News from Katy & Harris County CITY & COUNTY County considering affordable housing tax exemption policy
QUOTE OF NOTE
Katy City Council will meet Aug. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at 910 Ave. C, Katy. 281-391-4800. www.cityofkaty.com Harris County Commissioners Court will meet Aug. 29 at 1001 Preston Ave., Ste. 934, Houston. 713-755-5000. www.harriscountytx.gov MEETINGS WE COVER amount will also not automatically update for existing EZ TAG accounts. There are no charges for up to eight new EZ TAG stickers per account. minimum toll balance, lower EZ TAG sticker fee and paperless agreement statements are three changes Harris County drivers will notice with their Harris County Toll Road Authority accounts. The minimum prepaid toll balance, or rebill amount, is now $10 for up to two vehicles, as of July 18. Before the changes, the rebill amount was $20. The replenish NUMBER TO KNOW County are paying more for housing than they can afford, according to a county study. 500,000 households in Harris HIGHLIGHTS HARRIS COUNTY Judge Lina Hidalgo announced Aug. 7 that she will be on medical leave to seek inpatient care for clinical depression at on out-of-state facility. Hidalgo’s medical team anticipates she will resume her position by early September, according to a news release. According to a statement from Hidalgo, in order to discharge her duties she will remain in communication with key county staff. With Hidalgo’s absence, Commissioners Court will still continue to rule with majority vote, according to Communications Director Brandon Marshall. If the vote comes down to a 2-2 vote, the agenda item will not pass, he said. HARRIS COUNTY A lower “MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN DIFFICULT, BUT I AM TAKING IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE OPEN ABOUT MY OWN STRUGGLE, MY OWN CHALLENGES, AND TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS, WHO NEED HELP, TO SEEK TREATMENT.” LINA HIDALGO, HARRIS COUNTY JUDGE, ANNOUNCING UPCOMING MEDICAL LEAD DUE TO CLINICAL DEPRESSION
BY MELISSA ENAJE
HOUSING COST BURDEN A countywide housing needs assessment and 10-year strategy in October 2021 found nearly 500,000 families are paying more than they can afford for their homes.
HARRIS COUNTY A policy that will consider property tax exemptions for affordable housing owners is moving forward after a unanimous Commis- sioners Court vote July 18. Why it matters: An existing Texas tax code already provides exemptions to certain organizations that meet low-income housing requirements, but each local governing jurisdiction has to approve the tax exemption and specify the allowed threshold amount, said Mary Lawler, the CEO of Avenue, a Houston-based nonprofit affordable housing builder. “We are struggling right now with rising costs for our apartments and our ability to keep our rents affordable to working families and seniors who are really in need,” she said. How we got here: In April, commis- sioners directed several county depart- ments to establish a policy related to the approval of tax exemptions for
Annual household earnings Families paying more than they can afford
$20,000/year $35,000/year
$50,000/year
$75,000/year
• 128,767 renters • 46,849 owners
• 124,019 renters • 44,083 owners
• 58,109 renters • 35,582 owners
• 27,751 renters • 34,462 owners
Occupations • Fast-food and counter workers • Home health and personal care aides
• Retail
• Truck drivers • Administrative assistants • Bookkeepers
• Elementary school teachers • Skilled trade workers
salespersons
• Cashiers • Customer service • Waiters • Medical assistants
representatives
SOURCES: HARRIS COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT, KINDER INSTITUTE FOR URBAN RESEARCH, TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
certain low-income housing projects. Officials presented a preliminary policy to commissioners in July, and the finalized exemption policy is projected for completion by the end of August.
What else: The policy could make it more financially feasible for organi- zations to build affordable housing. A 2021 study found nearly 500,000 households in the county are paying more for housing than they can afford.
Harris County sues state over election bill
WATERING SCHEDULE A landscape watering schedule limiting residences and businesses to two days per week went into effect when the city entered Stage 3 drought conditions .
Residential addresses ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 Residential addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9
BY MELISSA ENAJE
Thursdays and Sundays
HARRIS COUNTY Leaders in Harris County officially filed a lawsuit against the state in an attempt to allow the courts to decide how it should run elections—a challenge to Senate Bill 1750, a recently passed law that eliminated the county’s election administrator office. “We’re suing because this law vio- lates the Texas Constitution,” Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said July 6. “We are filing a lawsuit to undo Senate Bill 1750, the law that botches the EA’s office in only Harris County. ... This is about protecting Harris County elections.” The county attorney’s office will be going to court and ask the judge to temporarily block SB 1750 from going into effect on Sept. 1, Menefee said. “What we don’t want is a situation where no court has agreed with us and we have an election to run in November 2023,” he said.
Wednesdays and Saturdays
Katy enters into Stage 3 ‘severe’ drought conditions SOURCES: CITY OF KATY /COMMUNITY IMPACT Commercial businesses, homeowners associations, green space and right of way
Tuesday and Fridays
city is working to reduce water consumption by 15%. In this stage of the drought plan, the city mandates residents and businesses to restrict water use. Landscape watering must be limited to two days per week depending on address and type of property from midnight to 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. No watering will take place on Mondays, which will act as water storage recovery days. According to a release from the city, viola- tors of the mandatory watering schedule could be fined. According to the city website, the mayor has the ability to set a goal for greater water use reduction.
BY DANIEL WEEKS
KATY The city of Katy announced Aug. 14 the area entered into Stage 3 of its drought contingency plan. Here’s what residents need to know. In a nutshell: A release from the city states extreme heat condi- tions and a lack of forecasted rain caused the city to enter Stage 3 of its drought contingency plan, or “severe” drought.
Going forward: Stage 3 means the
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KATY SOUTH - FULSHEAR EDITION • AUGUST 2023
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