach that led to the meeting with White, resulting in these numerous steps toward our common goal of safer freeways in Houston.
It is my belief that with continued modifications, Safe Clear can become a model for traffic management not only for Texas, but for the entire country. I am proud to play a small but necessary role in fine-tuning this worthwhile program.
We have pointed this out before -- Mayor White really wanted to save $AFEclear, somehow, and with Sen. Whitmire taking a hard line the mayor was forced to make some changes. It just so happens that in this case the changes turned a terribly heavy-handed and punitive program into a much more citizen-friendly program. Would it be better not to have $AFEclear? Maybe, probably, and we can certainly debate that. But Sen. Whitmire's firm stand helped make it a better program, and now we have an expanded Motorist Assistance Program, to boot. That benefits everyone, and Sen. Whitmire deserves praise for helping make that happen.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/18/05 09:09 AM |
16 February 2005
Behind-the-scenes with White and Whitmire
Rick Casey's column today provides some details about the behind-the-scenes efforts between Mayor White and Sen. Whitmire to save and fix $AFEclear.
The whole column is worthy of excerpt, so I'll just encourage you to go read it. Casey kept his opinion on the subject of Sen. Whitmire's legislation to a minimum in this one.
UPDATE: Kristen Mack now has a news story posted on this, and two things stand out. First is this:
The most significant change is that a driver can request that a law enforcement officer be present for any tow. This could delay tows, which now can be ordered remotely by officers at the TransStar traffic control center.
If MAP is to be expanded and coordinated in conjunction with $AFEclear, then in most cases a law enforcement officer would be first on the scene, right? I suppose when specific details are released we will find out.
And second:
Any revenue the city raises through the Safe Clear program will go to mobility projects. Tow truck companies pay the city for exclusive rights to tow on certain freeway stretches.
Wouldn't you like to see the definition of "mobility projects"?
RELATED: KPRC-2 coverage, KHOU-11 coverage.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/16/05 11:17 AM |
15 February 2005
No more taxpayer-funded stadiums, please
The Chronicle is really pushing Major League Soccer. A little over a week ago, Glenn Davis wrote a column about Houston Sports Authority chief Oliver Luck dreaming of a soccer stadium.
Today we have a story by Dale Robertson letting us know how swell it would be to have a professional soccer team here:
Major League Soccer realizes it should be in Houston. Houston believes it should have an MLS team. Philosophically, all parties are in accord. But without an economically viable soccer-specific stadium, a solution remains elusive, and one isn't imminent.
Stop right there. If MLS has had this Houston epiphany, then MLS should buy some land and build a stadium, with private money. Houston is really tapped out right now:
The cost of building Minute Maid Park, Reliant Stadium and Toyota Center rose by $37.2 million this week when the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority voted to issue new bonds.
Issuing the bonds was necessary to persuade one of the three major investment rating agencies, Moody's, not to downgrade the authority's bonds from investment grade status to junk bonds, said Ric Campo, chairman of the authority's finance committee.
The new bonds were needed to make up for declining hotel and car rental tax revenues, which the authority receives to pay off bond debt. In 2002 and 2003, the revenues sagged 10 percent.
To meet the annual payments for $900 million in previously issued bonds, the authority had projected annual 3 percent increases in hotel and car rental tax revenues.
"September 11 came and the recession came, and the hotel and car rental taxes have not been growing 3 percent. They're declining," said Oliver Luck, sports authority executive director.
The three sporting venues cost $1.036 billion to build. (Reliant Stadium cost $500 million, Minute Maid Park, $286 million, and Toyota Center, $250 million.) With the bond issuance, the price tag has now risen to $1.073 billion.
No more taxpayer-funded stadiums. If it's such a great idea, MLS can raise private funds to do it. That's the way all these stadiums should have been handled, frankly.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/15/05 04:24 PM |
House committee approves bill to stop red light cameras
Here's a Chronicle story on a state House committee approving legislation that would end Houston's planned red light camera revenue stream:
Under Texas law, running a red light is a Class C misdemeanor that can only be regulated by the state, even though local governments are in charge of enforcement. In 2003, the House overwhelmingly voted not to allow cities to use cameras to issue criminal citations to red-light violators.
