VOL 3 No. 41
Phone: 281-980-6745
www.fbindependent.com ww .fbindependent.com
FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County & Sugar Land
Birds of Fort Bend
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher certainly earns its name in this photo by Quail Valley resident Margaret Sloan. And it catches its large diet of insects often through aerial hawking. The “scissortail” is an extremely distinctive bird with its long forked tail that it “scissors” in flight to maneuver. Its gray upper parts are a striking contrast to its peachy, salmon breast. The state bird of Oklahoma, the “scissortail” nests primarily in the South Central US in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas before it returns to Mexico and Central America. It ventures into small areas of Arkansas and Louisiana. While the birds may nest in large groups, you most often will see them alone in open grasslands with occasional trees. While they are gathering on the Texas Gulf Coast to fly south, you may see 4 or 5 together. To see more photos and learn more visit http://traction.typepad.com/birds
Write-in candidate enters the bipartisan county judge race By SESHADRI KUMAR Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert is seeking his third four-year term as a Republican. In the Nov. 2 election, he faces Rodrigo Carreon, a Democrat, and Chris Meeks, a write-in candidate. Hebert, in eight years as county judge, claims a string of accomplishments. Notable among them are holding the tax rate stable and not layingoff any county employees, even amidst recession. Hebert is pleased that he and fellow commissioners successfully addressed many problems associated with the county’s fast growth. In working with the commissioners, the heads of department and the employees, “I want to remain a part of the
Hebert solution and not a part of the problem,” Hebert says. This year, even when the county’s property tax revenue dropped due to the recession, he could reduce the county budget and consequently reduce the property tax rate to accommodate the raise in the debt service tax rate.
Meeks In the last five years, under his stewardship, the county issued bonds worth over $200 million and built the Westpark Toll Road, a new county jail, various county facilities and the justice center. Of all the bond-related capital projects, the justice center is the last one to be completed shortly.
Carreon Hebert says all the county facilities that have been built will serve the county for the next 25 to 30 years. Hebert assumed the office of County Judge on Jan. 1, 2003. As County Judge he presides over Commissioners Court See JUDGE, Page 3
Water district rebuts Jeff Council, K.P. George in county treasurer race Stafford mayor’s charges
Council By BARBARA FULENWIDER Democratic hopeful K. P. George says he’s running against the incumbent Republican County Treasurer Jeff Council because he’s the most qualified for the job. George said he’s also running because he believes it’s time to bring greater transparency and responsible spending to Fort Bend County government. “Growing up in an impoverished, rural village in India, earning my way to the land of my dreams and building a successful life here over the past 17 years has taught me the value of hard-earned money and the importance of serving the people you love and respect
with the best of your skills and values. I plan to put these lessons to work managing your tax dollars in a more open, efficient manner as Fort Bend County Treasurer.” George wants to employ his professional skills and life experiences to ensure the transparent, efficient use of tax dollars. George grew up in a tiny village in South India which, to date, has no electricity or running water. He began his education learning the local language, walking barefoot across two miles of hilly countryside to get to school. Even as he did his homework in his straw hut by the light of a kerosene lamp and helped his parents farm and raise cattle before and after school, George dreamed of achieving his greatest goal of coming to America. His hard work and stellar grades propelled him out of the poverty of his hometown and to a state university where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He arrived in the U.S. in 1993 to work for a financial firm only a few years after having learned English, and has since earned multiple financial certifications and licenses. The candidate currently owns and
George operates an independent financial planning practice with five other advisors. Since 1999, when George became an American citizen the first day he was eligible to, he and his wife Sheeba have raised their three children in Sugar Land. They are also active in their church and its philanthropic efforts in the Houston area. For the past seven years, George has also worked with the less fortunate in South India to help them climb out of poverty. He has also served as a leader of local Indo-American groups, worked with the Sugar Land Rotary Club and is a member of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. The candidate believes his early life experiences of hardSee TREASURER, Page 3
By BARBARA FULENWIDER Three weeks ago in the Sept. 22 issue of the Fort Bend Independent, Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella was quoted in a story mincing no words about the upcoming Nov. 2 $37.9-million bond referendum floated by the Fort Bend County Water Control & Improvement District No. 2 (WCID No. 2). The manager of the district, Owen Matherne, called the newspaper to say there were numerous inaccuracies stated by the mayor and asked if the water district’s board could respond and provide the correct information. What follows is what board members of WCID No. 2 submitted to the Independent. The story said: “The mayor’s concern is that WCID No. 2’s extension of its boundaries into Missouri City, Sugar Land and Houston may someday leave Stafford without enough water and with major debt.” Board members responded by saying: “The district was in place before Missouri City, Sugar Land and Houston overlapped it. In the years since, the district has evaluated annexation on a case-by-case basis. “Property owners approach the district due to its low tax
rate, with their request to be annexed. A feasibility study is always conducted to ensure an annexation does not negatively affect the district’s tax rate or water capacity. “The increase in overall assessed value, due to annexation, decreases the individual tax burden because it spreads debt over a larger tax base. Annexations have helped maintain the low tax rate. Good economic growth is viable to the district.” The second thing that Scarcella said that the district’s board took issue with was, “WCID No. 2 is working with Sugar Land to sell them water, which leaves Stafford out and is why we’ve (city council) has taken the action we’ve taken.”
The board replied: “WCID No. 2 has secured water supply for all the areas within its boundaries now and through 2050. WCID No. 2 is not planning to sell or give up its water rights to Sugar Land. WCID No. 2 raw water rights are senior to Sugar Land’s. “The district has discussed temporary lease of its surplus water capacity. If we can assist Sugar Land in the interim and the water is not needed currently by the district, this will offset the district’s water cost and result in lower water rates.” Scarcella also said that what particularly worries him is that when the parts of Sugar Land, Missouri City and Houston, which are now in WCID
See WATER, Page 3
10701 Corporate Drive, #282, Stafford, TX 77477 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 623, Sugar Land, TX 77487 Seshadri Kumar Publisher & Editor
www.fbindependent.com 281-980-6745
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.