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Urban Reform Institute
Recent News About Urban Reform Institute
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Op-ed: Houston controller sounds alarm
Houston Controller Chris Brown sounded an alarm saying that the city’s structural imbalance in its budget is getting “much bigger, rather than smaller” and he was concerned about what could happen once federal relief dollars run out.
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Op-ed: Council member wants to cap appraisals and reform pensions
Houston Council Member Dave Martin, this week, reignited an old debate as well as issued a challenge to the state legislature to address the cost of living.
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Houston still facing financial hurdles
Houston finances have long been bad, but the city’s elected officials often try to brush over claims by saying that they pass balanced budgets.
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Op-ed: Harris County corruption culture runs deep
Lincoln Steffens wrote "The Shame of the Cities" in 1904. The book, a collection of articles, is about the inner workings of America’s corrupt big-city political machines and the efforts to push back.
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Harris County elections administrator resigns as pressure builds
It took nearly 30 hours for the Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria to report full primary results after polls closed on Tuesday.
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Mayor launches One Safe Houston
In 2022, there have been more than 40 homicides in Houston already and with all things indicating it will get worse, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the “One Safe Houston” program, a $44 million investment aimed at crime reduction.
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Op-ed: Absence of local 'leaders'
There's one thing you can count on in Houston when a horrendous act of violence occurs, our elected officials will find the nearest camera and microphone, dressed in shirts and jackets emblazoned with the city seal and their respective offices, and express their outrage.
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We get the government we deserve
Our two largest local institutions, Harris County and the City of Houston, are under investigation because of actions taken by the county judge and the mayor.
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Texas housing affordability linked to homelessness
A recent report by the state comptroller has shown a link between homelessness and housing affordability.
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Emergency policies have to come to an end
The adage “never let a good crisis go to waste” is one that has been embraced by officials in Texas and across the country over the last 18 months.
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Urban Reform's Blain calls speed of Harris County administrator's appointment 'unacceptable'
Harris County officials acted too quickly in proposing and voting on the appointment of an administrator to operate at the center of the government, according to critics.
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Despite popularity, guaranteed basic income is not the answer to upward mobility
Few public policy ideas have spread as fast as guaranteed basic income has across America’s largest local governments.