CITY & COUNTY
News from Bellaire, Houston, Harris County & West University Place
Harris County Commissioners Court will meet for its regular meeting at 10 a.m. June 27 at 1001 Preston St., Ste. 934, Houston. Meetings are livestreamed at www.harriscountytx.gov. Bellaire City Council will meet at 7 p.m. June 19 at 7008 S. Rice Ave., Bellaire. www.bellairetx.gov. West University Place City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. June 12 at 3800 University Blvd., West University Place. www.westutx.gov. Houston City Council will meet for public comment at 2 p.m. June 13 and regular business at 9 a.m. June 14 at City Hall, 901 Bagby St., Houston. www.houstontx.gov/htv. MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS BELLAIRE City Council members voted unanimously May 15 to amend an ordinance on the city’s dumpsters in an effort to address noise nuisances. Dumpster servicing hours will be 8 a.m.-7 p.m., rather than 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Warning signs will be required at the opening of dumpsters for greater visibility. Dumpsters shall have lids, which must remain closed except when they are being loaded or unloaded.
Susan Sample wins re-election for West University Place mayor BY SHAWN ARRAJJ streets and water quality.
Harris County approves guidelines for tax incentives HARRIS COUNTY Commissioners voted 4-0 on May 2 to approve updated guidelines that must be met for projects to qualify for tax abatement in Harris County’s reinvestment zones. BY MELISSA ENAJE
Harris Health officials to pitch $2.5B bond referendum
ALL VOTES COUNTED May 6 election results for mayoral and City Council races in the city of West University Place show Susan Sample re-elected as mayor.
QUOTE OF NOTE “We have a responsibility to promote equitable economic growth and shared prosperity. When companies get a break, our communities should benefit, too.” RODNEY ELLIS, HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT 1 COMMISSIONER
Winner
BY SHAWN ARRAJJ
WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE Susan Sample won her re-election bid for mayor in the city of West University Place in elections that took place May 6. In the race for West University Place City Council, John Montgomery, Shan- non Carroll, Clay Brett and Matt Hart finished as the top vote-getters and will take the four seats on the council. The vote: Sample earned 67.8% of the votes against her opponent John Barnes. Meanwhile, Montgomery, Carroll, Brett and Hart each finished with 24.4%, 21.6%, 21.2% and 19.1% of the votes, respectively. Quote of note: Sample, an attorney and the incumbent in the race, said her top priorities include public safety, making drainage improvements, and improving quality of life for residents via initiatives such as parks, safe
“Congratulations to all the candi- dates who ran—your willingness to serve our city is part of what makes [West U] a great place to live,” Sample said in a May 8 Facebook post. “I hear your desire to keep [West U] moving forward.” Zooming in: Sample previously served as mayor from 2015-19 before being elected again in 2021. Before the election, two of the four seats on the council were held by Montgomery and Carroll; one was held by Barnes, who vacated the seat to run for mayor; and one was held by Melanie Bell, who did not run for re-election. How it works: All council members and the mayor serve two-year terms and cannot serve more than three consecutive terms. Candidates are elected on a nonpartisan basis.
HARRIS COUNTY Officials with Harris Health plan to pitch a $2.5 billion bond referendum to Harris County Commissioners Court that would help fund a new Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, renovations to the existing LBJ building, improvements to Ben Taub Hospital and improve- ments to outpatient clinic access in underserved parts of the county. As of press time, officials were slated to present the bond to commis- sioners at the court’s June 6 meeting. Commissioners are not expected to vote until August on whether the ref- erendum would be placed on ballots this November for voter approval. If approved, the bond is estimated to raise monthly property taxes by less than $6 for the owner of a home valued at $300,000, based on Harris County budget office projections.
WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE MAYOR
What happened: Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said Harris County’s updated guidelines aim to increase and strengthen existing community benefits and worker protections. City of Houston officials said 28 sites are designated as tax increment reinvestment zones. According to Texas Tax Code, a county or municipality may designate a geographic area as a TIRZ to promote development or redevelopment, and attract new invest- ment in an area. Cities around Texas try to boost devel- opment in underperforming areas by creating TIRZs. Tax abatements, also known as a reduction or exemption, can be effective for a maximum of 10 years. The details: The policy builds on changes for compet- itive wages, access to affordable health care and safety training, and encourages minority- and women-owned businesses to participate in developing projects in TIRZ areas. According to documents, the policy updates will: • Incentivize businesses to reduce carbon emissions • Create job opportunities that require at least 50% of new hires at a project location to be Harris County residents
Susan Sample: 1,594 votes
67.8%
32.2% John Barnes: 757 votes
WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE CITY COUNCIL 24.3%
• Require a minimum of 25 new full-time permanent positions to be created per project site • Require that full-time employees be paid a fair wage and offered affordable health care plans • Mandate a Fair Chance Hiring plan, meaning residents would not have to disclose state criminal histories on their job application • Prevent contractors with Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations from working on projects • Prohibit contractors with outstanding wage theft claims or a recent history of wage thefts
John Montgomery: 1,776 votes
Shannon Carroll: 1,573 votes
21.6%
Clay Brett: 1,545 votes Matt Hart: 1,394 votes
21.2%
19.1%
Buckley Morlot: 1,005 votes
13.8%
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
BUFFALO SPEEDWAY 9733 Buffalo Speedway (713) 838-7486
HOLCOMBE 2314 W Holcombe Blvd (713) 669-1722
WESLAYAN 3902 Bissonnet (713) 218-8144
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