Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Friday, November 18, 2011

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

TEXAS RECYCLES DAY

November 15th is America/Texas Recycles Day. I encourage everyone to recycle everyday, but the 15th is a day to encourage a more widespread practice of recycling. Check out the links; here, here and here for more. Additionally, due to increased demand for recycling in the County, Fort Bend is getting authorization from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to expand its hours at the recycling center.

Friday, October 28, 2011

KILLING MOSQUITOS

KHOU TV covered the Fort Bend County Road and Bridge mosquito killing patrol. The film was done from Road and Bridge in Needville. Excellent footage at about the 1:25 mark showing the fleet of trucks leaving the gate. The only good mosquito is a dead mosquito.

Friday, September 30, 2011

HOG OUT!



Wild hogs are a problem nationwide and locally. Fort Bend County has joined the Hog Out program. To learn more about the program go the County's partner in the program, Texas Agrilife. For some background check out this Herald story. And for the history of hogs in American go here. Let's hog out.

UPDATE

This is a house in Sienna Plantation. As you can see, the hogs "rooted up" the yard. Hog out!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

West Nile Found in Fresno

A mosquito sample from the Fresno area has tested positive for West Nile Virus. This is the first positive sample in Fort Bend County in several years. Following procedure, mosquito spraying in the area will be intensified until a negative sample is gathered from the area. The intensive spraying is targeted at areas likely to hold water including ditches and drains. In addition to extra spraying, Road & Bridge is also using a larvacide to prevent future mosquitoes from hatching.

Please be careful, wear long sleeves and pants, use bug spray and stay indoors when you can.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

"A Mental Disaster"

One of Fort Bend County's biggest issues is treatment of its citizens that have mental health disorders. The mental health services that are offered to these vulnerable folks are already strained by the current budget restraints. This is a good article that goes into what the Texas Leg is proposing for future cuts.

County Judge Lonnie Hunt from Houston County sums up the problem:
"The patients don't get the help they really need, things just keep getting worse and local taxpayers end up paying the cost to house them in jail."

This wrongheaded solution is a cost escalator for the County. It cost between $10 and $20 per day to treat a person at a community mental health center, but it cost Fort Bend County about $150 per day to treat these folks at the County Jail.

The County has set up a Mental Health Public Defender's Office so that we can identify these patients and stop them from cycling through the jail, but it is only the tip of the iceberg.

Let your legislator know how important it is to fund mental health care, so that the mental health disaster can be averted.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

PLANS FOR THE WEEKEND?

Head over to Mamie George Community Center in N. Richmond this weekend. The center is holding a community fair and fun day to get the neighborhood familiar with the programs they offer. The Herald has more.

Monday, February 21, 2011

A FORCED RECESSION

The State of Texas is forcing its recession on Fort Bend County. The "Fort Bend Herald" has more.

Fort Bend County has cut the budget by 18% in the last 2 years. The County is running lean and efficient. We were expecting flat revenues or small growth. In other words, Fort Bend was coming out of the recession and was poised for growth.

Now, Austin will claim that it has balanced the budget. But what it has really done is pass it on to the Cities and Counties. Austin is too cowardly to raise revenues, so it forces its problems to the Counties, and the Counties are forced to raise revenues to pay for the State's mandates.

A shell game indeed.

Write your state rep and state senator and tell them to have courage and face the problem.

I will be posting a series on the cuts and how they could effect our tax rate. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

JANICEK IS NEEDVILLE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR


This is well deserved. Hat tip to the Herald.

THE JUSTICE CENTER


This is the inside dome of the new Justice Center. The building will be complete by April and move-in will be complete by mid June.

PAYBACKS ARE HELL...


Jim Russ, a noted Aggie, had a wager with Commissioner Meyers, a noted Tiger, on the outcome of the Cotton Bowl. Jim lost.