COMPILED BY ANDREWCHRISTMAN, VANESSA HOLT AND HANNAH ZEDAKER
CITY & COUNTY
News fromHarris County, Oak Ridge North and Shenandoah
Town Hall addresses Holly Hill Drive park plans SHENANDOAH Residents of
Oak Ridge North renews groundwater permit OAK RIDGE NORTH The Oak Ridge North City Council unanimously approved a renewal of its permit with Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District for during its Oct. meeting. The renewed permit allows the city to withdraw . million gallons of groundwater annually and was recommended by public works director Joe Sherwin. According to Sherwin, the permit accommodates the % groundwater reduction to which the city is com- mitted while maintaining the city’s ability to produce % of its annual need without having to rely on the San Jacinto River Authority for deliv- ery of surface water. Surface water comes from bodies of water, such as Lake Conroe, while groundwater is obtained from aquifers in the region. “There’s going to be hiccups in our groundwater, and there’s going to be hiccups in our surface water,” Sherwin said. “It gives us a source of redundancy without paying imme- diately for the surface water. It is not going to hurt us because we are going to be ready for that.” If the city uses more than its allotted amount of groundwater, it will be sub- ject to higher rates and potential nes.
FUTURE PARK
Shenandoah voiced opinions on a proposed park at the north end of Holly Hill Drive during an Oct. meeting. Shenandoah Public Works Director Joseph Peart presented the options available for the park, which of respondents to a survey conducted earlier this year said they were in favor of establishing. Peart said the plan is to install a /-mile walking trail through the -acre parcel. However, drainage and grading projects will need to happen beforehand and will cost an estimated , . The total estimated cost of the park, depending on miscellaneous costs, will range from , - , . A majority of respondents to the initial survey said they wished to keep the low end of the range below , . “This site is going to need some drainage and grading work to be a usable park,” Peart said. “Part of it is almost bowl-shaped, so it holds water long aer it has rained. Right now, it would not be very pleasant if you put a path on it.” Opinions on the presentation were mixed, with several attendees speaking in favor of the project, such as Scott Campbell, who said the park should be completed in phases.
Shenandoah officials are considering public input and projecting costs for a planned park on Holly Hill Drive. Drainage and grading: $78,000 Utilities: $4,500 Lighting: $115,000-$246,540 Path construction: $32,580-$97,740 Furniture: $26,420
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SOURCE:CITYOFSHENANDOAH/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
“This new park is great,” Campbell said. “I believe what’s attracted me to this city is what it is doing for its children. … I want to see more kids outside and in the parks. Shenandoah is a great walking community as it is. We have to look forward to keeping our kids engaged.” Resident Sandra Burch, who lives next to the proposed park location, said she is against the project as she is concerned about trac congestion and safety. No nal decisions were made during the meeting.
Harris County Commissioners Court cuts four entities’ tax rates in FY 2019-20 HARRIS COUNTY Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the eective tax rates for Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, Harris Health System and the Port of Houston Authority for scal year - during a special meeting Oct. . After Harris County Commissioners Court was unable to come to an agreement on a higher tax rate, members voted for the effective tax rate Oct. 14. The effective tax rate generates the same amount of revenue as the previous year. TAXING RATES SET
The total combined tax rate for the four county entities is . per valuation—down from . in FY - . The tax rate approval came less than a week aer the court was unable to approve a proposed tax rate increase during the regular Oct. Commissioners Court meeting due to the absence of two commissioners. Harris County Precinct and Commissioners Steve Radack and Jack Cagle were absent during an Oct. commissioners court meeting—a move that denied the court a quorum as dened by the Texas Government Code and prevented the remaining court members from voting on a proposed countywide property tax rate hike. Instead, the court was forced to adopt the eective tax rate, resulting in a tax rate cut. County Judge Lina Hidalgo and commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia originally proposed a FY - county tax rate based on the rollback tax rates—or the
County taxing entities FY 2019-20 tax rates:
per $100 valuation
$0.40713
Harris County: Flood Control District: Harris Health System: Port of Houston Authority:
$0.02792
Total county tax rate: $0.6117
$0.16591
$0.01074
SOURCE:HARRISCOUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
maximum rate allowed by law without voter approval— during a Sept. meeting. The proposed rate would have increased the county’s total combined property tax rate from . per valuation in FY - to . per valuation—a . increase. The court Democrats said the tax rate increase would provide funding needed to support the county’s Rainy Day Fund and Harris Health System.
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The Woodlands edition • November 2019
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