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Mayor Turner faces criticism for diverting funds from street and drainage projects
The Houston Chronicle's editorial board criticizes Mayor Sylvester Turner and his administration for diverting approximately $24 million per year from the voter-approved street and drainage fund for other purposes, which they deem a violation of voters' trust.
Houston - Hard words this week for Mayor Sylvester Turner from the editorial board of our city's newspaper of record.
The Houston Chronicle called out Turner and his administration for "siphoning off" roughly $24 million dollars a year from the voter-approved street and drainage fund - to pay for other stuff.
The editorial board called the re-appropriation "a violation of voter's trust".
That is because Houstonians have been consistently told all proceeds of the so-called "rain tax" were collected and kept in a 'lock-box" - to be used solely for pavement and flood control.
Back in 2018, our friend Bill King called out Turner's administration of the fund as "a complete fraud" - citing a sneaky, albeit legal, loophole which allowed the Mayor to use the "Re-Build Houston" money to fill holes in his budgets