VOL 7 No. 32
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2014
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
FBISD gets “slow down” signal on $542 million bond
YARD OF THE MONTH FOR AUGUST. Color in the August Garden can be challenging due to high heat and humidity, especially in the sun. Natalie Hade of 3618 Covey Trail has selected sunloving plants for color throughout the year and done so in ways that address the design challenges of a high entry. Crepe myrtles, knockout roses, sun-loving coleus varieties, Mexican Petunias, bougainvillea, dwarf bottle brush as well as brick-paver paths frames the high entry. This area transitions to other beds that include a stone planter of Bird of Paradise, cypress, boxwoods, ornamental flax, as well as island beds of lantana, other succulents and cactus as well as garden art. Natalie received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Quail Valley Garden Club and a plant from Flowers by Adela. The Quail Valley Garden Club will have its first meeting, Thursday, September 11 at 9:30 at the Missouri City Recreation & Tennis Center, 2701 Cypress Point Drive. The public is invited. For more information visit http://traction.typepad.com/QVGC or contact Mary Chan at 281 437-7179.
QUAIL VALLEY’S MOTHERS’ CLUB: Eli, Wiley, & QV Mother’s Club Co Founder Jennifer McCalmon Obi with Co-Founder Cathy Andreu and her children, Charles,Sofia, & Emmy. New to the Neighborhood? Calling all moms! With a recent influx of families moving to Quail Valley or, in many cases back to Quail Valley, residents Jennifer Obi and Cathy Andreu recognized a need for a moms club. With the hope of fostering a greater sense of community within our quaint and nostalgic neighborhood, the group plans to gather throughout the year for special events for kids as well as some occasions just for moms. The kick-off party is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m, on the patio of the new City Centre at Quail Valley. If you would like to meet other moms living in Quail Valley, please join them for refreshments, door prizes, free mini makeovers and to find out how you can become involved. QVMC is also in need of officers, ranging from Treasurer to Social Chair. Please email qvmomsclub@gmail.com with your questions and interest. For more information, visit www.qvmomsclub.org
By SESHADRI KUMAR The first, formal public hearing on the proposed $542 million Fort Bend ISD bond election drew a handful of speakers on Monday night who cautioned against the speedy process and urged the administration to slow down. One speaker from Waterside Estates, suffering from the overcrowded Oakland Elementary, felt the district is not moving fast enough to build new schools in the area. Following another public hearing on Aug. 12, the school board is expected to take action on Aug. 18 and is likely to call for a bond election in November. Superintendent Charles Dupre told the audience of about 50 people, with about half from the district administration and those in the bond oversight committee, that the capital plan was based on facilities master plan, safety and security plan and technology plan, done over 18 months. The district prioritized the needs through extensive community engagement, Dupre said. The first phase of bond projects requires an estimated $672.8 million, of which the district already has other sources of funds worth $130.8 million, leaving the required bond amount at $542 million. This money will be spent from 2014 through 2019. The second phase of bond projects from 2019 to 2023 will require an estimated $505 million. There would be no “tax rate increase” to fund the new bonds, Dupre said. How could the district borrow more than half-a-billion dollars and yet say there will be no tax increase? Dupre said it is due to the district’s increasing tax base and sound financial management. Dupre did not say there will be no tax increase. Even though the tax rate will remain unchanged, thanks to the economic growth and increasing “tax base”, the district assumes a 5 per cent to 7 percent growth in value every year, resulting in new tax revenue of $15 million to $20 million. That the district is able to transfer $20 million from the general fund to the debt service
fund this year bears the point that the growth in property values generates surplus tax revenue that would help pay for the new debt, without actually increasing the tax rate. Dupre told the gathering that he was comfortable with the proposal as the final details followed a “rigorous and robust discussion with the community.” He also said the district is “prudent and proactive in fiscal management.” The bond oversight committee suggested that the district use its cash on hand instead of the bond money to fund the short-term technology expenditures. Consequently, the money earmarked for an elementary school in Riverstone has been moved toward technology expenditures. Dupre dispelled the rumors that the much-needed elementary school no. 47 in Riverstone is at risk of not being built, if the bond is not passed by voters. Dupre said the district has the funds to build the elementary school at Riverstone even if the bond does not pass. Dupre projected near 100 percent utilization of the existing and new school buildings based on the projected student population. The board is simultaneously working on a new attendance boundary policy and a new rezoning plan will be adopted by December, he said. On the proposed $46 million career and technology center, Dupre said it is more than a place holder and no concrete plan has been drawn yet. Because of the heated market, construction prices have been escalating and they are expected to remain high for the next five years, Dupre said. The bond includes $20 million for bond support services to hire professional project managers. The construction costs have been estimated reasonably and the plan has “the flexibility to meet the demand in a nimble fashion,” Dupre said. During public comments, Mike Schofield said he had mixed feelings about the career and technology center. He was not sure if a separate building is needed where students are likely to spend halfa-day. It may be better to equip all high schools with such facili-
ties, Schofield said. Tammy Marino felt that the bond proposal was being “rushed.” There is not enough time for the community to be well educated and a lot of people are not well versed with the bond proposals, Marino said. Before building new schools, rezoning and boundary issues need to be resolved and there is no evidence of that, Marino said. She said one should take Dupre on his word that the board is simultaneously working on the issue. Marino said why rush for the November election and why not wait until May. Yvonne Larsen said she had huge, mixed feelings about the bond. Lareon expressed serious concerns regarding security cameras based on legal and constitutional issues. She was also concerned about the “private advocacy” of the bond. An assistant principal at a high school sought to intimidate her, for asking questions about the bond, she said. Kris Allfrey said the bond started at $334 million then it went to $450 million then it went to $490 million and now it is at $542 million. He questioned the wisdom of having $89 million for contingency and bond support. While Marshall and Willowridge are left way under-utilized why spend $46 million on a Tech Ed building, Allfrey said. Why build ES 48 to relieve Jan Schiff when hundreds of seats are available in Heritage Rose just down the street, he said. If you put in 3700 plus cameras for security why do you need card key access on all exterior doors with entrance vestibules that negate the cameras because you now have controlled access, Allfrey said. He said “slow down and do it right.” Erica Yu said she was not against the bond, but she does not want the district back to square one, with some underutilized schools and some overcrowded schools. Diana Fatridge said though there is “lot of fluff” in the bond proposal, Oakland students are shipped to another school. The area needs not one, but four schools now and the administration is not moving fast enough, she said.
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Financial Planning and Investment Management since 1996 STATE AWARD. Pictured (L-R) during a recent City Council recognition ceremony are Assistant Public Works Director Dawn Steph, Texas Public Works Association Southeast Branch President Andrea Brinkley, Mayor James Thompson and Environmental Manager Gabe Reaume. The Texas Public Works Association selected the City of Sugar Land to receive a Sustainability Practices Award for achievements in solid waste and recycling. See Story on Page 3.
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