But state Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, inserted an amendment in the 2003 transportation bill giving cities the right to regulate transportation matters civilly or criminally.
Houston proposes to issue civil citations to red light violators caught by cameras.
Elkins' bill would eliminate the civil loophole.
We posted on this discrepancy before. The problem is that if a driver ran a red light at an intersection without a camera, it would be a criminal violation. At intersections with red light cameras, it would be a civil violation.
HPD Chief Harold Hurtt appeared before the committee (no word on if he was in uniform) and came away an unhappy police chief:
"I did not recommend this as a revenue enhancement for the city,'' Hurtt said. "We want to use cameras in the city of Houston to protect and save lives.''
Oh yes, it's all about safety:
Houston is expected to start installing intersection cameras this spring, and has budgeted to collected nearly $700,000 in fines by the end of June.
Or not.
UPDATE: During newsbreaks on KTRH-740 this afternoon, it was reported that the committee meeting, where Chief Hurtt was testifying, was rather contentious. KTRK-13 has some details:
Both [state Rep. Gary] Elkins and Chief Hurtt testified in front of the Urban Affairs Committee Tuesday morning, with the police chief facing tough criticism.
State Representative Kevin Bailey said, "Your department is one that had a leaking roof in the crime lab for seven years and couldn't fix it. So, right off I wonder, if you can't fix a leaking roof, how are you going to run this program efficiently?"
[snip]
Elkins said, "Let's just be honest. Let's expose this for what it is. It's the biggest money generator in the history of the planet. We're for public safety. We just think there's a better way, an engineering solution."
Chief Hurtt insisted, "This was not recommended as a revenue enhancement device for the city."
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/15/05 03:55 PM |
14 February 2005
Peter Jennings tackles Houston traffic
If you've been listening to local news today, you may know that Peter Jennings has been in Houston and interviewed Mayor White. ABC News has posted a story about Houston traffic and at the end is a blurb that says, 'Peter Jennings filed this report for "World News Tonight,"' so I am assuming this is what ran tonight.
It's a short piece that provides a fairly glowing look at Mayor White's traffic-reducing efforts, including $AFEclear. Sen. Whitmire was quoted for a bit of $AFEclear opposition, but that was quickly brushed aside:
White has considerable public support for most of the other improvements. Houston now does a better job of synchronizing its traffic lights, which improves traffic flow. The hours for loading and unloading trucks in busy traffic areas have been cut back, and road construction crews meet tighter schedules or pay penalties.
Houston's traffic problem is a challenge without end. White says he is encouraged by the commuters he meets — those whom he says thank him for giving them back some of their life, if just a few minutes each day.
Mayor White will be saving that for a future campaign commercial.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/14/05 07:48 PM |
11 February 2005
Mayor White looks to combine $AFEclear with an expanded MAP
KPRC-2 is running a very interesting story about Mayor White, $AFEclear and MAP:
Houston's mayor made plans Friday to expand a motorist assistance program in an effort to save a controversial towing ordinance, Local 2 reported in an exclusive story Friday.
MAP is Harris County's freeway assistance program. A compromise between Mayor Bill White and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels would expand MAP in conjunction with Safe Clear.
"I think both with Safe Clear's capabilities and with an expanded MAP program, which I'm working on, that there will be a lot of assistance to motorists," White said. "Nobody minds getting some free assistance in the shoulder or emergency lane."
The Motorist Assistance Program has been in place since 1986. During peak hours, deputies patrol in donated vans, providing free rides, gas, jump starts and other services for stranded motorists.
MAP would work alongside Safe Clear wreckers, providing a more driver-friendly approach to clearing roadways.
The current budget for MAP is about $2.5 million. The current plan would triple that budget, with the money coming from the county, city, METRO and private industry.
"We are going to work with the city to try to commit to something with our MAP program and with their program and find something that will resolve the issues the legislature has," Eckels said.
The move comes after a state Senate committee approved a bill that would kill Safe Clear, which requires tow truck drivers to remove disabled vehicles from Houston roadways within six minutes, even without the driver's consent.
