VOL 5 No. 38
Phone: 281-980-6745
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FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
County adopts budget with no tax hike
Birds of Fort Bend
Common Nighthawk is usually seen flying at dusk and dawn foraging for flying insects. Sometimes called a bull-bat because of its darting and erratic flying patterns, this bird is so intricately camouflaged, it is rare to see them during the day. In flight they look like a large bat and the white bars on their wings look like “headlights.” They breed throughout North America and normally winter in a large portion of South America. Found in grasslands and open space. The one time you may catch a non-flight glimpse of them is perching on a low post, fence rail or roofline. The males during breeding season may also be seen and heard in a dramatic “dive bomb” that heads straight to the ground then turns upward about two feet above the ground. The way they move their wings creates a dramatic drum-like booming sound. Photo by international birder and Quail Valley resident Margaret Sloan, see more photos http://traction.typepad.com/birds
MSLH employee elected to international leadership post Peggy Boineau, a Senior Occupational Therapist at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, was recently elected Treasurer of the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy (IFSHT). IFSHT is a global organization that provides networking and educational opportunities to develop and enhance the practice of hand therapy around the world. “To be elected as an officer in a worldwide organization is a tremendous honor and a real recognition of Peggy’s stature within her profession,” said Sean Croft, Director of Rehabilitation Services for Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. “Over the past 10 years, Peggy’s dedication and service to the field of hand therapy has been unmatched. We are extremely fortunate to have such a highly qualified, highly skilled individual here at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.” Boineau brings a wealth of clinical expertise to her job at Methodist Orthopaedic Specialists of Texas (MOST) and Methodist Sugar Land Hospital (MSLH). She has been a Certified Hand Therapist for more than 20 years, and has a long history of leadership roles in state, national and now international organizations. In fact, Boineau is a former President of the American Society of Hand Therapists, a position she held in 2010. “Being involved on these levels gives Peggy a unique insight into the latest developments in hand therapy and translates directly into stronger clinical expertise for our team and a better experience for our patients,” said Croft. Hand therapists such as Boineau are occupational or physical therapists that
Bonneau help rehabilitate patients with hand and wrist injuries and conditions, treating acute traumatic injuries such as crushed fingers, fractures, amputations and lacerations with nerve damage, along with repetitive-use conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. “Being involved in the American Society of Hand Therapists and now the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy is a way for me to give back to my profession, which plays such an important role in helping people regain their independence following an injury or disorder,” said Boineau. “I am thrilled to be elected to the executive committee of the IFSHT and I am especially proud to represent MOST and
By SESHADRI KUMAR Fort Bend County Commissioners Court last week adopted a $250 million budget for the year 2013 for the county, which is about $2 million less than the 2012 budget. The county has kept the total property tax rate at 49.976 cents per $100 property valuation, unchanged since 2009. The Fort Bend County budget will raise more total property taxes than last year’s budget by $2,736,457 (1.42%) and of that amount $5,294,601 is tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year, according to County Budget Director Pamela Gubbels.. The Fort Bend County Drainage District budget will raise more total property taxes than last year’s budget by $286,185 (3.85%) and of that amount $209,059 is tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year. The county budget this year includes an across the board pay raise of 2.35 percent to county employees and elected officials. The budget includes nine new positions created this year against 39 last year. During the discussion on the budget, Commissioner Grady Prestage sought three amendments, one for an additional pay of $120,000 in the District Attorney’s office and another $20,000 in the county attorney’s office. The first motion failed with Commissioner Richard Morrison alone supporting it. County Judge Bob Hebert and Commissioners Andy Meyers and James Patterson voted against the additional pay. Morrison explained that the additional pay was justified because the county incurred huge losses whenever an attorney left the job and the departments spent time and money to train a new person MSLH to my colleagues around the world.” Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab services are located at Methodist Orthopaedic Specialists of Texas (Highway 6 and Brooks St.) and at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Spine Center off Town Center Boulevard. Visit MethodistSugarLand. com for more information a b o u t p h y s i c a l t h e r a p y, occupational therapy and sports rehabilitation centers. To schedule an appointment call 281-201-0405.
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.
