Houston Mayor seeks property tax hike for Harvey recovery (Katy: home, buy)

[jerbear30]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Developers do what the government allows them to do
That's where "Big government" is supposed to come in and set laws to make sure that the city grows in a way that is planned to avoid disasters.

I don't quite understand your analogy. I get that developers have manipulated state and local government in order to make a quick buck, but are we not supposed to hold them responsible for that when their decisions prove damaging?

[Spartacus713]

Originally Posted by K LoLo

Did the city of Houston not have flood insurance for their property? In regards to the flooded vehicles, are they not covered by the city's insurance?

They either have that, or they have a fund set aside for self-insurance. I expect they have insurance. There really is not very much that "The City of Houston" will be on the hook for here, but they will have some expenses. Regarding vehicle insurance, they will almost certainly have some sort of deductible and some other costs. However, for whatever vehicles they had flooded, I would be interested in seeing a report on where these vehicles where and under what circumstances they were flooded.

Again, these people lie for a living, so we should not just take their word for anything here.

[Spartacus713]

Originally Posted by LizzySWW

The city of Houston and Harris County are being sued as well. I really hope the plaintiffs prevail and are fully compensated.

Maybe the lawsuits are why the mayor didn't seem overly compassionate in his tone last Friday when he (finally agreed) to personally take a boat tour of neighborhoods along the bayou and talk to homeowners. He spoke words but there didn't seem to be a genuine sense of caring in his delivery.

That lawsuit is not likely going anywhere. However, if it does, it is the Harris County Flood Control District that is in charge of all this. The City of Houston has deeper pockets, but they do not make decisions regarding releasing flood waters from Addicks or Barker dams.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by jerbear30

I don't quite understand your analogy. I get that developers have manipulated state and local government in order to make a quick buck, but are we not supposed to hold them responsible for that when their decisions prove damaging?

Developers ask for permits to build in X area
same way we ask for permits to build a patio or whatever

If the government gave them permits to overbuild an area and the government didn't save space for water retention.
How is that the developers fault?

[jerbear30]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Developers ask for permits to build in X area
same way we ask for permits to build a patio or whatever

If the government gave them permits to overbuild an area and the government didn't save space for water retention.
How is that the developers fault?

Well I think you're saying that Houston could've benefitted from a stronger local government, and I agree with you on that. But it is the developers themselves who have helped to prevent that from happening. They have manipulated local government to keep its laws lax. They are not dumb toddlers.

[usc619]

For christ sake, he should just make it a permanent tax hike and fix up Houston's crapy infrastructure.

[usc619]

Originally Posted by Dopo

Developers do what the government allows them to do
That's where "Big government" is supposed to come in and set laws to make sure that the city grows in a way that is planned to avoid disasters.

I'll repeat myself...The laws in Houston are so lax due to no zoning. That's why Houston is the billboard capital of America. Because it is so lax that the political perfect storm exists: Developers can do whatever the F' they want and the local government councils can't do anything about it without pissing off the other constituents.

Basically, Houston citizenry is amazing and has compassion AFTER a disaster. Full
of heart and ready to give and share and stand side by side to be charitable. It's BEFORE any disaster that the citizenry could give two ****s vs demanding that the money hungry developers stop risking people's lives and homes by building on flood plains or just pouring concrete over green where rain waters can sit on top of. City councils and democratic mayors have nothing to do with it. If they demanded such change, this would be a Republican run town.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

'Sorry, but the blame for flooding is one, an Act of God, and two, developers in Katy, Sugarland, Fulshear and all points in between.

I used to live in Katy, in a subdivision built in the 60s, so not so sure that can be blamed, however, I lived in Katy for over 25+ years, and I saw neighborhood after neighborhood, development after development being, well, developed. All those lands which were developed were done without strict/scientific studies, or requirements for traffic, and for flood control. What you have here now is a result of all that development, with water no where to go but to the bayous. All land in Katy drains into the bayous, for example. It will just get worse.

I am not familiar with Fulshear, Sugarland, etc., but all that water has to flow towards the ocean, and Houston is in the path.

Now, I don't like the fact that the taxes must be raised, but quit blaming the City of Houston. Many of you work and enjoy Houston, but live in the burbs where you don't pay into the City of Houston tax base at all.

If your next door neighbor decided to regrade/re-landscape his/her house, and raised the elevation by several inches, and the water drained onto your property flooding it, I'd bet you would be complaining about your neighbor's work that caused it. This is Houston, but on a much larger scale.

[houston-nomad]

Originally Posted by iberanon

Property tax will have to be in the 10% range permanently to pay for buying all those flooded houses at predamage prices. On the upside, there is no need for flood insurance anymore! Or personal responsibility!

Get your facts straight. This tax will not fun buyouts of flooded houses. Everyone shouts about personal responsibility unless it's something that affects them... then it's suddenly, "why do the roads suck?" "where are the cops when you need them?" "pick up my trash more often!!"

[curbur]

Originally Posted by jerbear30

Well I think you're saying that Houston could've benefitted from a stronger local government, and I agree with you on that. But it is the developers themselves who have helped to prevent that from happening. They have manipulated local government to keep its laws lax. They are not dumb toddlers.

I think what he's saying is that the people that go to school to design roads or master planned communities don't also go to school for hydrogeology and are ill equipped or outright incapable of doing the necessary research in order to determine where is or isn't safe for homes to be built. If they were told the area was safe to build homes on by FEMA/HCFCD/whoever determines the flood plain maps, is it really their shortcoming or should it be on the agency whose tasked with the sole responsibility of determining that?

I do get your point that home developers do influence local and regional politics on these matters somewhat, for example those who influenced the construction of grand parkway, the Katy prairie conservancy land that will not be saved at all, and all the new suburban mpc's that will be paved on top of it so that they will provide additional runoff for Cypress creek or addicks watersheds. With that being said though, I don't buy that they've completely influenced the flood plain maps at all or had flood zones and plains tightened by officials to fit their desires. Those determinations still fall solely with the government agency designed to determine those maps, and if this many homes were at risk during a supposed 800 yr flood event, then that should have never been a permitted area to have housing.