Governance

What To Watch: Looking Ahead to the 86th Legislative Session

Thanks in part to the results of the recent election, lawmakers are underscoring this session as a time to focus on "bread and butter" issues.

Sales Tax Could be the Key to Alleviate Revenue Shortfalls

Government entities in the Greater Houston region are increasingly struggling to provide urban-level services to all residents, particularly those in unincorporated suburban areas. Raising or allowing high-growth urban counties to collect sales tax could improve the provision of public services to all residents.

Governing A Growing Region: Addressing Challenges of Service Provision and Development in Houston

This report takes a regional view to find major issues with the way our growth is governed.

Could A Regional Approach to Revenue Help The Houston Area's Patchwork System of Governance and Services?

Regional governance in the Houston area currently produces disparities between communities and frustrates regional challenges. Regional revenue sharing offers a different approach without ceding local autonomy.

Special Districts Helped Form Houston. But the Patchwork of Governments Also Presents A Challenge Going Forward.

A patchwork of cities, counties, municipal utility districts and other jurisdictions across the region has created barriers to long-term regional prosperity, according to a new report.

Want to Make Your City Care About A Policy Issue? Try A Dashboard.

Data scientist Jeff Reichman of January Advisors has been building a bridge between data and policymakers in Houston and beyond.

The Challenge of the 2020 Census

With a legal fight ongoing around the citizenship question, many argue trust has already been damaged.

Mayors Acknowledge Inequality For the Most Part, But May Still Be Misunderstanding It

A new survey shows that most mayors are aware of inequality and discrimination, but they tend to think its better than compared to the rest of the country and likely discount its impact on key services.

Report Describes Fragmented Highway Enforcement in Houston

One clear path for improvement is the highway enforcement of Harris County and the Houston region.

Collaborations and Overlapping Services in Harris County Law Enforcement

This report will lay out the landscape of law enforcement in Harris County and document existing overlapping services.

Harris County's Contract Deputy Program Presents Funding and Equity Concerns

The program allows private entities to contract for law enforcement patrol but it presents funding and equity challenges.

Report Details Possible Law Enforcement Consolidations and Collaborations

With dozens of law enforcement agencies across Harris County, there is potential for overlapping services.

To Pay for Trauma Centers, State Program Sinks Thousands of Texas Drivers into Deep Debt

Texas Tribune | Though lawmakers acknowledge the policy disproportionately hurts the poor, they've struggled to eliminate it.

Lessons from Harvey: Crisis Informatics for Urban Resilience

This report suggests that public agencies work closely with social media companies and the operators of crowdsourced sites to install plans to incorporate these systems into the disaster recovery process.

What Twitter Can Teach Us About Hurricane Harvey

Platforms like Twitter can capture immediate, on-the-ground needs in an unfolding disaster and can help fill gaps in response.