Posted on · Construction for the Terminal B expansion project will not start until the Houston City Council signs off on the city's initial contribution of $150 million, which it cannot do because outgoing city controller Chris Brown has not approved the funding. He says more due diligence is needed.
Posted on · The Houston Public Media/Houston Chronicle/UH Political Science and Population Health Poll found 49% of respondents held either a strongly favorable or somewhat favorable view of Turner’s time in office.
Posted on · Houston City Controller Chris Brown, an outgoing elected official like Mayor Sylvester Turner, is holding up a proposed payment of $150 million from the city to United Airlines as part of a $2.5 billion project at the city's largest airport. Brown said Monday his office is reviewing the plan and its potential impact on city's long-term finances.
Posted on · Houston has been relying on federal COVID relief funds to close its budget deficits for the past few years. Bill Kelly, Mayor Sylvester Turner’s director of government relations, said Turner’s successor will have until mid-2025 to find another way to close that gap.
Posted on · City Controller Chris Brown says the approaching end of federal COVID relief funds means Houston can no longer put off dealing with structural budget deficit of up to $300 million. Massive layoffs could be the result.
Posted on · On Tuesday's show: The cumulative effect of COVID, teacher burnout, faculty and staff shortages, and political pressure on public education, and a conversation with actor Jason Lee about his new book of photography of Galveston.
Posted on · On today's show: Funeral services for George Floyd, City Controller Chris Brown answers questions about the city's finances, warm weather gardening advice, and a museum to honor Houston hip-hop.
Posted on · On Tuesday's Houston Matters: The Astros are hit with harsh punishments after their sign-stealing scandal. City Controller Chris Brown discusses the city's finances. We meet the new provost at Rice, an expert on the science of earthquakes. And we examine the financial and social challenges faced by small town America.
Posted on · “It’s tough. You could look at the financial statements of the city, but they’re unintelligible to most laypeople.”
Posted on · City Controller Chris Brown says Houston is already facing a budget deficit of at least $120 million in the next fiscal year. Enacting full pay parity for firefighters in a single year would nearly double that gap.
Posted on · The city has racked up $2.1 billion in unfunded liabilities, and the total is growing by $160 million a year. City Controller Chris Brown warns that, unchecked, the problem could soon reach a scale comparable to the recent pension crisis.