CITY & COUNTY
News from League City, Houston & Galveston County
League City City Council will meet at 6 p.m. June 13 and 27 at council chambers, 200 W. Walker St., League City. Meetings are streamed at www.facebook.com/leaguecitytexas and http://leaguecitytx.wagit.com/ live-chambers. MEETINGS WE COVER HIGHLIGHTS LEAGUE CITY City Council on April 26 unanimously approved a $1.62 million contract with T-Construction to replace about 1,500 feet of an 18-inch sewer with a 21-inch line and about 1,800 feet of a 12-inch sewer with a 15-inch line. At least part of the work will take place around Willow Branch Drive. The city identified the project as part of its 2018 Wastewater Master Plan. In the city’s 2023- 27 capital improvement plan, construction of the new sanitary lines was budgeted at $1.21 million with a final engineer’s estimation of cost at $1.39 million, according to agenda documents. T-Construction was not the lowest bidder for the project; Roman Emperors Roads bid the project at $1.46 million, but city staff recommended T-Construction due to the company’s greater experience and capital, the documents read.
Texas Southern University to open aviation facility at spaceport
Council approves EMS raises LEAGUE CITY Beginning July 3, some League City emergency med- ical services and similar employ- ees will receive a pay increase of $3 an hour. BY JAKE MAGEE
Galveston County judge prioritizes property assessment reform, mental health during State of the County
"WE RUN THE WORST MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC IN THE COUNTY. IT'S CALLED THE COUNTY JAIL." MARK HENRY, GALVESTON COUNTY JUDGE
two paramedics scheduled to start July 3 and one paramedic slot waiting to be filled would be adjusted. How we got here: On April 11, council considered pay increases but postponed the vote to allow city staff to find ways to adjust the budget to afford the pay increases. On Sept. 27, City Council granted raises to 347 city employees at a cost of $1.26 million. About $134,000 of that amount was for further City Council-proposed raises of $3 an hour for EMS and telecommunication employees. However, under the pay increases passed Sept. 27, an EMS employee hired just before City Council’s vote would be locked into a lower rate than someone hired just after the vote, meaning an employee who had been with the city longer could be making less than a fresh hire. The resolu- tion aimed to fix that.
BY LEAH FOREMAN
BY RACHEL LELAND
HOUSTON At Houston City Council’s meeting May 3, council members approved an agenda item to enter into an agreement with Texas Southern University, leasing space to the school for the creation of an aviation education facility at Ellington Airport. The breakdown • This agreement between the city and TSU will last five years. • Houston Airport Systems will invest up to $5 million under a separate contract to develop the facility. • The aviation education facility will include 22,000 square feet of aircraft hangar space, 7,200 square feet of office and training/class- room space, and 20,000 square feet of aircraft apron. It will total approximately 2 acres. • HAS will charge TSU a reduced
AEROSPACE AVE.
GALVESTON COUNTY During an April 19 State of the County address, County Judge Mark Henry laid out the county’s 2023 agenda, which included continuing to press the state for “meaningful property assessment reform” and funding mental health care in the county. “We have been trying to work together to get the state to first take ownership of the system,” Henry said after explaining property assessments are run by Texas, not local government. “They do a very good job of saying it’s a local thing. The tax rate is a local thing; that’s a true statement. The assessment is not a local thing.” Henry also touched on the county’s efforts to build and maintain infrastructure for responding to mental health crises in Galveston County. “I’ll say this: Whether you know it or not, you know somebody who has a mental health problem. It may be somewhere between mild [and] manageable to requiring medication, but you know somebody with a mental health problem,” Henry said. Henry said the county had made strides to build more infrastructure to respond to mental health crises, includ- ing establishing a specialty court to process mentally ill
Ellington Airport
Current situation: On May 9, League City City Council voted unanimously to approve the pay rate increase for EMS employees. The move will cost $27,053 this budget year and $108,212 in future years, according to city documents. Under the resolution, the $3-an-hour increase applies to all emergency medical technician pay scales. According to city documents, this move would accomplish three things: • One recently promoted shift com- mander below the new minimum would be raised to the minimum. • Five EMTs and seven paramedics would receive increases based on their tenure. • The pay for two EMTs and
defendants, but he believes more can be done, including building an extended observation unit. According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, extended observation units provide up to 48 hours of emergency services to individuals in a mental health crisis who risk harming themselves or others. Felicia Jeffrey, CEO of the Gulf Coast Center, a mental health service provider for Galveston and Brazoria counties, said there is a plan to build an extended observation unit for Galveston County that will likely be completed by 2024. “One thing that we have really tried to take lead on is mental health funding, and it’s unfortunate that the state has kind of walked away from that, but we’re going to do the best we can to fill the gap,” Henry said. Henry said county officials had asked state officials if they would commit to helping the county run an extended observation unit if the county built the infrastructure. “We run the worst mental health clinic in the county,” Henry said. “It’s called the county jail.”
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annual rent of $60,000, or $5,000 per month, during the initial five years of the lease term. If the lease is extended for the five-year option period, full market rate rent will be charged. Quote of note: “The city of Houston is proud of its partnership with Texas Southern University, and we are excited to witness the aviation students’ education and careers take flight,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said.
BAY AREA 1033 Bay Area Blvd (281) 486-9558
KEMAH 243 FM 2094 (281) 538-9095 SEABROOK 3126 Nasa Pkwy (281) 326-5127
LEAGUE CITY 196 Gulf Fwy S (281) 316-2140
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