For more on HOA reform efforts in Texas--click this title link--

Or see these related sites of interest:

http://www.ahrc.se/new/index.php/src/home

http://pages.prodigy.net/hoadata/ (get the list of abusive law firms)

http://www.hoanewsnetwork.com

http://stoptexashoaforeclosures.com/


Stay tuned for more on this growing problem....

Districts New "Truancy Policy" Leads To Record Collections For FBISD!

A QUESTION THAT CRITICS OF THE CURRENT FBISD BUDGET DEFICIT RAISED DURING THE NEW TRUANCY POLICY INITIATIVE EARLIER THIS YEAR ASKED WAS THIS BEING USED TO GENERATE ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR FBISD'S FIRST EVER BUDGET DEFICIT.

Check out this FBN article on how it works:

A Tougher Fort Bend ISD Truancy Policy Bears Fruit, But Not All Of It As Expected
Bob Dunn, FBN

The [new] get-tough policy against truancy that Fort Bend Independent School District announced last summer has borne fruit:

...And as more parents have been hauled before county justices of the peace, so have more parents shown up at recent school board meetings to assail the district Board of Trustees over what they see as an inflexible and unfair truancy policy.

“They have 68,000-plus students, and they have sent 8.4% of the entire student body to court” in the first semester of the 2008-09 year, one parent said, adding that the district created an automated system for handling truancy cases “and then probably realized, ‘whoo-hoo, we’re sitting on a gold mine.’

--Follow the title link for more above and how the district is "cashing in" to overcome a special interest initiated record bond debt that so negatively impacted our district school budgets...

From FB Star: City Sells New Taxing Zone To City & County Residents/Taxpayers Near City Limits In Prime Commercial Area--

Missouri City approves TIRZ for Sienna area lifestyle center

By Barbara Fulenwider

The first official step to start Missouri City’s lifestyle center at Sienna Plantation was taken with Missouri City Council’s approval on first reading of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 3.

The action came at their Nov. 19 meeting after David Hawes, with Hawes Hill Calderon LLP, outlined what the development can do for Missouri City. And it’s a lot. He told council that the purpose of the TIRZ is to “bring about a higher value development than might otherwise occur but for creation of the zone” and that it will include a hospital, retail, offices, high density-residential, a county library, Houston Community College (HCC).... (click the title link for the full one sided story that doesn't mention the nearly 30 million requested from taxpayers for these projects, many already receiving tax funding).

--No one can accuse FBS of balanced reporting. Not a single quote from neutral or opposition grass-roots tax advocate groups on the redirection of county & city tax dollars to these private Houston corporation projects. The article also does not mention how long before the 4 to 5000 homes in this neighborhood will be annexed and the city will gain from the property taxes of conservatively nearly a billion dollars in property value. See this piece for a balanced report on the politics of reinvestment zones and how they are supposed to be used (http://www.fortbendnow.com/opinion/2801).

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MCC/CRD Comment:

Not mentioned in this article is the reason TIRZs were created. See this FBN piece from April of this year on these controversial taxing zones often used by politicians for big development companies at the expense of taxpayers:

http://www.fortbendnow.com/opinion/2801/the-politics-of-land-development-and-tax-breaks

CITY ELECTIONS ARE COMING, hang on to your hats!


(c) Calvin 2007

Sienna Developer Seeking Taxpayer Support To Develope Town Center!

This just in:

Sienna Plantation developers want county to provide $13.6 million

Money would help pay for costs of infrastructure for town center

By ZEN T. C. ZHENG
Houston Chronicle

Planners of a proposed town center in the Sienna Plantation area are seeking Fort Bend County's participation, which would obligate the county to pitch in $13.6 million from property tax revenues.

That amount represents 15 percent of the total $90.5 million cost to build public infrastructure, mainly roads, for the project proposed roughly between Texas 6 and McKeever Road along Sienna Parkway at the northern entrance to the Sienna Plantation development. . . click the link above for the full story.

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MCC comment: Apparently passing costs to taxpayers on big development projects is the norm in TX. I would suggest anyone interested in further information on reinvestment zones in prime commercial areas to look at the campaign finance reports for our Missouri City officials (council members) and County Commissioners to see which development companies are regular contributors. This is generally a good guide as to how they end up voting for projects like this.






(c) 2007 Calvin

From FBN: Missouri City Mayor Pushes To Bail-out Private Golf Course With Higher City Taxes!

This controversial piece on the move by special interest backed mayor Allen Owen of Missouri City to save his neighborhoods golf course, apparently with city financing and eminent domain, draws many comments. Click the title link for the full story and ask yourself will he do this for Willowisp CC (already closed and being sold off), Sienna CC, Riverstone CC (currently being planned) and Sweetwater CC (all within 3 miles of QVCC)?

Stay informed and keep in touch!

FBN Covers Tight Missouri City District B Race!

Playing Catch-22 In A Game Of Missouri City Hardball
Fort Bend Politics

By Bob Dunn

After a May 12 election that saw her take second place in a three-way race by virtue of a 15-vote margin, Cynthia Lenton-Gary is headed toward a Saturday run-off election against incumbent District B Missouri City Councilman Don Smith.

But if you didn’t know better, you might think she was running against Councilman Jerry Wyatt. Because for someone who’s not up for re-election, Wyatt seems to be working extraordinarily hard to defeat her.

It’s not because of philosophical differences, or her position on issues facing the city. Ostensibly, it’s because Lenton-Gary says she lives on Mossridge Drive, at the same address on her Texas driver’s license, while Wyatt believes she lives on Royal Plantation Lane instead. The Mossridge Drive home is in District B. The Royal Plantation Lane home, less than four miles away, isn’t.

Wyatt says that means Lenton-Gary isn’t a legal resident of District B, and can’t serve as a council member. And, he said Friday, he’s prepared to prevent her from taking a seat on City Council even if she wins the runoff election.

Lenton-Gary, however, says Wyatt is acting on Smith’s behalf, and has made her residency an issue “because they feel I have the upper hand in this election” and something was needed to divert voters’ attention from real issues facing District B and the rest of Missouri City.

Drive-by Politics
“I assume Jerry is doing it because Don wants it to look like he’s staying in the background,” she said of Wyatt and Smith. “Bottom line – he is doing it for Don.” . . . (click title link above for more).

From FBW: Majority of Missouri City Voters Supported Anti-Owen Challengers! --Click title link for more...

From FBW: 50.6% Vote Against Owen-backed Candidates in MC
Published on 05/14/07 at 09:45:11 CST by MCCNewsUpdates

With Mayor Owen endorsed candidates being challenged extensively across the board in the district A, B & C races, how long before the old order in Missouri City falls?

This and many other questions are being discussed on area blogs and news sites after a record making election leads to an apparent MC first in an election, a run-off between Owen backed candidate Don Smith and district B challenger Cynthia Lenton-Gary. It has been rumored that Lou Hunter, the 3rd candidate in the race, will soon announce his endorsement of Gary and actively campaign for her. Gary will be the first African-American female elected to the Missouri City council and reportedly the first run-off in the cities history.

Greyling Poats, former '06 mayoral candidate, was quoted as saying that "the 50.6% voting against Allen Owen endorsed candidates is a shift in city politics and should be watched more closely as the '08 mayor and at large races approach." He further stated, "I wouldn't be surprised if we see another full slate of challengers in '08."

Get more at these links below:

http://missouricitychatter.blogspot.com/2007/05/close-mc-council-races-by-reform.html

http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/2909/mobility-bond-wins-broxson-reitz-replace-rickert-bryant#c013530