I am stunned. Happily so. If anyone can figure out how to make this happen, it is Mayor White.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/11/05 06:31 PM |
State addresses Houston's new revenue generating ideas
State lawmakers are undoubtedly giving Mayor Bill White heartburn. Today's Chronicle reports on last night's news that Sen. Whitmire's towing legislation is zipping through the Senate, and also talks about how the Legislature is addressing Houston's red light cameras:
The city hoped to start using cameras to issue civil citations in at least 10 dangerous intersections by April, and to expand the program to as many as 50 intersections.
Under Texas law, running a red light is a Class C misdemeanor that can only be regulated by the state, even though local governments are in charge of enforcement. In 2003, the House overwhelmingly voted not to allow cities to use cameras to issue criminal citations to red-light violators.
But state Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, inserted an amendment in the 2003 transportation bill giving cities the right to regulate transportation matters civilly or criminally.
The bill by [Rep. Gary] Elkins would eliminate that amendment.
"It had unintended consequences," the Houston Republican said. "No one knew it was going to be used as a vehicle to use red-light cameras. No city has the power to override state law."
[snip]
Elkins, who filed the bill in December, said he hopes it is quickly passed out of committee. The earliest he imagines the House will vote on it is early March.
Elkins appears to have wide support. Houston-area representatives co-authoring the bill include Republicans Dwayne Bohac, Wayne Smith and Corbin Van Arsdale and Democrats Coleman, Harold Dutton, Joe Moreno, Melissa Noriega, Senfronia Thompson and Sylvester Turner.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/11/05 06:39 AM |
10 February 2005
Senate committee approves Whitmire's towing legislation
A state Senate committe has approved Sen. John Whitmire's bill that would effectively put an end to $AFEclear, and according to KPRC-2, the full Senate is expected to vote on the legislation next week.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/10/05 07:36 PM |
Public safety priorities
KHOU-11 has reported on two more instances of questionable prioritizing by HPD and the city of Houston.
First, KHOU uncovered a taxpayer-funded study the city of Houston commissioned in 2003, that says the city's emergency radio system, used by police officers and firefighters, has serious problems. According to KHOU, the city has not shared the report with the public.
The report identifies three problems: a crowded radio system, where sometimes police and fire personnel must wait their turn before they can get on the air; dead spots all over the Houston area, for example in shopping malls, the downtown tunnels, highrises and even a large portion of Kingwood; and radio towers that could present a danger to the public because of rust and damage.
Here's the response Mayor White gave KHOU:
"It's not a problem that's going to be solved in one day. It will be over a period of years," said Mayor Bill White.
Of course the mayor's right that the radio system problems won't be solved in one day; however, failing to release such a critical report is not the most transparent way to handle the problem. The public has a right to know what this report said and what the city is going to do to address the problems.
Replacing the emergency radio system is not going to be cheap, but the mayor might win support for the city's numerous new revenue streams if the public could be assured that the revenue generated was actually going toward upgrading emergency communications. Maybe there's even some Homeland Security funding for a program like this.
The second case of questionable prioritizing came to light yesterday, when we learned that HPD had pulled some officers off their regular duty to handle $AFEclear secretarial work:
"We had officers taken from their assignments no matter what they were doing and they went up to wreckers division and they're pulling accident reports," says [Houston Police Patrolman's Union president Johnnie] McFarland.
An officer who spoke to 11 News off camera said these officers were hand copying every accident report from 2004 after which civilian clerks were entering the data into a computer program. The focus, the officer says, is accidents involving stalled vehicles or those on the side of the freeway.
Some say it is in response to the death of a motorist who witnesses say crossed Interstate 10 in hopes of preventing a Safe Clear tow.
The official police response is that with any new program, it is standard procedure to document program statistics and that's what this was.
Okay, the question then becomes, does HPD pull police officers to do this every time a new program is implemented? If that's the case, then maybe HPD has an administrative problem. The skeptic in me wonders if HPD is helping the mayor make his case for $AFEclear, since the uproar over the program hasn't completely faded.
Combine these stories with other recent news -- such as red light cameras, Chief Hurtt's desire for radar cameras to catch speeders, the new productivity policy, and most importantly, the police manpower shortage -- and I think HPD and city officials need to refocus on the city government's primary mission: public safety. Houston police officers are trying to do just that every day, but they need more support from the city's higher-ups.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/10/05 01:06 PM |
09 February 2005
City Council closes $AFEclear background check loophole
City Council has unanimously approved an ordinance amendment that allows the city to deny $AFEclear towing licenses to tow truck drivers who have felony backgrounds:
In further fallout from public concern about its mandatory freeway towing ordinance, Houston's City Council today authorized the city to revoke the towing licenses of Safe Clear drivers with certain crimes in their background.
