VOL 10 No. 18
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2017
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County & Missouri City
It’s Fashion, It’s Glitz and It’s a Great Cause Commissioners divided on sharing sales tax in new CADs
Thank you to Couture for the Cause Past Chairs, now working as the 2017 Advisory Board: Scott & KK West, Doug & Susie Goff, Dave & Christen Johnson, Marvin & Debbie Marcell, Molly & Michael Cooper, Marji Strohmer, Cari Middaugh, Jim & Jill Gibson, Dan & Amy Johnson, Amy West, and Julissa Duran. Back in 2009, The American Cancer Society was looking for a way to bring a different funding event to Fort Bend County. They already had a ball and a golf tournament, this one needed to be more community driven. Behind the leadership of chairs Scott & KK West, Couture for the Cause was born. Truly community driven, Couture for the Cause takes a village. The highlight of every event is the fashion show, featuring couture models--many of whom are cancer patients or survivors--seizing their own opportunity to give back. This fashion show has been selflessly produced by Lenny Matuszewski with hair by Mark Anthony, his sister Eunice and team of Milagro Salons, makeup by LaDonna Marie of Sugar Land Face & Body, and clothing
by Dillards for many years. The location for the event is key. Most years the event has been held at a private residence. That means months of measuring and preparation, building a fashion show usually over your swimming pool, and then a party of 300-400 at your house. So many have donated their beautiful homes to host Couture for the Cause, as well as Johnson Development allowing it to be held at the Sienna Plantation Resort Lagoon in 2010 when the theme was Escape to Treasure Island. It’s the theme that keeps Couture for the Cause fresh each year. Past themes have included La Dolce Vita--a fabulous Italian theme, A Night in Versaille-a fun masquerade party, and A White Haute Affair--an all white, elegant party. And each
year, Lenny does a fantastic job creating the fashion show and connecting it to the theme. It’s really a can’t miss! This year’s event will be just as fabulous. The theme is “Garden Glitz,” and the event will be held at the Farmhouse in Richmond’s Harvest Green--Houston’s first farm-centric community by Johnson Development. Time honored favorites, including the fashion show and food stations from area restaurants are part of the plan. Plus a wine pull (make a donation, draw a cork, win a bottle of wine!), Big Board Auction, and “Baubles & Bubbles” raffle sponsored by Marlene and Samir Dharia of Plaza Jewelers. Visit the Couture for the Cause Facebook page and vote for your favorite 3D image of a custom Bauble to be made and
City council gets a briefing on the use of social media
By BARBARA FULENWIDER Just about all large and small towns today have a page dedicated to their city on Facebook and other social media sites. When it comes to the elected officials of those towns and what they can say on social media, it’s another story because of the open meetings and public information acts. In an effort not to discourage or alarm council members regarding their use or non-use of social media, Meredith Riede, Sugar Land’s attorney, provided information on some do’s and don’ts at council’s April 18 meeting. She said she was “just trying to lay out a few of the ground rules.” Riede explained that a traditional city council meeting is posted 72 hours in advance and tells where, and when. Social media meetings aren’t advertised in advance but just happen so a council member can’t tell citizens to go to their
Facebook page on Tuesday at 4 p.m. “It’s just an aspect about social media – there isn’t just one place,” Riede said. A social media meeting, she said, “can be spontaneous and is all over the place -- post, repost, reply, like, share, text, tweet, forward, comment, etc.” -- and can take five minutes, a week, a month, or more. The city’s lawyer told council members they can participate in a discussion with their peers that “is all fun and games until you have that fourth person.” Four council members are a quorum so what they say becomes official city business and is open to the public. The Texas Public Information Act provides the public with access to information used in the transaction of official business. Since many elected officials have public and private conversations via e-mail, tweets, various social media sites, etc., Riede cautioned council about
the use of each. When a city gets a request from the public about any city business, the city must provide any existing information regarding the transaction of official business that was shared on social media or someone authorized by the city to share possible issues. The city secretary must monitor every social media platform, be able to access all social media accounts and get complete copies of information posted, including deleted posts. In other words, it’s nearly impossible. Riede said, “If Glenda (Gundermann, city secretary) gets an open records request she is obligated to provide the citizen who asked for it the entire conversation. A citizen may or may not realize that it is open to the public. We do not have the ability to cut out just your conversation so a citizen may make a comment and their comment See SOCIAL MEDIA, Page 3
raffled off the night of the event. The 2017 chairs are Monique Bossett, Susan Ley-Novosad, Debbie Marcell, Michelle Royster, Margot Sayre and Gina Pizzini. The themes and the venues have changed over the years, but the cause remains the same: to raise funds to eradicate cancer. The American Cancer Society Couture for the Cause,“Garden Glitz,” will be held on October 14, 2017 at The Farmhouse at Harvest Green, a Johnson Development Community in Richmond. Event tickets are $125. 100% of the proceeds benefit The American Cancer Society and their mission. For more information contact Hannah Hogan at 713-706-5635 or hannah.hogan@cancer.org.
