The Greens at Brentford apartment complex supported by State Representative John Zerwas and Fort Bend County Commissioners Court is located in a declared disaster area and will have 60 units for tenants with 50{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of less of the area median gross income.

Here is a screen shot of the application on file with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs as completed and submitted by the applicant:

 

Page 3 of the Development Owner Certification contains a certification where the applicant warrants to the State of Texas that the development site will be developed so that all finished ground floor elevations are at least one foot above the floodplain:

 

And here’s a screen shot of the self-scoring matrix as completed and submitted by the applicant acknowledging the site is located in a declared disaster area:

The Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce and the Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance were two additional key advocates for this housing development.

In their letter of support, the Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance described the “political protection” provided by the Alliance (emphasis mine) to their members:

“The Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance is the marketing representative/ salesman for local and area businesses and the entire community, relentlessly promoting our members’ products and services and offering them opportunities for self-promotion, while simultaneously acting as their “watchdog”—protecting their interests, in the political arena and beyond.”

What do you make of the scoring matrices pictured here?

Closing note:            Next year the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., 13-1371.

Houston Community College Trustees were presented with a recommendation by Chancellor Maldonado authorizing him to enter into discussions for a potential relocation of the HCC campus in Missouri City.

The September 18^th HCC meeting agenda packet also included a recommendation to authorize the Chancellor to execute Letters of Intent and/or Memorandums of Understanding with interested parties.

Appraisal district values and enrollment

According to Fort Bend County Appraisal District records, the market value of the existing campus’ 44.82 acre land parcel is $1,952,530 and the market value of the building improvements is $4,109,690.

According to a Fall 2013 Houston Community College System Comparative Enrollment Report, semester hours credit at the Missouri City campus fell approximately 7{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} and unduplicated enrollment dropped almost 8{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} from Fall 2012.

Spring 2013 numbers reflected a 11{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} and 13{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} decline in semester hours credit and unduplicated enrollment respectively.

Previous relocation

According to the website for the Texas Comptroller for Public Accounts, the Missouri City Center campus of Houston Community College leased a 5600 square foot space in a shopping center at 1681 Cartwright Road beginning in 1997 through the opening of the current Missouri City campus near Sienna Plantation.

A November 2006 Houston Chronicle article summarized then HCC Southwest Interim President Winston Dahse’ suggestion an expansion of the Sienna-Missouri City campus and others in the HCC Southwest System were justified and long overdue.

Exit question–is another relocation of the Missouri City campus really justified? And if so, for whose benefit?

The full year 2015 budget for the Missouri City Recreation and Leisure Local Government Corporation projects a net income (loss) of -$411,864 for full year 2014 and one Missouri City resident thinks the loss is a “bargain” for two 18-hole golf courses & the City Centre subsidized by Missouri City taxpayers.

From the LGC Summary Overall Operation:

“For FY2015, the LGC is budgeting for revenues of $3,684,555 and expenditures of 3,681,121.

Net for FY2015 would be $3,434.50.

This is compared to the projected net loss for FY2014 of ($411,864).”

 

When a copy of the LGC’s March 31, 2014 balance sheet was published on social media, residents questioned the $141,000 in cash while payables were $17,942.

Missouri City Mayor Owens’ “conservative” political hack blogger Charles Adaway then took to his website to condemn the speech of residents— calling them racists.

How dare the serfs of Missouri City question the year after year losses of the LGC! Losing $25k/mo. in taxpayer money is a bargain for two 18 hole golf courses and the City Centre!

Surprised?

Nope, not in the least— Missouri City officials have a history of complaining about dissident residents and “deeming” them criminals .

By some accounts, over $30 million in taxpayer money has been spent seizing the La Quinta and El Dorado golf course properties through eminent domain to build & operate tax subsidized facilities competing with private sector restaurants and fitness centers in the area.

And according to the City Debt Outstanding database of the Texas Bond Review Board, Missouri City taxpayers owe, in principal and interest, over $212,000,000.

Losing $25k per month is a bargain for two 18 hole golf courses and a City Centre all right.

But don’t you dare talk about Missouri City’s bond indebtedness on social media—you might be called a racist if you do.

File this under “it’s political advertising—oh wait! Maybe it’s not.”

On September 3^rd the Sugar Land / Missouri City section of Community Impact News published a story describing the $494 million bond package and its four components; construction, transportation, safety & security and transportation.

Fascinated by the absence of a visible citation crediting the source of the graphic on this web version and noticing the lack of the typical political advertising disclaimer, I consulted a friend and together we mused “who produced the graphic?”

So I checked the archived PDF version of the newspaper and sure enough, on page 9, FBISD is cited as the source of the very colorful graphic.

But wait—there’s more!

What about that “community survey poll” I’d heard about through the rumour de jour? Was a poll of all or a subset of Fort Bend voters conducted? Which voting precincts were “randomly selected”?

Yep, you know what’s coming next.

I thought it would be deliciously wicked to file an Open Records Request for copies of the ad proof and payment receipts between Community Impact Newspaper & the school district, for a copy of the contract (if one exists) between Fort Bend ISD and Community Impact Newspapers—but to also request a copy of all vendor contracts, agreements, memos, emails and payment receipts, invoices associated with the company who performed the community survey poll of registered voters in FBISD I’d been tipped off to.

Here’s a screen grab of the Open Records Request I sent to the Fort Bend ISD Public Information Officer on September 8^th, 2014:

 

A completely different “advertisement” was published in the paper copy of the Sugar Land – Missouri City edition of Community Impact Newspaper on page 18 –with no source citation, no political advertising disclosure-but this time with convenient voter registration, early voting and election day voting dates.

 

How thoughtful.

And acknowledgment of receipt of my Open Records Request or production of documents responsive to my request? Nope, not yet—and the ten working day clock is ticking.

I’ll post an update once the District responds.

Because I’m not implying or alleging any malfeasance on any part of the District–some folk just believe in better bond transparency.

P.S. The author is the Campaign Treasurer of “Citizens for Better Bond Transparency”—just so you know where I’m coming from.