pension reform Archives

Weekend brunch for 17 January 2021

January 17, 2021 Kevin Whited

Kahan on the costs of Harris County criminal justice reform; COVID-19 in the news; Latest City of Houston CAFR paints dismal picture; The Houston Texans’ (self-destructive) prayer circle; and more!

Weekend brunch for 11 October 2020

October 11, 2020 Kevin Whited

Harris County remains (inexplicably) at COVID RED ALERT; Texas/Harris County wrangle over voting; Ogg Arkema grandstanding shot down; Houston pension reform shot down; GLO takes charge; and more!

Mason: Comparing the 2017 pension reform rhetoric with the latest actuarial results

October 17, 2019 Editor

Former City of Houston Chief Pension Executive Craig Mason argues that the rhetoric regarding the 2017 “pension reform” doesn’t match the actuarial results.

Weekend brunch for 13 October 2019

October 13, 2019 Kevin Whited

Commissioners Jack Cagle and Steve Radack nix Dem plans for a massive tax increase in Harris County; City Controller Chris Brown is accused of profiteering on a land deal; Mayor Turner’s noncompetitive “internship” created for a special friend still stinks; and more!

Taxpayer advocate brings lawsuit on pension bond ballot language

December 18, 2017 Kevin Whited

Taxpayer advocate is suing the City of Houston over its latest deceptive ballot language (this time related to the pension bonds).

Vote NO on all the Houston bonds

November 5, 2017 Kevin Whited

On Tuesday, Houston voters will decide the fate of roughly $1.5 billion of proposed bonds, in the form of Propositions A through E. Proposition A will authorize roughly a billion dollars of borrowing (in the

Noteware: The firefighters agreement: What the city should do instead

July 1, 2017 Jim Noteware

My previous column presented my reasons why the City should not approve the agreement with the Firefighters regarding deferring payments into its pension fund. What City leaders should do, however, is at least two new

Noteware: The City: Fighting fire with firefighters?

July 1, 2017 Jim Noteware

On Friday the 13th (March 13, that is), I was invited to testify before a special meeting of City Council, called by four brave members to hold public discussion on an “agreement” that Mayor Parker,

Noteware: Preparing for Pension Reform in Houston is as Easy as 1-2-3

July 1, 2017 Jim Noteware

Over the past few weeks, many of Houston’s leaders – members of City Council, business executives, journalists, etc. – have posed the question to me: “What can we do to fix the City’s pension problems?”

Noteware: Pension reform can no longer be postponed

July 1, 2017 Jim Noteware

In previous articles, I discussed the explosive growth of City of Houston expenditures over the past twelve years. The per capita cost of City government has risen 46% over that time, and the City projects