Harish Jajoo believes the city can do more with less money and can accomplish the goals even after giving a tax cut to taxpayers. It is a fear tactic to say that services will have to be cut if the tax rate is cut. When there is a surplus revenue, it is only fair that taxpayers get a part of the money back instead of the city spending it all and some more.
Harish Jajoo will:
ELECT
• Run the City of Sugar Land more like a business • Focus on the bottom line, streamline services, become more efficient, and improve customer service for Sugar Land residents • Enhance city services through innovation, technology, and a dose of common sense in government
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VOL 9 No. 22
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Phone: 281-980-6745
FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2016
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
Sculptures at Town Square Plaza
Sugar Land recently installed two sculptures in Sugar Land Town Square’s public plaza – part of a 10-piece collection donated by a Sugar Land resident to the City through the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation. Other statues are located at Sugar Land Memorial Park, Oyster Creek Park and Fire Station 4 in First Colony. A future installation is planned for Highlands Park. The first bronze sculpture depicts a guitar player sitting on the ledge of a fountain facing City Walk. The second represents two girls taking a “selfie” near a bench with City Hall in the background. Both show activities common in the plaza. The public art donations were reviewed and approved by two citizen committees – the Parks, Art, Recreation, Culture and Streetscapes (PARCS) board on April 8 and the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation on April 23 – before final approval of City Council on Sept. 16. The inclusion of sculpture in the Town Square plaza aligns with the continued vision of the City and the Legacy Foundation’s commitment to establish cultural arts amenities that “provide and/ or support activities and facilities that enrich the artistic, cultural, educational, and historical character of Sugar Land.” The City is currently developing a Public Art Plan that reflects the public’s strong desire for art that beautifies the city, has a place-making quality and supports places where people gather such as Sugar Land Town Square. An unveiling ceremony held at a later date in partnership with the Legacy Foundation.
Brazos River floods cause ‘local state of disaster’
Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert declared a “local state of disaster” for the area on Saturday, May 28, citing the “widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property resulting from the severe storms which have caused extensive rainfall throughout the Brazos River Watershed and are putting the Brazos River into flood stage.” The Brazos River rose above record levels Sunday night and continues to rise. The river is already two feet over the record in Simonton, a level not seen in over fifty years. “The river is already two feet higher in Simonton than it was in the 1994 floods,” says Mark Vogler, Chief Engineer for Fort Bend County, “the river has been rising steadily overnight in Simonton.” “All this water is moving downstream through the rest of the county now. Areas along the river that flooded in 1994 will probably flood again - with even greater severity - as we approach the National Weather Service’s forecast of 53.5 feet.” adds Jeff Braun, Emergency Management Coordinator. “A number of rescues occurred yesterday, with more expected now in the daylight hours.” Twenty-six people were rescued in rescue operations conducted on May 29 and May 30
near Simonton. As the river levels rise, so has the flow rate of the flood water. The Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management has worked with Texas Task Force 1 to stage additional swiftwater rescue and Urban Search and Rescue teams at the County Fairgrounds in anticipation of additional rescues throughout the duration of this event. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations have been ordered in parts of Fort Bend County along the river, and it is likely that more will follow. “Residents are underestimating the severity of this event,” says Braun, “just because you haven’t been ordered to evacuate doesn’t mean you shouldn’t leave or prepare. It is the responsibility of everybody to take necessary action to protect their lives and property. The fact is that the river is forecasted to rise three feet above the observed 1994 levels, which is water the county has not seen in many of our lifetimes.” The Fort Bend County Drainage District and the levee operators are working together and monitoring levee status and the levees are working as designed. Levee operators are activating their Emergency Action Plans as appropriate. Due to upstream and area
rainfall, the National Weather Service has issued a “river flood warning” for the Brazos River in Fort Bend County “until further notice or until the warning is cancelled.” NWS officials forecast that the waterway “will continue rising to near 53.5 feet on Tuesday [May 31] then begin falling.” Missouri City’s City’s Emergency Management Office in partnership with County and regional officials are monitoring weather forecasts, levels of regional waterways and mobility on area roadways. Should flooding occur, officials will close some roads. Areas of concern include: FM 1092 Bridge over Oyster Creek State Highway 6 Bridge over the Flat Bank Creek Diversion Channel State Highway 6 Bridge over lower Oyster Creek Sienna Parkway from McKeever Road to the Fort Bend Toll Road Fort Bend Toll Road (Section B1, the newest extension area over lower Oyster Creek) Oyster Creek and other Missouri City waterways will be elevated. The Oyster Creek Trail may once again be unusable for a period of time. The timing for this is unpredictable.
