“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...
TIRZ
Turner’s Pothole Misinformation Campaign
Sylvester Turner’s press conference on potholes this week was masterful misdirection. Most of the media headlines were that Turner...
Turner Attempts to Blackmail Kingwood TIRZ: “Give Me a Third of Your Revenue or Sit in Traffic Forever”
Not all TIRZs are created equal. Nor are they operated in the same manner. There are ones, like Uptown,...
City has Shortchanged Rebuild Fund by Nearly $250 Million
The more I study the Rebuild Houston program, the more apparent it becomes that the City’s administration of the program...
Town Hall Misinformation
There is so much misinformation being disseminated at the current round of “town hall” meetings it is hard to...
Unpacking the Fire Fighters’ Pay Ballot Proposition
Many of you have heard by now that Houstonians will be voting on a proposition on the November ballot to...
City to Begin Charging for Parking in Memorial Park
In its never-ending quest to nickel and dime Houstonians out of every last dollar, the City of Houston recently announced...
City of Houston Consultant Proposes 83% Property Tax Increase over Ten Years
In September 2016, the City of Houston retained a consulting firm at a cost of $565,000 to develop a long-...
Second Judge Slaps Down the Montrose Management District
For a second time in just two months, a District Court has slammed the Montrose Management District ("MMD"). In November,...
Reform TIRZs, Don’t Repeal Property Tax Cap
My former colleagues at the Houston Chronicle editorial board opined this week that the City's property tax cap should be...
Court Rules Montrose Management District Illegally Collected $6 Million in Assessments
The trail of TIRZ/Management District horrors continues. This time it is the Montrose Management District (MMD). The MMD was formed...
HGAC Tables New Funds for Uptown Bus Project
On Friday, HGAC’s Transportation Policy Council (TPC) tabled a funding request from the Uptown TIRZ for an additional $16 million...
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