Happy Labor Day! It’s the unofficial start of campaigning for the Municipal races. All politics is local, and the focus on each race will influence the discussion for next year. To that end, looking at the individual district races helps to … [Read more]
Examining the Property Tax Battle Part 3
In part two the political history and optics of the situation were examined. Next is examining how this fight can partially define the party going forward, and the consequences of the fighting, and some final thoughts. Defining the party The … [Read more]
Examining the Property Tax Battle Part 2
In part one the dueling property tax plans and the positioning of the House, Senate, and Governor were examined. Next is examining how we got to this point and the optics associated with the impasse. Politically how did we arrive at this … [Read more]
Examining the Property Tax Relief Battle Part 1
The property tax relief battle has been fascinating to watch… in a train wreck you can’t turn away from type of way. The legislature had a great opportunity to bring relief to Texans and score a great fiscal and public sentiment win for the … [Read more]
IDENTIFYING HAIL DAMAGE FOR TAX PROTESTS
We are in property tax protest season. Rather than discuss the different tax plans, this post seeks to find an area of common ground - protesting the property appraisals. The deadline to file a protest was Monday the 15th, and informal and, if … [Read more]
Gun Violence Study Gives Hope for Houston
Recently, a study regarding gun violence was published to see if methods used to address gun violence among ex-fighters in the war torn parts of Africa would translate to urban crime in Chicago. The paper is published here. Importantly, this is a … [Read more]