Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

Another $262,000 in taxpayer monies given to Fort Bend 501c6 non-profit

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They contract with Fort Bend County to market & brand the County to draw more businesses to Fort Bend cities and use County taxpayer money to do it. Now we’re learning they’ve produced a video paid with Missouri City taxpayer dollars thanks to a website tracking how city funds are spent.

Documents obtained from Fort Bend County reveal Fort Bend County Commissioners earlier this year renewed their agreement with the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council. The agreement pays $250,000 in County taxpayer funds for two types of supplemental services above and beyond the Trustee-level services the County taxpayers already pay for. 21114_EDC Agmt 2016 renewal

Article II of the document explains the GFBEDC shall develop a program directly and/or indirectly benefiting the County to solicit poach industrial, commercial and business prospects from other cities for location to Fort Bend County cities.

The agreement also calls for the GFBEDC to develop and implement a marketing plan to indirectly and/or indirectly benefit the County.

A search of the Missouri City’s Citizen Transparency website uncovered 4 payments totaling $57,000 in city funds to the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council since July 2015. One transaction in the amount of $12,000 paid for a “FBC Branding & Marketing Program video”. GFBEDC – 12000.pdf

The video is distributed on the homepage of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council and on You Tube where, since posted on May 25, 2016, it has 267 views.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-5Ye69Bu_E

Exit question: what say you? Is this reflective of good stewardship of taxpayer dollars?

Are Fort Bend officials meeting in violation of Texas open meetings act?

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Are Fort Bend County mayors and councilmembers meeting in violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act? They meet regularly in various sites across Fort Bend County. Do they discuss, supervise and control public business while being supported in whole or in part with public funds? Oh, and unless you’re a mayor, city councilmember of city secretary in Fort Bend County, your attendance is not welcome. “They” are the Fort Bend County Mayor & Council Association.

What governmental bodies are members of the FBCMCA?

FBCMCA RES No. 15-01 re SB 182

According to publicly available documents, the Fort Bend County Mayor & Council Association members are the Fort Bend County cities of Arcola, Beasley, Fulshear, Katy, Kendleton, Meadows Place, Missouri City, Needville, Orchard, Pleak, Richmond, Rosenberg, Simonton, Stafford, Sugar Land, Town of Thompsons, Village of Fairchilds, Weston Lakes and Fort Bend County Judge & Commissioners.

Where & how frequently did the FBCMCA members meet last year?

An examination of records for the year 2015 revealed they planned to meet on eight occasions that year in the City Center at Quail Valley, the Meadows Place Community Center, the Kendleton Church of God Multipurpose Building, the Arcola Community Center, Constellation Field, the Stafford Center, the Weston Lakes Country Club, and the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds.

06 – Fort Bend County Mayors Council As…5th – Constellation Field_Redacted.pdf

What public business might they have discussed, supervised or controlled?

Everything from an update on emergency management from the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management to criminal and mental health issues, USDA rural development programs, passenger rail and the development of the former Texas Instruments property in Stafford, and a presentation on drones.

January 2015 FBCMCA

07 – FBCMCA MEETING_Redacted.pdf

There was also a nice soiree  at Constellation Field where members were invited to watch a game between the Sugar Land Skeeters and the Long Island Ducks plus a pre-Fort Bend County Fair social at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds.

Are meetings of the FBCMA open to the public?

I made a request with Missouri City to be added to the distribution list so I might receive notifications of future meetings of the FBCMCA and received the written response below:

“you must be a Mayor, City Councilmember or City Secretary in Fort Bend County. Therefore, the FBCMCA will be unable to fulfill your request”

However an examination of the email distribution list for FBCMCA meeting notifications found the Fort Bend ISD Superintendent, members of the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council, State Rep. Alma Allen, State Senator Joan Huffman’s assistant, State Senator Lois Kohlhorst’s assistant, Congressman Pete Olson’s assistant and State Reps. Ron Reynolds, John Zerwas, Phil Stephenson, Rick Miller were invited to the pre-Fort Bend County Fair event and Dominga Salazar of the FBISD Superintendent’s office was invited to the Skeeters/ Ducks game at Constellation Field.

While we’re on the subject of secret meetings’ I came across this video.

Exit question:

How did Sugar Land mayoral candidate Joe Zimmerman know to testify before the Senate Finance Committee AGAINST Senate Bill 182 ? Yours truly submitted an open records request to the City of Sugar Land for this exact information and as has happened previously, the COSL is stonewalling.

