http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/topstory2/683368 Sept. 27, 2000, 12:52PM Mayor finds $27 million more in expenses By MATT SCHWARTZ -- Copyright 2000 Houston Chronicle Mayor Lee Brown said today the city faces $27 million in unanticipated or unbudgeted expenses this fiscal year. The announcement was intended to bolster Brown's contention that the proposed 2.75 percent property tax cut would have an impact on city services. The unanticipated expenditures that have turned up in the first two months of the fiscal year, Brown said, include $5.3 million in increased workers' compensation costs, $635,000 in higher fuel costs and $4.8 million in increased trash disposal fees. The Brown administration says the proposed property tax cut would reduce city revenues by $15 million a year. City Council has approved the reduction, but a final vote awaits a public hearing on the budget. Council members had not seen the mayor's announcement and could not comment on its substance. ------------------ Stay Cool...
This is pretty pathetic. Now he's fighting the city council's tax cut by showing his own incompetence. Is this supposed to inspire confidence in our mayor? ------------------ Stay Cool...
I'm not a Houstonian, but is this guy a good mayor ? If not, why did he get elected ? Would his opponent have been a better choice ? ------------------ "Well, I don't know what I received my honorary degree in, but judging by the fine sisters in the crowd, I hope it is gynecology." Mike Tyson speaks to the crowd after receiving his honorary degree from a college in Ohio.
I sure wish somebody good would run against him. He's been a disgrace from day 1. ------------------ I am the b*stard son of LHutz. Huh? Right!
Thats what we get for voting an old police cheif to run the city. ------------------ Too often, we lose sight of life's simple pleasures. Remember, when someone annoys you it takes 42 muscles in your face to frown, but it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and pimp-slap the mother****** upside the head!
gr-8 Here it is in a nutshell -- others please feel free to correct me or fill in the blanks. The previous Mayor, Bob Lanier, was popular, and considered a pretty good mayor. He was certainly a strong mayor, and did a lot to get the city back on track, especially with law enforcement and street repairs. He was also one of the big supporters for the HCHSA, and deserves a lot of credit for Enron Field and the new football stadium lined up. Mayor Bob endorsed Lee Brown, former Houston PD police chief, former Clinton Drug Czar (whatever that meant) and current University of Houston professor (I think Political Science) -- who has been described as a career Bureaucrat. His chief opponent was Rob Mosbacher, a successful Houston businessman with family roots in the oil business. Mosbacher has also been involved in a lot of charity and community projects, and serves on the board of directors of various businesses, including chairman of the board of Methodist Hospital (Big hospital -- primary teaching hospital for Baylor College of Medicine, home of Dr. Debakey, etc.) It was a very weird race, with a lot of unusual endorsements, including Al Gore for Brown and President Bush (Sr.) for Mosbacher. It was pretty even before the elections, but Brown pulled it out by a good margin in the final election (Something like 15%). At the time, I preferred Mosbacher, for his business sense, thinking he could continue to Lanier's work fixing some of the city's problems. But, I thought either would do a good job -- since the city was in good shape, and headed in the right direction. IMHO, I think Brown went way out of his depth. He's been a pretty good follower, but just isn't able to do it as the man on top. He has floundered in local politics, in running the city government, and in building on the political base that Lanier left him. The man just has no political sense, or leadership ability. He also either isn't willing to get help, or is asking the wrong people. His problems as of late have been related to the city's budget -- where he has proven particularly inept, and apparently has hired really bad accountants. This past year, he made revenue growth projections far in excess of growth patterns. Toward the end of the year, he came up with revised revenue shortfalls almost weekly. He was forced to borrow from the water and sewer fund to meet payroll for the end of the fiscal year, due to a cash flow shortage. Then he revised the budget for this fiscal year a few times, after again making high projections. Part of the city council (8 to 7) voted last week to cut the tax rate slightly -- an almost insignificant cut -- which would partially offset out an expected surplus due to higher property values. The said that they wanted to send a message to Brown that he needed to operate within the budget, and stop overspending. Brown pitched a fit, threatening to cancel city projects in those councilmen's districts which voted for the cut, and telling the media that it would mean cuts in police and fire protection. Now he is adding in expenses that he somehow forgot about, to prove that the surplus was necessary -- things he should have included in the budget to begin with. It's been a big mess. I hope we do have a good candidate on the next round. Anyone have anything to add? ------------------ Stay Cool...
