“Highlights” from the City’s Audit
The City of Houston is required by state law to file its annual audit (the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report or...
City Of Houston Finances
City and County Should Approve Purchase of Land to Protect Elm Grove
Many of you will recall the heartbreaking flooding in the Elm Grove subdivision in Kingwood twice in the span of...
Update on City of Houston Finances
The City recently issued its monthly financials for the first quarter of its fiscal year (July-September). The City has obviously...
Judge Rules Houston Pension Plan Unconstitutional
On Wednesday, State District Judge Beau Miller1, in no uncertain terms, struck down the provisions of SB2190 which made fundamental...
City Sales Taxes Holding Up Better Than Many Feared So Far
The City of Houston sales tax receipts for June (reflecting April sales) were down 17% from last year following a...
Suburbs Outstrip City in Population Growth
According to population estimates recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Houston’s suburbs are growing much more rapidly than the...
Proposed City Budget Will Add 625 Employees but Cut Police Officers
I am guessing that if you asked the average Houstonian how they would feel about increasing the number of City...
City’s 2019 Sales Tax Collections Buoyed by Strong Holiday Season, but Long-Term Downtrend in Growth Still in Place
The City’s sales tax collections for 2019 grew by almost 3% compared to the previous year. That was better...
City Continues to Tread Water on Number of Police and Fire Fighters
For as long as I can remember, every candidate for mayor or council in Houston has pledged to increase the...
City’s Sweetheart Deal with Strip Clubs is Not So Sweet for Victims of Human Trafficking
In 2013, the City of Houston entered into an agreement with sixteen of Houston’s most notorious strip clubs. The agreement...
Bill King’s Seven-Point Ethics Reform and Transparency Plan
Everywhere I travel across this city, people are fed up with the pay-to-play and cronyism at City Hall. They are...
Turner Should End the Divisive Fire Fighter Pay Dispute: Go to Arbitration!
I don’t think there is a citizen in Houston who is not fed up with hearing about the City’s ongoing,...
What You Will Not Hear in Sylvester Turner’s “State of the City” Today
Sylvester Turner will deliver his “State of the City” annual address today. If today’s speech is like the others, he...
Posts range from local to national issues and focus on fact-based analysis, avoiding hyperbole and partisanship. The site is intended to be an open, respectful discussion of the critical issues of our day. Contact Bill directly and let him know what matters to you - weking@weking.net