Guess I’ve been placed on double-secret probation.

Oops, this could be awkward.

Seems that minutes of this Harris County Republican Party meeting reflect support FOR Senate Bill 182!

BOMBSHELL AUDIO: Grand jury foreman discussing confidential grand jury proceedings??

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Oh and did I forget to mention the voice on the audio is that of Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen sharing information about a grand jury investigation that he is the grand jury foreman of?

Grand jury foreman Mayor Owen’s audio reference to Dr. Ives pertains to a complaint filed by former Lamar CISD Superintendent Dr. Dan Ives “who alleged a history of misconduct and conflicts of interest between Jim Gonzales, a principal of IDC, Inc., and members of the school board.”

Scroll to the 4:50 minute mark where Owen and two as-of-yet unidentified voices joke that “tomorrow, all of your indictments will be correct, filled out”—and laugh with Mayor Owen suggesting he should “fill the blanks.”

Clearly, the audio was recorded prior to this March 4, 2016 Fox 26 report of 16 indictments delivered by the grand jury with charges against Jim Gonzales and Jesse Torres, both of Richmond, and Anna Gonzales of Rosenberg.

The case stems in part from the Lamar CISD board’s selection of IDC to help oversee work on bond projects approved by voters in 2014 in the district.

As expected, State Rep Ron Reynolds rewards donor with apartment complex letter of support—

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—and a majority of Missouri City city council does as well. After all, who wants to be painted as the guy or gal opposing affordable housing for seniors?

The developer of a tax-credit advantaged senior citizen apartment complex was rewarded for his contribution to State Rep Ron Reynolds re-election effort with a favorable resolution in support of the facility construction and a letter of support written by Reynolds himself.

Texas Ethics Commission campaign records reflect Mike Musemech, President of Mgroup Holdings, Inc made an in-kind contribution of $3775.22 for the purchase of mailers for State Rep Ron Reynolds re-election efforts. Campaign finance records reveal the contribution date of January 13, 2016.

With May municipal elections right around the corner and the mayoral & two at-large positions up for re-election, on February 1, 2016 Missouri City city council voted favorably on a resolution in support of the elderly-limitation and tax credit-advantaged complex.

From the meeting minutes:

Consider a resolution in support of the submission of an application to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for housing tax credits for affordable senior rental housing by MGroup Holdings, Inc.; making findings of fact; and containing other provisions related thereto.

Councilmember Wyatt inquired on the number of senior projects for housing tax credits the City has. Senior Planner Thomas Gomez stated there were currently four that are existing, and this request would add to that number. Councilmember Emery inquired if this was a deviation from other senior living developments. Thomas Gomez stated that it was in the City’s ETJ and the land use plan does allocate for this project.

Councilmember Wyatt moved to adopt the resolution. Mayor Pro Tem Smith seconded.

MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY

State Representative Reynolds dated his letter of support for the project February 3, 2016—two days after the city council’s unanimous vote.

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs administers a competitive 9{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} housing tax credit program for the development of affordable rental housing for low-income households.

Mgroup Holdings Inc dated its eligibility certification on February 22, 2016.

Exit question—has anyone asked WHY senior citizen housing has reached crisis levels in Missouri City?

Town Hall meeting for new HCC Missouri City Campus

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With the passage of Fort Bend County facilities bond Prop 4 on November 3rd, Houston Community College and Jacobs Program Management will host a town hall meeting to discuss the Missouri City New Campus Bond Project on Tuesday December 1, 2015 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Missouri City city council chambers on 1522 Texas Parkway will be the site of the town hall meeting.

December 1 meeting Missouri City New Campus

The site of the first Houston Community College campus in Missouri City was 5600 square feet of leased space at 1681 Cartwright Road and according to this document hosted on the Legislative Budget Board website, in 2000 Missouri City residents voted to annex themselves into the Houston Community College System. In Fall 2008, students began attending classes at the second Houston Community College campus in Missouri City at Sienna Plantation.

HCC Trustee Neeta Sane’s Spring 2009 newsletter read:

“Students began attending classes at HCC’s new Missouri City campus last fall. Situated on a 50-acre site at Sienna Plantation, this campus offers undergraduate and continuing education courses to residents of Fort bend County. HCC built the campus because of the growth in the area and to provide community services, including a new public library. The 45,000 square foot Academic Center, completed in July 2008, has 22 new classrooms and labs for 2162 students.”

Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen commented on the opening of the new HCC Missouri City campus at Sienna Plantation:

“As businesses in our city expand and they seek qualified and educated employees and as new residents move to Missouri City, the advantage of having quality undergraduate and continuing education opportunities close to home is crucial for us—it builds on the sense of community that we are so proud of in our city, and the addition of the Fort bend County Library will soon offer the complete package of learning.”

The location of the second HCC Missouri City campus at Sienna Plantation though was reportedly targeted towards Sienna Plantation residents who quickly discovered residence outside the voting and taxing jurisdiction of HCC meant they’d pay out-of-district tuition to attend the college.

Fast forward seven years later and amidst enrollment levels at the second HCC Missouri City campus failing to reach enrollment projections, work began on the development of the third HCC Missouri City campus in less than 20 years —this time on Texas Parkway near Missouri City City Hall.

From the Fort Bend Star:

“The Missouri City government, along with Fort Bend County, Johnson Development and HCC have been working to bring a campus to Texas Parkway in an effort to revitalize what was once the city’s primary corridor. The city (Missouri City) and Municipal Utility District (the Blue Ridge West MUD) are expected to assist with some infrastructure needs.

The project also received a $1.2 million grant from the George Foundation, a Fort Bend-based non-governmental organization.”

The Fort Bend Star reported that “enrollment is expected to be higher at that location – along Texas Parkway – than at the current Sienna campus.” but failed to cite this new and third location of HCC Missouri City is now less than 2 miles from the HCC campus in Stafford and even a Houston-Galveston Area Council map does not identify Missouri City as a “Driver 1 Demographic” critical growth area for placement of new facilities or expansion of existing facilities.

HCC demographics

Exit question: What would Thornton Mellon have advised?

UPDATED: Murder charges against Kyle Barnhill dropped; Garrett was legally blind?

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He was arrested and initially charged with two counts of aggravated assault but last week a Fort Bend County “pick-a-pal” grand jury “no-billed” Kyle Barnhill, thus dismissing all charges against the accused murderer of 29-year old Calvin Wade “Bubba” Garrett and another individual whose name has not been reported by available media accounts.

On May 24th, 2015 the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s office issued a press release describing the Sheriff’s Deputies response to reports of stabbings in the 14000 block of Willie Melton in Kendleton at around 1:30 AM on Sunday, 5/24/2015:

“Subsequent investigation revealed that two male victims, ages 34 and 29, were stabbed during an altercation over loud music playing following a Memorial Day BBQ at their residence.  The first victim (age 34) was treated at a Katy area Hospital and released with non –life threatening wounds to the leg.

The second victim (age 29) was transported via private vehicle by the suspect to an Emergency Care Facility in Sugar Land and was then transported via Life Flight to the Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition as of the time of this Press Release.

The suspect, Kyle Barnhill, was detained with the assistance of the Sugar Land Police Department and ultimately arrested. Barnhill is currently in custody at the Fort Bend County Jail for two counts of Aggravated Assault with No Bond set as of this time.

After Garrett later died of his wounds, one of the two aggravated assault charges against Barnhill was upgraded to murder.

The gofundme account of Garrett describes him as a 29-year old pipeliner who was stabbed in the chest and neck—which resulted in a cut to a major artery —in the early morning of May 24, 2015.

However, after an investigation by the Fort Bend Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office showed evidence that Barnhill acted in self-defense because he believed that serious bodily injury or death was imminent, a Fort Bend County grand jury “no-billed” Barnhill, thus dismissing the charges against him.

Sources within the County are skeptical of the self-defense claim, wondering how Barnhill’s grabbing a knife as he left his trailer to confront a few people playing loud music over a Memorial Day weekend BBQ qualifies as self-defense.

Especially when you look at his photo:

Barnhill

Source: Fort Bend Star

 

But there’s no doubt about the grand jury foreman who signed the form:

 

AO no bill

 

That’s the signature of Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen serving as grand jury foreman in fellow Missouri City resident Judge James Shoemake’s 434th Judicial Court.

UPDATE:

Calvin Wade Garrett was legally blind?

 

Garrett legally blind

 

From Garrett’s gofundme page:

“He was going blind but that never stopped him from doing anything…”