Under the ordinance, passed unanimously, convicted sex or violent offenders will never be eligible for licenses to perform non-consent tows such as those under the city's Safe Clear program or others ordered by police.
Anyone convicted of committing other crimes, including fraud, robbery and auto theft, must have a clean record for seven years before being eligible for a license.
[snip]
Besides Safe Clear drivers, the city licenses about 800 tow truck drivers to conduct other police-ordered tows. Mayor Bill White said some violent offenders have such licenses but are not in the Safe Clear program. He could not provide specific numbers.
Drivers who conduct tows at the request of motorists are not covered by the ordinance.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/09/05 01:37 PM |
08 February 2005
Limo drivers can access airport gates and make Houston some money, too
KPRC-2 has posted a story about Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports allowing limousine drivers to meet arriving passengers at the gate.
The video KPRC has with the story explains that the drivers had to pass background checks before they could be issued the special badge that gives them access to gate areas. Here's more in a press release from Houston Airports:
The local Limousine Drivers & Owners Association voted unanimously to accept a thorough background and criminal history evaluation that includes fingerprinting before receiving badges that are valid at both Bush Intercontinental and Hobby. Their names are checked against a variety of databases generated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
A limousine driver who gets a badge must go through the same metal detector and pass his or her belongings through the same screening device as a ticketed passenger.
Criminal offenses within the last 10 years disqualify applicants in accordance with TSA regulations. More than 650 drivers have received badges and only two percent were rejected. Limousine drivers who do not have a badge may drop passengers off at the airport, but may not pick them up, Mancuso said.
“Houston is one of the few cities, if not the only city, that is doing this,” Mancuso said. “It’s in keeping with Mayor White’s commitment to excellence in customer service while remaining as forward-thinking as we can be about security.”
I love that sentence about this program being in keeping with Mayor White's commitment to excellent customer service and forward-thinking security. Mayor White also has quite a commitment to finding new revenue streams!
The KPRC video notes that the badges cost $45 each and are good for two years. So, 650 drivers received badges at $45 each which equals $29,250 for the city of Houston. And that revenue stream is renewable every two years.
And let's all hope that the background checks used on the limousine drivers is more effective than the one used on $AFEclear drivers.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/08/05 01:26 PM |
07 February 2005
Investing in MAP would have cost and safety benefits for Houston
blogHOUSTON has written more than once that Harris County's Motorist Assistance Program is the smart, safe, and citizen-friendly alternative to $AFEclear. Recently some $AFEclear proponents have said that MAP is too expensive for the city to participate in because it costs $250,000 per truck, per year.
Since we haven't seen much out of the local media investigating what MAP might actually cost, we decided to ask Walter Wainwright. Wainwright is the president of the Houston Automobile Dealers Association, the group that initially started MAP before Harris County took over the program.
Wainwright graciously provided the following details. First, in 19 years of its existence, MAP drivers have assisted stranded motorists 600,000 times and there have been no deaths. There are nine trucks and two eight-hour shifts every weekday, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. That means 18 sheriff's deputies are out every weekday helping stranded motorists on Harris County freeways.
Second, Wainwright provided cost estimates. By far the biggest expense is the salaries for the MAP drivers who are sheriff's deputies. Wainwright said when the program was being developed, women made it especially clear they did not want anyone besides a law enforcement officer providing roadside assistance. That is why MAP drivers are sheriff's deputies. The salaries total approximately $850,000 and that amount is reimbursed almost entirely by METRO.
The Houston Automobile Dealers Association donates four new MAP trucks every year, at a cost of $100,000.
Cingular Wireless donates cell phones and phone services for the MAP drivers at a cost of around $70,000.
TxDOT provides office space, dispatchers and coordinating support for MAP out of the Houston Transtar facilities.
Harris County is responsible for gas and truck maintenence costs which ran about $200,000 per year until recently. He said that cost has risen due to increasing gasoline prices and he said it could be closer to $300,000 by now.