By BARBARA FULENWIDER Fort Bend ISD taxpayers are getting a tax rate break this year thanks to a lower interest rate the district will have to pay on borrowed money. The district’s 2016-17 proposed budget is about $718 million. There will be a two-cent reduction thanks to the debt service reduction of 5.95 percent. Debt service will cost the district $96,504,163 this next budget year compared to $102,167,668 last year. Total expenditures increased 0.90 percent and so did maintenance and operations by 2.11 percent. The FBISD tax rate for the 2016-17 school year is proposed to be $1.32 per $100 assessed value -- two cents less than last year’s $1.34 tax rate. The maintenance and operations tax rate will be $1.04 and for debt service, 28 cents. The reduction doesn’t mean residents in FBISD will pay less because property values are up. The levy on the average residence will increase from
$256,914 last year to $274,659 this year. While the average taxable value of residences was $219,386 last year it is $240,706 this year. Taxes due on the average residence last year were $2,939.77. This year they will be $3,177.32 or $237.55 more. The appraised value of all property in the state’s seventh largest school district was $33,709,452,753 last year and is up this year by almost $6 billion more to $38,081,615,868. The total appraised value of new property came in at $1,065,745,979. For the current tax year the appraised value of new property is $1,918,831,500. Last year the total taxable value of all property was $32,168,585,389. This year it is $35,525,637,258. The total taxable value of new property was $1,065,882,604 last year and for the current year is $1,207,874,756. Enrollment this next school year is projected to be 74,111 students, so the proposed budget to teach them is $592,626,411 in the general fund.
That includes a salary increase for all teachers and a raise in the starting salary for teachers up to $50,500. The cost of new positions will be $1,826,813. Total revenue was put at $588,803,690 for the general fund, $99,677,012 for debt service and $28,227,562 for child nutrition. Local revenues pay for most of the district’s expenses and are estimated to be $364,151,685. The state is expected to provide $216,852,005 and federal programs, $7,800,000. The proposed cost of instruction in the 2016-17 school year is set at $357,553,070. The cost to teach each student went from $4,798 last year to $4,824 this year. Facilities maintenance and operation came in at a projected $55,893,783. The estimated balances that will remain at the end of the current fiscal year are $98,074,085 in the maintenance and operations fund and $14,267,915 in the interest and sinking fund.
FBISD propose a 2-cent cut in tax rate
Party primary runoff election results In the Republican and Democratic Party primary runoff elections, the candidates won with very narrow margins and the number of votes cast was low as well. In the Republican Party primary runoff for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Constable race Wayne Thompson with 1,293 votes (50.93%) defeated incumbent Rob Cook who got 1,246 votes (49.07%). In the Pct. 1 Constable race, Mike Beard with 1,993 votes (56.78%) defeated Chris Bronsell with 1,517 votes (43.22%). In the County Court-at-Law Judge #5 race, Ron Cohen with 3,985 votes (50.59%) defeated long time Associate Judge Harold Kennedy who received 3,892 votes (49.41%). In the Democratic Party primary runoff for State Rep. Dist. 27, incumbent Ron Reynolds received 2,056 votes (52.91% ), defeating challenger Angelique Bartholomew who got 1,830 votes (47.09%).