FB Star Report: Mayor Owen Explains How No Hospital In Missouri City Will Really Benefit Our Tax Base???

Comment (OP/ED): You all remember how this blog broke the information that Christus Hospital construction was being indefinitely post-poned and how Hermann was closing at the end of '06? Well now in this FB Star piece Mayor Owen (Who also isn't getting involved in fighting the Blue Ridge Landfill near our area after fairly recent Barium leaks) is explaining to us how no hospital in our city is actually a benefit to his tax reduction plan (you see according to the article/interview he says we can get a Lowes or Whole Foods instead of health care. . . . isn't that great???) Remember Owen's is the one who pushed the up to 2700 apartment units on our community against popular consent in several '05 city council meetings and later determined that there was no need to investigate ethics complaints filed against him through the city for not recusing himself from the voting when it was found he was accepting campaign contributions from the corporation selling the land for the project.

Read on for more tidbits (Actual Story):

Some 20 acres in mid-city
Missouri City’s Memorial-Hermann property to be sold

By Barbara Fulenwider
When Memorial-Hermann Hospital decided to move from Missouri City to Sugar Land it was Missouri City’s loss but now may be its gain.

Memorial-Hermann put the facility up for sale and according to Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen, Lowe’s was interested in buying the prime acreage at the northeast corner of Hwy. 6 and FM 1092. When that prospect went away, Memorial-Hermann studied the feasibility of turning the facility into a long-term acute care center.

Now that possibility is off the table because the study showed the conversion would be prohibitively expensive, so that prime track of commercial land in Missouri City’s center will be for sale again.

Why this is likely to be the best case scenario for the city is Memorial-Hermann is a non-profit, so paid Missouri City between 15 and 20 percent of the total taxable value -- most likely from the medical professional building -- and no sales taxes. Property taxes and sales taxes pay for city services and city council has been bent on attracting more commercial that generates more sales taxes in order to reduce property taxes.

A new commercial interest on the Memorial-Hermann site would pay 100 percent of the property taxes and, depending on the business or businesses, also pay sales taxes. Owen said the same 20 acres Hermann owns is not much larger than the Township, located on FM 1092 north of the former hospital site. . . (click title link above to get the full story).

And stay tuned as MCC has gathered the financial reports & disclosures on all of our city council members and will share them in coming releases!!!


(c) c. calvin/MCC