Tag: municipal utility districts

Houston Matters

Exploring the Power of — and Potential Problems with — Municipal Utility Districts

Posted on · We’ve discussed municipal utility districts (or MUDs) before. They provide public utilities — electricity, gas, water, phone lines and so forth — to otherwise unincorporated areas on the outskirts of a town or city without actually tapping into that city’s existing infrastructure. There are a thousand such MUDs in the state of Texas run by a […]

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Transgender Rights Challenges: Tuesday’s Show (August 30, 2016)

Posted on · Last week (Aug. 22, 2016), U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor of Texas ruled the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education exceeded their authority when they applied Title IX’s ban on gender discrimination in public schools to policies regarding transgender students’ use of facilities, like locker rooms and bathrooms. The federal agencies had concluded — and offered guidance […]

Houston Matters

“MUD” Districts Provide Utilities for Unincorporated Areas

Posted on · Municipal utility districts — or “MUDs” — are essentially local forms of government established to provide water, sewage, and drainage services to neighborhoods not affiliated with any city. They’re subject to approval by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Houston Matters’ Edel Howlin talks with Justin Ring from the local civil engineering firm EHRA about […]

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Mayoral Race Preview, Truancy, and MUD Districts: Monday’s show (February 9, 2015)

Posted on · While D.C. watchers salivate over the developing 2016 Presidential campaign, Houstonians engaged in city politics are keeping an eye out for signals as to who might make a run in November to replace outgoing Houston Mayor Annise Parker next year. On this edition of Houston Matters, we discuss the likely candidates, and what they may bring […]