Esther Lum - - Page 9

City Proposal Unlikely to Gain Support of Most State Legislators

Posted September 28, 2022 by Esther Lum

On August 24, city council voted to send a resolution to the state legislature supporting legislative efforts to give local taxing entities the ability to raise the homestead exemption rate from its current ceiling of 20% up to 100%. In September 2021, a similar resolution was introduced in the legislature,…

Shenandoah Stories: The Early Years

Posted September 28, 2022 by Esther Lum

Gwen Quinn, Shenandoah resident since 1979, has many memories of her dad, Gordon Fitch. A veteran, salesman and owner of the legendary Speedy Pak convenience store, Fitch did business with many Shenandoah residents, selling barbecue, beer and groceries. He ran the store (on the northeast corner of I-45 and Research…

Halloween Safe Streets

Posted September 18, 2022 by Esther Lum

For over 30 years Shenandoah families enjoyed a tradition known as Halloween Safe Streets where certain streets were blocked and the city provided candy to designated homes for distribution. With Covid concerns in 2020, the event was changed to a parade where city officials and staff handed out candy. Citing…

Property Tax, Budget Update

Posted August 27, 2022 by Esther Lum

On August 24, the Shenandoah city council formally adopted (by 5-0 vote) the 2022 property tax of $0.1477 per $100 valuation which is the no-new-revenue rate for the city. This will mean an approximate 18% decrease from last year’s rate. The Woodlands Township directors unanimously voted to actually go below…

Judge Orders City to Produce Documents

Posted August 15, 2022 by Esther Lum

District Court Judge Kristin Bays has ordered the city of Shenandoah to produce a wide range of documents originally requested by attorney Frank Powell in March 2022. The city argued the documents did not have to be produced because they were related to pending litigation.During a bench trial held August…

What is the Public Information Act?

Posted August 15, 2022 by Esther Lum

Citizens have the right to request and obtain government information under the Texas Public Information Act, adopted in 1973. Section 552 of the Texas Government Code says the Act is primarily based on “the principle that government is the servant and not the master of the people.” During January-June of 2022, Shenandoah…

No Widening of Grogan’s Mill – For Now

Posted August 15, 2022 by Esther Lum

At a public meeting held August 4 in Magnolia, Commissioner Charlie Riley said the long term plan to widen Grogan’s Mill (north of Research Forest) to four lanes has been removed. This was in response to a question by a Shenandoah resident. The meeting was co-hosted by Riley and the Houston-Galveston…

City Property Tax Update

Posted August 13, 2022 by Esther Lum

After four consecutive years of a 0.1799 property tax rate (per $100 valuation), Shenandoah city council voted on August 10 to reverse course and use Montgomery County’s reported No New Revenue rate of .1477 for 2022-23. The formal vote is slated for the August 24, 2022 council meeting. Although this…

CPAC – Sentinel Interview with Riley Gaines

Posted August 6, 2022 by Esther Lum

At CPAC today, the Sentinel interviewed Riley Gaines, a recent graduate of the University of Kentucky. Gaines tied transgender Lia Thomas for fifth in the women’s 200-meter NCAA championships last spring, and has been an outspoken critic of Thomas who swam competitively for years as a male. She says young…

Common Sense Prevails in Intersection Improvements

Posted July 27, 2022 by Esther Lum

After a decade of intense controversy over how to improve the intersections at Grogan’s Mill and Research Forest, Montgomery County is scheduled to begin construction improvement projects this summer, according to Precinct 2 officials. The first phase includes extending the acceleration lane on Research Forest (see diagram below). The next…