Vote Yes on prop B
There is an election next Tuesday. One of the items on the ballot is Proposition B. It adds the following language to the city charter:
“Section 12. – Membership in a Council of Government or Metropolitan Planning Organization.
(a) The City may accept or maintain membership in a Council of Government or Metropolitan Planning Organization only if votes on the governing board are apportioned proportionally on the basis of population notwithstanding statutory voting members. However, members representing local governments shall have at least 90% of total votes.
(b) In the event that a Council of Government or Metropolitan Planning Organization does not comply with section (a) the City shall withdraw its membership from the body if the voting system is not corrected within 60 days of the effective date of adoption of this section.”
Wow—that seems really boring. One might think, so what? But this is especially designed to give Houston appropriate representation on the regional planning body, the Houston-Galveston Area Council. Ok, this is starting to feel like a deep dive into bureaucratic bullshit. Why should we care about the H-GAC? H-GAC represents 13 counties, deciding on regional projects for transportation, flood control, etc. Houston is grossly underrepresented on H-GAC which mean distant suburbs get most of the flood mitigation money. All the projects they approve of are designed to promote sprawl.
My favorite urbanist YouTuber, City Nerd, took a trip to Houston and reported on this issue. He was surprisingly generous to Houston (given that it is a platonic ideal of anti-urbanism). He explains the issue clearly. (And I love his slightly sarcastic delivery.)
It is important to vote Tuesday, because the Nazi party is working extra hard to destroy cities in Texas. But for Houstonians, Prop B is a concrete measure to make sure Houston is represented in regional planning decisions.
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