By SESHADRI KUMAR Early voting is now in progress for the creation of five new County Assistance Districts and Fort Bend County Commissioners Court on April 25 made changes to the boundaries of the proposed County Assistance Districts because all the members of the court are not in agreement with the areas included in the districts. County Assistance District (CAD), which is authorized to collect a sales/use tax, can be created only in the unincorporated areas of a county. County Commissioners Court authorizes a vote of the citizens within the CAD boundaries to create the CAD. There are currently five CADs in Fort Bend County. Under state statute, municipalities and special districts are authorized to collect up to 2 cent sales/use tax. The five existing CADs are authorized to collect a 1 cent sales/use tax. The county authorized a vote to create five additional CAD’s in the May 2017 Election. Four of the CADs, two in Houston’s Extraterritorial Jurisdiction and one each in Fulshear’s ETJ and in Simonton’s ETJ are authorized to collect a 2 cent sales/use tax, leaving no sales tax for a city or special district within the boundaries of those CADs. One CAD in Houston’s ETJ is authorized to collect a 1 cent sales tax, as the other 1 cent is already being collected by Houston or a special district. Commissioner Andy Meyers has proposed the collection of entire two cents of available sales tax for the CADs, instead
of sharing it with the city of Houston in the new districts. Also, Meyers has reached an agreement with Fulshear and Simonton on levying a “use tax” on building material used by builders in the CAD and share it with the cities. Currently, builders pay the sales tax elsewhere (Houston) from where they buy the material. Meyers says other commissioners are not agreeing to his proposal. County Judge Bob Hebert responded to questions from this newspaper. Asked why Commissioners Court removed some areas that were originally included in proposed County Assistance District (CAD) # 11, which would be able to levy a 2¢ sales tax and is in Houston’s ETJ, Hebert said: “The Court amended the proposed boundaries of FBCAD 11 to remove many areas that are already currently located in FBCAD 2, except for the area at SH 99 and Peek Road. The proposed CAD 11 map originally included areas in FBCAD 2 which would be eligible for a full 2¢ sales tax levy, but the commissioners court determined that such a large movement of property from one CAD to another would be inappropriate.” Commissioner James Patterson said: “The only de-annexation that occurred was a very small portion of CAD #2 up in the Peek road area as that area is being developed as one large tract and it would be in two different CADs at that intersection. See CAD, Page 3
Missouri City reviews of status of “Sidewalks” By BARBARA FULENWIDER The sidewalk issue was the most discussed item on the Missouri City City Council’s April 17 special meeting agenda. Concrete sidewalks have been a problem in Houston and the surrounding area since they began being built. The soil shifts often so sidewalks constantly lift, buckle, crack, break apart. A city survey of them found numerous need repair. Missouri City’s council in 2010 agreed the city would repair residential sidewalks. To begin, the city works department did a survey of all the city’s sidewalks and are currently still two to three years away from getting all in need either repaired or re-poured. Scott Elmer, assistant city manager, gave council facts and figures about where the city stands on sidewalks.
District A is the oldest area in Missouri City and has 1,779 sidewalk repairs at a cost of $2,223,750. The district has 68 open work orders at a cost of $85,000. District B has 1,497 sidewalks in need of repair at a cost of $1,871,250. This district has 135 work orders yet to be done at a total price of $168,750. Residents of District C need 1,916 sidewalk repairs made at a total cost of $2,395,000. Work orders yet to be completed in this district are 219 at a cost of $273,750. District D sidewalk repairs total 1,485 at a price tag of $1,856,250. Open work orders in this district are 110 at a cost of $137,500. Elmer told council all repairs currently needed “roughly amount to the $2 million range” and that “about $1 million” is from bonds.
Councilman At-Large No. 1 Jerry Wyatt asked, “How long will it take to finish this?” Elmer said as soon as all that need it get repaired, the process will need to begin again. Then Wyatt asked, “How long will it take us to complete this whole process?” and Elmer said, “Years. We will continue to have (sidewalk) failures thanks to ground movement. We can mitigate some of that but it will cost us more.” District A Council Member Yolanda Ford asked if the city has always repaired sidewalks and Elmer said no. Mayor Allen Owen said citizens primarily on the west side of the city worked to get the city to agree to repair all residential sidewalks in need. “In 2007 council said we’ll allocate such dollars for side-
See SIDEWALK, Page 3