I guess the Mayor has the votes on City Council to move forward. I am talking about the votes needed to put on the November ballot a measure to alter the city’s revenue cap. Here is from the front page of today’s Chron:
A (City Council) charter review committee in February took a unanimous, nonbinding vote not to send any cap modifications to voters, with most council members saying the city still needed to prove it was spending taxpayer money wisely.
And:
“I’m going to make them vote up or down,” (Mayor Annise) Parker said of the revenue cap. “If they want to give a pay raise to firefighters without having to cut huge numbers of programs across the city they’re going to have to figure out that, you know, that’s one way to bring some relief in.”
And:
Repealing or tweaking the revenue cap, however, is a difficult pitch to make to voters, who approved the limit in 2004. Parker would likely face a strong conservative campaign casting the city’s financial troubles as a spending problem rather than a revenue issue. Even city officials acknowledge that the revenue cap is no cure-all and would have to be coupled with reining in some expenses.
If this measure does make it to the ballot, who is going to run the campaign. The usual suspects are tied up with the local races. For now it looks like the Mayor will be the face of this campaign. They are going to need a lot more faces to make the case and not just on the spending side but on the cutting side.
Sooner or later the other candidates are going to have to take a position and address this issue.
Here is the entire Chron article:
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Amid-mounting-budget-concerns-Parker-plans-to-6380728.php.
Tonight is the MLB Dinger Derby. Who was the last ‘Stro to participate in the Derby?
No that wasn’t Bill King on Channel 2 Friday morning – close, though. Check this:
http://www.click2houston.com/community/editorials/editorial-bond-issue-and-this-years-mayoral-race/34092522.
The City informed campaigns this past Thursday evening that the online software used to file the campaign reports would likely not be available by this Wednesday’s deadline. It has to do with changes made by the Texas Ethics Commission. Campaigns were directed to go to the Texas Ethics Commission website to generate their reports. From what I can gather in-kind contributions will have their own page and not be included with the cash donors. That is probably a good thing. See below what is on the City’s website:
In April 2015, the Texas Ethics Commission released a new Electronic Filing Application. The changes made have to do with the separation of the types of contributions and political expenditures. Though these changes are minor, they require substantial modification to the databases that facilitate the electronic filings that campaigns will be making.
The Mayor’s Office, City Secretary, Legal Department, and the Houston Information Technology Services Department are working diligently to modify the database in a way that will allow electronic filings that comply with the amended TEC requirements. We do not currently have that database available, and will be providing daily updates to enumerate the status of the database reconstruction. In the meantime, if you intend to file before the deadline of July 15th at 5 p.m., the only current option available will be to file by paper in the City Secretary’s office. To produce a report that will satisfy the requirements enumerated by the TEC, you can go here to file as a local candidate and print the PDF, which you can then submit to the City Secretary’s Office in person, or via email at citysecretary@houstontx.gov. The instructions on how to file are enumerated by the photo set below. The Texas Ethics Commission has also issued detailed instructions and troubleshooting information available here.
Until further notice, the City of Houston will not be enforcing Chapter 18 Sections 18-103 and 18-104.
If you have any questions, you may email Steven David in the Mayor’s Office at steven.david@houstontx.gov, or Danielle Folsom in the Legal Department at danielle.folsom@houstontx.gov.
Otherwise, we will update this site once daily to show the current status of the database and its ability to receive electronic filings.
Some GOPer are not happy with Trump because he’s hogging all the press these days. Hey, the GOP created this border security issue and Trump is just kicking it up a few notches so live with it. You did it to yourselves.
The Big Puma of course in 2008 was the last ‘Stro to participate in the Dinger Derby.
I know, I know. Losing six in a row stinks and having the tenth best record in MLB is so so but we are just a half game out at the All Star break. We have to do something about first base and third base. Both of our starters there are hitting under the Mendoza Line. They are not cutting it. We will see how they come out of the gate this Friday.
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