by Bill King | Nov 19, 2018 | City Of Houston Finances, Kingwood, TIRZ, Uptown
Not all TIRZs are created equal. Nor are they operated in the same manner. There are ones, like Uptown, that are totally controlled by the commercial real estate interests in the area, resulting in debacles like the Post Oak bus lanes project. But there are...
by Bill King | Nov 10, 2018 | City Of Houston Finances, Harvey Recovery
Yesterday, on an 11-4 vote, Houston City Council approved a $35 million contract for outreach to Harvey victims that included $6.7 million set aside for legal fees to Barnes & Associates, formerly Barnes & Turner. To put that number in some perspective, it is...
by Bill King | Nov 6, 2018 | Uncategorized
Brent Taylor was the mayor of North Ogden, Utah. He was also a major in the Army National Guard. He was killed last week in Afghanistan on his fourth tour of duty there. He was 39 and left behind a wife and seven children. Shortly before his death, Major...
by Bill King | Nov 1, 2018 | City Of Houston Finances, Flooding
If you have not watched Ted Oberg’s story on the $35 million contract for Harvey “outreach services” Sylvester Turner is asking Council to approve, please go right now and watch it (click on image below). If you are like me, you will probably...
by Bill King | Oct 31, 2018 | City Of Houston Finances, Rebuild Houston, Rebuild Houston - Drainage Fee, TIRZ
The more I study the Rebuild Houston program, the more apparent it becomes that the City’s administration of the program is a complete fraud. The most recent discovery we have made is that the City has been using a legal loophole to shortchange the amount of money...
by Bill King | Oct 27, 2018 | Hurricane Preparation
In 2006, I chaired a regional task force that made recommendations on redrawing evacuation plans after the disastrous Hurricane Rita evacuation. There was one storm scenario in the historical record that haunted our task force: a fast-moving hurricane that...
by Bill King | Oct 22, 2018 | City Of Houston Finances, Flooding, Rebuild Houston, Rebuild Houston - Drainage Fee
Early voting on the City’s proposition A, which would reauthorize the failed Rebuild Houston program, begins tomorrow. Since no one at the City had the intestinal fortitude to debate Proposition A, I am left to make the closing argument directly to Houston...
by Bill King | Oct 18, 2018 | Rebuild Houston, Rebuild Houston - Drainage Fee, Uncategorized
There is a little-discussed provision in Proposition A which will commit Houston taxpayers to the Rebuild Houston debacle through 2031, and perhaps beyond. The provision reads as follows: “This Section is subject to modification as permitted by law or termination at...
by Bill King | Oct 13, 2018 | City Of Houston Finances, Rebuild Houston, Rebuild Houston - Drainage Fee
I spoke to someone last night who had attended the City’s townhall meeting in Kingwood on the propositions on the ballot. The person with whom I spoke left the meeting with the impression that the ballot provision represents a new and improved lockbox. This is...
by Bill King | Oct 13, 2018 | Uncategorized
In case you missed it, Channel 13 ran a story by Ted Oberg that exposes what a fraud the Rebuild Houston has become. Oberg obtained documents from the City that showed spending on streets and drainage is down by 7% and 4%, respectively. How in the world can the City...
by Bill King | Oct 8, 2018 | Economics, National Economy
The federal government just finished up its fiscal year on September 30. It was not pretty. We added $1.27 trillion to the national debt. That is nearly double the increase last year. The debt grew about twice what GDP grew for the year. So far, the promised...
by Bill King | Oct 7, 2018 | City Of Houston Finances
I have had a number of people ask me if I could tell how much it will cost the City if Proposition B passes. It is not an easy thing to sort out because the cost could vary significantly based on exactly how it would be implemented. For example, the proposition...
by Bill King | Sep 27, 2018 | City Of Houston Finances, Flooding, Pensions, Rebuild Houston, Rebuild Houston - Drainage Fee, TIRZ
There is so much misinformation being disseminated at the current round of “town hall” meetings it is hard to keep up with all of it. If you have been subjected to this mendacious onslaught, let me set the record straight on a few issues. There Is/Will Be No...
