CITY&COUNTY
Updates on important issues facing local entities
2 0 2 2 A N N U A L C O M M U N I T Y G U I D E
TOP CITY & COUNTY STORIES TO WATCH IN 2022
HistoricKatyproperty tohouse3BLearningCenter
Primarycandidates le inareacounties
BY LAURA AEBI
KATY The city of Katy will soon open a learning center for students and families dubbed The 3B Learning Center, which will be focused on local bees, butter ies and birds. Katy o cials announced their plans for the historic 5-acre property at 5402 Franz Road, Katy, at a Dec. 13 City Council meeting. O cials said the rest of the house will function as o ces for the city’s parks director and parks and recreation coordinator. The historic Fussell Home was acquired by the city Nov. 30, years after the city purchased the land behind the home, according to City Administrator Byron Hebert. He said the property will be used to educate Katy-area children on local fauna and ora with the back patio acting as a space for bird, bee and butter y watching. “There’s a beautiful porch, and that porch overlooks that whole acreage in the back,” Hebert said. “Every- body—previous councils, previous mayors—they all
BY COMMUNITY IMPACT STAFF
FRANZ RD.
Commissioner Ramsey launches crime task force In Fort Bend County, two Repub- licans and two Democrats led for Fort Bend County judge. The winners for each party in the March primaries will be on the ballot in the November general election. HARRIS COUNTY Nearly 100 can- didates have led for Harris County positions ahead of the March prima- ries, according to the Texas secretary of state website, including races in the Katy area. Eight Republicans and three Democrats led for Harris County judge, including incumbent Lina Hidalgo. Seven Democrats led for Precinct 4 commissioner with incumbent Jack Cagle ling as the sole Republican candidate.
N
The 3B Learning Center does not yet have a timeline for opening. (Courtesy Chris Harris)
know I have had a very passionate part of wanting to create a learning center for children to be able to be with nature.” According to Hebert, the next steps include working to preserve the history of the house while renovating some of the home for o ce use as well as collaborating with Harris County and Katy ISD on the learning center.
Harris County commissioners adopt policy on data accessibility
BY EMILY LINCKE HARRIS COUNTY Commissioners in Harris County said they will be making data more accessible to the public in an e ort to be more transparent with a new open data policy adopted Dec. 14. Parts of the new policy are already in the works, County Administrator David Berry said, including e orts to collect public data sets and put them in one place online in a format that is easy for members of the public to access and download. This site will be dubbed the Open Data Portal and will cost about $43,000. “[One thing] the open data policy really is looking to do is [take] information that already would otherwise be available through the Public Information Act and make it available to the general public without having to ask for it,” First Assistant County Attorney Jay Aiyer said. Berry did not specify how long this will take to
complete but said the plan is to prioritize requests sta hears the most. As part of the new policy, an Open Data Teamwill be created. The teamwill present their rst report 180 days after a team leader is found. The county’s “process for open data governance” had been unde ned up to this point, according to the Dec. 14 Commissioners Court agenda. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the new policy. Before voting, Ellis asked about the Harris County Data Governance Committee, Aiyer said, and it comprises multiple entities, including the district attorney, district clerk, the Harris County Sheri ’s O ce and Harris County Universal Services. The Data Governance Committee will continue to exist and work with the county attorney’s o ce and the county administrator’s o ce, Aiyer said.
BY DANICA LLOYD
HARRIS COUNTY Katy-area Commissioner Tom Ramsey met with four Harris County constable o ces and six local police departments Jan. 13 to discuss crime reduction strategies. O cials said as a response to increased crime, Ramsey plans to host regular task force meetings and develop strategy recommendations for the court.
Wild Birds Unlimited, Katy • 23930 Westheimer Pkwy. STE 115, Katy, TX 77494 • 832.437.4937 | Hours: Mon - Sat: 10am-6pm, Sun: 11am-4pm
23
KATY EDITION • JANUARY 2022
Powered by FlippingBook