VOL 6 No. 22
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, MAY 29 , 2013
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Sugar Land Junior Superstars
The 2013 Sugar Land Junior Superstar Finale drew large crowds to Sugar Land Town Square. The third annual American Idol-like competition featured local youngsters between the ages of 9 and 13. Pictured (L-R): third place winner Cashmir Khawaja, 2013 Junior Superstar Gabriela Sanchez, and second place winner Jacqueline Botz. Visit SugarLandTownSquare.com for more information.
Area cities see growth in tax base By BARBARA FULENWIDER With the real estate market continuing to rebound into what is becoming more and more of a seller’s utopia, taxable values for 2013 have increased over those in 2012. Increased taxable values mean there will be more money for school districts and towns to spend on their students and on public services. Last week the Fort Bend Independent reported that Fort Bend County’s taxable values rose by 6.47 percent, which means the larger towns in the county are prospering more this year than they did a year ago. The preliminary taxable value for Sugar Land properties total $10.47 billion this year assuming that 90 percent of value under protest remains on the tax rolls. The $10.47 billion is a 7.5 percent increase over last year’s total values. New values account for 15 percent of the increase and commercial values are up significantly while residential value is up about 1.7 percent over 2012. Currently Sugar Land has 39,131 properties or 205
more than last year. “We can’t really address revenue yet as the tax rate hasn’t been set yet and that is council’s decision,” said Doug Adolph, city spokesman. “However, if the tax rate were to remain at its current level at this preliminary value, it would result in about a seven percent increase in revenue. That being said, the certified tax roll historically comes in about five percent lower than the preliminary roll and would result in very different revenues to Sugar Land.” Missouri City, which gets preliminary taxable value figures from both Harris County and Fort Bend County, also reported increased taxable values. Preliminary values for 2013 are $4,165,845,831 compared to $4,020,472,066 last year for a 3.62 percent increase. Stacie Walker, Missouri City spokeswoman, said, “At this time we do not have a commercial versus residential breakdown or the number of properties in the city. That information will be available in July.”
Stafford Municipal School District (SMSD) also gets preliminary taxable value figures from Harris and Fort Bend counties. Last year’s preliminary taxable values were $2,311,746,205 from Fort Bend and were $6,394,155 from Harris County. Last year’s $2.311 billion preliminary figure from Fort Bend CAD ended up being $1,884,330,626 after the Freeport Exemption and protests were deducted. Preliminary numbers this year are $2,371,671,540 from Fort Bend and $6,390,983 from Harris County. Karla Merka, SMSD chief financial officer, said, “It amounts to a three percent difference from this year to last on the preliminary numbers reported by the Fort Bend County Appraisal District. Harris County is down by about 1.2 percent. Because the Freeport tax does not affect the Harris County numbers, they maintain their preliminary figures, so it will turn around and come back up.”
Memorial day in Sugar Land
A large contingent gathered to cheer on Palladium General Manager Eli Perez, fourth from left, Santikos Director of Marketing Chris Prichard and Santikos CFO Joe Krysak as they collectively wielded the giant scissors at The Central Fort Bend Chamber Al-
10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 Seshadri Kumar Publisher & Editor
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Fort Bend Independent, (USPS 025-572) is published every Wednesday (for a subscription rate of $20 per year) by Fort Bend Independent, LLC., 10701 Corporate Dr., #282, Stafford, Texas 77477. Periodicals Postage Paid at Stafford, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fort Bend Independent, P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, Tx 77487.
liance ribbon cutting on May 15th. The Palladium AVX & Entertainment Complex, which celebrated its grand opening on May 16th, brings a new generation of movie-going to the Fort Bend community. The facility boasts 22 movie auditoriums, four restaurant concepts, five bars, a 16-lane bowling center and fine art, among numerous other amenities. Left, Fayth Burgin, Director of Administration for the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce; Commissioner James Patterson, Fort Bend County, Precinct 4; Dave Cannon, principal with Trend Development; Chris Prichard, Assistant Director of Operations and Director of Marketing at Santikos Theatres; Rob Fondren, principal with Trend Development; and Ted Volf, with the Fort Bend Chamber Board of Directors celebrated the grand opening of the Palladium AVX & Entertainment Complex on Thursday, May 16. The 180,000-squarefoot entertainment complex will boast 22 movie screens, a bowling center with 16 full lanes, and multiple beverage and dining options throughout the facility. The Palladium is located along Grand Parkway in Long Meadow Farms, a master-planned community developed by Trend.
Boys Scouts place wreaths to mark Memorial Day. By SESHADRI KUMAR The city of Sugar Land organized the fifth Memorial Day ceremony at Sugar Land’s Memorial Park on Monday, May 27. After the presentation of colors by the Sugar Land Police Honor Guard, a member of the Boy Scout Troop 992 led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance and 10-year-old Leah Grace from Kingwood sang the National Anthem. David Kiger, U.S. Army (Retd.) did the roll call of the fallen soldiers from the area. Following the welcome remarks by Sugar Land Mayor Jimmy Thompson, U.S. Rep. Pete Olson and Col. Gregory Barrow made brief remarks. Olson said the tears of the parents of the men and women start from the day they sign up to join the armed service — tears of sadness, tears of pride, and tears of worry and fear, tears of sorrow, if their loved one returns in a flagdraped coffin and tears of immense joy, when they return home safe after the call of duty. “Those who gave their life did so because they love us,” Olson said. Barrow urged the audience to be mindful of the sacrifices made by the men and women who served in
the military and the gifts they have given to the country and the world. Boy Scout Troop 731 members placed wreaths in honor of the fallen soldiers, while the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Department rendered a 21-gun salute. The Patriotic Brass Band Ensemble gave the TAPS presentation and Lt. Robert Rogers of the Sugar Land Fire Department played
the Patriotic Bag Pipe. Members of the Fred Astaire Dance Studio gave a dance presentation, “Just a dream,” by Carrie Underwood. The event concluded with the singing of “God Bless America” by Sugar Land Junior Super Star Gabriela Sanchez. The Indo-American Forum of Fort Bend provided free water to visitors.
The audience waves the flag to “God Bless America.”