Unlimited Dogs Next Door: Supporting the Administration at all costs Being a nice guy and having a pleasant persona is all well and good I suppose, but what most voters are looking for are results. So when issues facing our neighborhood arise, we look to our elected officials and our District J Council Member Mike Laster to be in the middle and protect our interests. Such is the case with three …
Category: Southwest Houston Report
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Neighborhood Civic Association (almost) Collapses: Broke, No Staff, No Goodwill My first look into how Mike Laster operates occurred in early 2012, shortly after attending my first few meetings of the SCA Board as a new Director. These meeting dates were never announced to the membership but I attended, receiving a copy of the “financial report” for 2011. It seems that in Sept. of 2011 the SCA Board began paying just the late charges on the Constable patrol contract, deferring …
The Way the Wind Blows (First in a five part series) Citizens of Sharpstown must have confidence that elected officials will listen and work in their best interests. In the case of Mike Laster’s representation of Sharpstown at City Hall, disappointment and the status quo might best describe the situation. After over dozen years of neighborhood involvement, and in his fourth year on City Council, Mike simply will not or cannot make the choices and provide the leadership we need. …
Photo Credit: F. Martin – Houston Public Media, Dec 15th Montrose Town Hall Meeting The recent attention on TIRZ expansion across the City, from Gulfgate-Hobby Airport, Memorial City, and the delayed but surely to be approved Midtown-Montrose annexation, has created fresh questions and concern. Just last year the Uptown TIRZ annexed Memorial Park, and the SW Houston (Sharpstown) TIRZ, without neighborhood input, annexed portions of the Sharpstown …
Image courtesy westchasedistrict.com UPDATE: The title was modified to correct the impression that this 380 abatement avoids the property tax revenue cap. It does not. In fact recent discussion and a proposal last year in the remaining months of the Parker Administration brought forward a proposal to convert this agreement to an actual TIRZ. TIRZ funds are not subject to the voter initiated, voter approved property tax cap. With …
I couldn’t say it more effectively than the Chronicle Editorial Board did recently as they identified the latest tax diversion boondoggle, the Greater Houston Zone TIRZ: Houston Chronicle 7/24/2014: “Every time City Hall creates a TIRZ, it is a vote of no confidence in its own ability to properly collect and spend taxpayer dollars. It is a confession that Houston should be managed by unelected …
In a short but direct editorial in yesterday’s Houston Chronicle, questions were raised about the need to abate $75 million in taxes to assist downtown developers, when other areas are in greater need. They even mentioned that it could be used for streets, which are terrible. Great incentives already are in place for developers to build in downtown Houston ($) The latest: Now, when our roads are in such disrepair, the city wants to use up to $75 million of …
The program that provides a $15,000 per unit to developers building in the Downtown District is poised to double. The proposal will increase the number of subsidized units from 2500 to 5000 residential units and increase the tax abatement to $75 Million. Houston Chronicle: “Downtown views call to many suburbanites” For Krishnan Iyer, moving downtown meant a lot of things: Not having to use his car in auto-dependent Houston, being able to walk to work, to restaurants, to the movies. …