CITY & SCHOOLS
News from Pearland, Pearland ISD, Friendswood & Friendswood ISD
Pearland City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at 3519 Liberty Drive, Pearland. Meetings are streamed and available at www.pearlandtx.gov. Pearland ISD will meet at 11 a.m. Feb. 28 and 5 p.m. March 7 at 1928 N. Main St., Pearland. Meetings are streamed at www.youtube.com/ user/thepearlandisd. Friendswood City Council will meet at 6 p.m. March 6 at 910 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood. Meeting recordings are posted to the city’s YouTube channel. Friendswood ISD will meet at 5:45 p.m. March 6 at 402 Laurel Drive, Friendswood. MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS FRIENDSWOOD ISD The instructional calendar for Friendswood ISD’s 2023-24 school year has been determined, and the year is set to begin Aug. 15 for students. The district drafted three calendars and, following feedback from staff and parents, chose Option C. This calendar has a slightly later start and a shortened fall holiday. District staff will return to work Monday, Aug. 7, and school will begin the following Tuesday.
Pearland City Council lays out schedule for addressing tax re-evaluation issue
Investors interested in redeveloping vacant Exxon property
SAVINGS OPTIONS Pearland is considering myriad moves to reduce expenses going into the fiscal year 2023-24 budgeting process after a tax re-evaluation error gave the city less room to maneuver. Reduce vehicle lease payments Reduce vehicle replacement costs Reduce spending on streets and sidewalks, up to $1.6 million Flatten departmental operations budgets GENERAL FUND
WELLS DR.
Land PISD is granting the city access to
BY DANIEL WEEKS
The amendment would allow the council to recog- nize and incorporate additional revenues into the fiscal year 2022-23 budget. Roche also presented some expense saving options for fiscal year 2023-24, including reduc- tions to: vehicle lease payments, contributions to a streets and sidewalks program by up to $1.6 million, and debt sales. The city’s next steps will be to continue analyz- ing the projected effect of the worksheet error on future tax rates and budgets as well as acquiring a corrected 2022 property tax evaluation worksheet, for which the City Council has previously dis- cussed hiring legal counsel for possible litigation. “It’s really key to know which worksheet we’ll be going forward with and what sort of flexibility we will or won’t have,” Roche said. The council is set to meet Feb. 13, after press time, for a first quarter budget update and to call the May drainage bond, which is likely to add about one penny to future tax rates. City departments will work on projections in April and May to present to the council in June for the next budget amendment discussions.
BY RENEE FARMER
PEARLAND Upcoming City Council budget work- shops and amendments will focus on reducing the effects of a worksheet error that brought the city a $10 million deficit and incorrect tax rates. At a Jan. 9 meeting, Pearland’s staff provided an update on options for addressing the effect of the city’s tax-revaluation issue. Budget Officer Eric Roche gave a presentation that described the city’s current plans. The council previously passed Budget Amend- ment 1 at a Dec. 12 meeting, which consisted of a series of refinancing moves and some debt restruc- turing, including the use of carryover funds. This first amendment passed 5-1, with Council Member Alex Kamkar dissenting. Kamkar advocated for a different approach that would involve more cuts to the city’s spending. His proposed amendment included cuts to areas that some council members said they thought to be too important to reduce spending, such as cutting a software update. Roche said during the Jan. 9 presentation that Budget Amendment 2 will be discussed in June.
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FRIENDSWOOD New life as a residential development could be in the future for an Exxon property sitting vacant in Friendswood. Hines, a multinational real estate investment group, is under contract to develop the property located between the Wilderness Trails and Creekwood Estates subdivisions. Carson Nunnelly, a director at Hines, discussed the project with Friendswood City Council during its Jan. 9 meeting. The project would turn the 159 acres into 187 90-foot lots for single-family homes, Nunnelly said. Hines would invest $33 million for the major infrastructure needed for the site. “It’s a unique piece of property that has a lot of infrastructure needs, needs that can help benefit the city of Friendswood long term,” City Manager Morad Kabiri said.
Pearland ISD grants land use rights to city
BY DANIEL WEEKS
the location impacting future land use or any operational functions,” Berger said. The easement has no time limit and will allow for the burying of the water line. The meeting agenda also states the easement will allow for the repair or removal of water utilities to make improve- ments or modifications if the city deems it necessary. The city is working on a $14.4 million project improving the Bailey Water Plant, one of the sweep- ing water and wastewater improve- ment projects under construction throughout the city, resulting in rising water rates for residents.
PEARLAND ISD At a Jan. 17 meeting, the Pearland ISD board of trustees unanimously approved granting the city of Pearland an easement to access a water line on land owned by the school district. PISD owns some land off of Bailey Road between the Pearland Recre- ation Center and Natatorium and the Bailey Water Plant, Superintendent Larry Berger said. The city needs permission from the school district to maintain a water line on the property for the nearby water plant. “Our maintenance and opera- tion department has reviewed the request and has no concerns with
Reduce sale of debt Reimbursement from Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) Refunding bond money Increase Municipal Utility District (MUD) rebate to city’s utility fund DEBT SERVICE
SOURCE: CITY OF PEARLAND/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SHADOW CREEK 11023 Shadow Creek Pkwy (281) 977-1027
PEARLAND 10555 Pearland Pkwy (713) 987-9205
ALMEDA 11130 Gulf Fwy (713) 910-3941
FRIENDSWOOD 3126 FM 528 (281) 648-5473
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