Missouri City prepares for upcoming bond issue By BARBARA FULENWIDER Missouri City is preparing for a bond referendum for either May or November next year to pay for some of the city’s more urgent needs rather than the more expensive capital projects. City Manager Ed Broussard told city council that he’s “looking at a five-year bond package” that would primarily include street and sidewalk rehabilitation. He said drainage and park and trail improvements also would be considered along with the city’s sixth fire station, which would probably be the only new construction in the package. Why Broussard was not saying definitely what would be considered is because that’s up to the 11 citizens that councilmen name to serve on the bond committee. Broussard, at council’s Sept. 4 meeting, asked councilmen to have their names of committee members ready by the Sept. 17 council meeting. Mayor Allen Owen said the county and FBISD each plan to float a bond issue next and his “concern is they would both fail because the impact (tax increase) would be so large for the two. What I suggested to
Elected Officials County Judge Commissioner, Pct 1 Commissioner, Pct 2 Commissioner, Pct 3 Commissioner, Pct 4 Sheriff County Attorney Tax Assessor/Collector County Clerk District Clerk County Treasurer Justice of the Peace, Pct 1, Pl 1 Justice of the Peace, Pct 1, Pl 2 Justice of the Peace, Pct 2 Justice of the Peace, Pct 3 Justice of the Peace, Pct 4 Constable, Pct 1 Constable, Pct 2 Constable, Pct 3 Constable, Pct 4
for the job. Hebert said such situations occur in all county departments and it will not be in the interest of taxpayers to give special treatment just to the DA and the county attorney. Patterson said the issue came
the chair of the school board is we coordinate this so we don’t overload citizens and have such a big impact and fail.” He urged that the bond referendum not be for 90 million in 2013 but instead “do a $25 million and another $25 million over a period of time. I know the need is there but maybe some of it could be done over time,” he said. After the meeting, Owen said, “It is way too early to even speculate on what the amount (of the bond referendum) will be. We are just in the process of putting the citizens committee together and as soon as that is completed, we will begin to start to talk about priorities and then put prices on those.” It was pointed out that property values dropped a couple of years ago and are adjusting up now so taxes may increase. Councilman Jerry Wyatt countered with, “Every time we’ve had a bond issue this comes up. We need to keep what we do upfront. I think our voters are intelligent enough that they will support it.” Broussard said council could schedule the bond election for November if they want to make it a smaller bond issue. Owen noted that that is when the Present 2012 Annual Salary $105,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $105,000 $100,000 $97,500 $97,500 $97,500 $95,000 $87,500 $87,500 $87,500 $87,500 $87,500 $81,250 $81,250 $81,250 $81,250
Proposed Juvenile 2013 Annual Board Salary Supp. $107,470 $102,350 $102,350 $102,350 $102,350 $107,470 $102,350 $99,790 $99,790 $99,790 $97,230 $89,560 $89,560 $89,560 $89,560 $89,560 $83,160 $83,160 $83,160 $83,160
school district will have theirs on the ballot. The mayor also said that once the bond issue is determined – what’s in it and how much – “we’ll need our corporate partners to help us get this passed. We can accept contributions from them to help us sell the package.” Later he said that Missouri City will need “all ages, all ethnic groups selling the bond issue.” The committee members council appoints will decide what projects to include and bring council their recommendations for a total amount. “After council agrees to have an election, say in May, we will begin putting out information about it,” Broussard said. Committee members will include one representative from planning and zoning, one from the parks board, a designated representative from each district and five at-large representatives. The group will begin meeting with staff on Oct. 16 and either have their last meeting on Nov. 6 or Nov. 13, depending on whether they need four or five meetings to complete their job. The bond projects and cost are scheduled to be presented to city council at its Dec. 3
Drainage Board Supp.
$7,200
up for discussion during budget workshop and his opposition stands. Prestage later withdrew a motion to re-classify some positions in the sheriff’s office from non-exempt to exempt category. Because of some
$2,400 $2,400 $2,400 $2,400 $2,400
2013* Longevity
Proposed Change
$285 $1,005 $645 $525 $162 $150 $1,195 $1,485 $655 $45 $371 $885 $50 $763 $645 $685 $1,143 $137
*
*
2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35% 2.35%
likely legal implications of the proposed changes, as the sheriff’s employees are now governed by civil service commission rules, Prestage withdrew the motion.