If we add all that up, MAP technically costs about $1.3 million. However, the cost to Harris County is under $300,000. So, here's a thought: what if Houston invested the $300,000 that it is willing to use for free tows, into the MAP program; and negotiated with METRO, Cingular Wireless, the Houston Auto Dealers Association and TxDOT to increase their contributions to MAP?
We would then have an expanded MAP program with law enforcement officers responding to stranded motorists who are on the shoulder (no tow truck drivers with felony backgrounds). If the MAP driver can solve the problem, the motorist will be on his or her way rapidly with no towing involved for a flat tire or an emergency gallon of gas. And if a tow truck is needed, then the MAP driver can call for a $AFEclear wrecker and an officer would be there with the motorist when the wrecker driver hooks up the car. See? It's all about safety and a dynamic, customer-oriented government.
UPDATE (02-08-2005): A representative for Mr. Wainwright emails that his cost estimates were somewhat off, as Harris County also kicks in some of the personnel funding. The new estimate given by his representative is $700,000 per year.
ANNE LINEHAN ADDS: This change in math obviously makes a difference, but I don't think it's an insurmountable problem. Mayor White is very good at making things happen.
If we go back to the impetus for this post, it was because someone from the city said that each MAP truck costs $250,000 per year to operate. There are nine MAP trucks, so proponents are saying the program costs $2.25 million to operate per year. Well, we know that the entire program costs a little over $1.5 million and now we also know that Harris County pays approximately $700,000 into MAP, which averages out to about $77,000 per truck (the rest is picked up by donations from the entities listed in the main post). That's quite different than $250,000. And let's not forget the city made $1 million + off the franchise fees paid for freeway rights. If the city has to match Harris County's contribution (and who says it has to be the same?) the city would still have a net gain of around $300,000.
If the city flexed some muscle, I'll bet officials could find more sponsors to help fund the program, more underwriters to contribute resources and apply for a federal grant to help defray the cost. When $AFEclear first hit the news, Sen. Whitmire mentioned that the city received federal grant money from a program called CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program), back during the Lee Brown administration. Houston should apply for some similar funding.
There are ways to do this, if the city was so inclined. It would sure help address the issue of tow truck drivers who have felony backgrounds.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/07/05 08:46 PM |
Houston is looking for input on city budget
Would you like Houston officials to hear some of your thoughts regarding the city's budget? Here's your chance:
The city will conduct combined public meetings on its FY 2006 Annual Operating Budget, FY 2006-2010 Capital Improvement Plan and 2005 Annual Consolidated Plan.
Since 1984, the municipality has held public meetings to obtain citizen input before preparing the operating budget and capital improvement plan. These meetings are designed to provide citizens the opportunity to participate in the budget process through contributing comments and suggestions about needed services and improvements.
Meetings begin Feb. 7 and run through March 5, varying in location by each city district. Citizens interested in commenting at these financial planning meetings are encouraged to locate and contact their respective Houston City Council representative via www.houstontx.gov for specific times and locations.
I wonder if city officials would appreciate input on the numerous new revenue streams that have been implemented recently?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 02/07/05 02:47 PM |
Hartnett recommends dismissal of Heflin challenge
As savvy internet news readers probably know by now, Rep. Will Hartnett (R), who was appointed special master in the election challenge brought by Talmadge Heflin (R) against Hubert Vo (D), has issued his recommendation that the challenge be dismissed:
Longtime Republican Rep. Talmadge Heflin failed to prove that his November loss to Democrat Rep. Hubert Vo should be overturned, a lawmaker overseeing the House election contest reported Monday.
Republican Rep. Will Hartnett, who was named "master of discovery" in Heflin's challenge of the race, found that Vo's margin of victory was reduced from 33 votes to 16 votes. But Hartnett recommended that the challenge be dismissed."Heflin has failed to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the outcome of the contested election ... was not the true outcome of the election," Hartnett wrote in his report to a special committee that will consider the election challenge this week.
Ultimately, the case will go before the GOP-controlled Texas House, which could declare a winner or call for a new election.
Hartnett's report is available here.
UPDATE: KTRH-740 reports that Heflin has withdrawn his challenge, rather than pursue it to the floor.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/07/05 10:42 AM |
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