By George Slaughter The Katy City Council Wednesday afternoon held a public hearing to enable public comment on its proposed property tax rate. The proposed rate of $0.447168 per $100 valuation is a decrease from last year’s $0.48 per $100. The city expects more property tax revenue, despite the lower rate, because the appraised value within the city increased by $306 million. This increase in appraised value comes because companies such as Amazon, Costco, and […]
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How Hackers Destroyed Online Gaming- What Can be Done?
Online gaming is more significant than ever before. Thanks to the emergence of popular free to play games like Fortnite, COD: Warzone and Valorant, the online player base is more extensive than ever. Streaming websites and pro-gaming competitions are getting more attention than ever before. However, as these games are growing, an issue continues to rise. Hackers are managing to find their way into every aspect of gaming. Some games are getting wholly derailed because […]
Council Honors Katy Police Officers and Firefighters
By George Slaughter The Katy City Council Monday recognized Katy police officers and firefighters for service above and beyond the call of duty. Mayor Bill Hastings read a proclamation detailing four events in which officers and firefighters acted quickly to save lives. On March 30, firefighters responded to a 49-year-old who was in cardiac arrest, and administered cardiac life support measures. Responders included Chad Dismukes, Chris Edwards, Andrew Kruut, Scott Musgrove, Katelyn Rhodes, Bill Valenzuela, […]
Candidates Make Their Cases at Forum
By George Slaughter Candidates for three Katy City Council seats shared their views in a Thursday evening online forum broadcast on Facebook. Katy voters will be selecting a Ward A council member, a Ward B council member, and a council member-at-large. Katy Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Matthew Ferraro moderated the forum and asked candidates to discuss their qualifications and priorities going forward. All three incumbents are seeking reelection. Ward A Council Member Janet Corte […]
Katy ISD Announces Ticketing, Attendance Plans for Sports Events
By George Slaughter Legacy and Rhodes stadiums will be filled only to 50% capacity for sporting events this fall, under ticketing and attendance plans announced by the district in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The district said it will sell tickets to 40% of stadium capacity, with the remaining 10% to account for late-arriving passholders and parents of athletes. Ticket pre-sales will be online only at two websites: http://www.katvisd.org/deDt/athletics/Pages/default.aspx https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/11016/academvsports-outdoors-student-activities-complex Purchasing Varsity Football Tickets On […]
City Begins Approval Process for Tax Rate, Budget
By George Slaughter The Katy City Council Tuesday afternoon began its process of approving a proposed property tax rate of $0.447168 per $100 valuation and rescheduled the public hearing on that rate to 4 p.m. September 23. The proposed rate is a decrease from last year’s $0.48 per $100, in support of a proposed $32 million city budget for 2020-2021. The overall budget, at $32 million, is a slight decrease from last year’s budget of […]
Katy City Candidate Forum Set for Thursday
By George Slaughter With election season back in full swing, Katy City Council candidates are again reaching out and soliciting support. One way they will do so is at a Thursday night online candidate forum. The forum, which is free, begins at 5:30 p.m. and will stream on the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page. The forum is expected to last an hour and a half o’clock and all candidates seeking city office are […]
City Sets Tax Rate and Budget Hearing Dates
By George Slaughter The Katy City Council Monday set public hearing dates next month for its proposed tax rate and budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The public hearing for the tax rate is at 4 p.m. September 14. The public hearing for the budget is at 4 p.m. September 28. Both meetings are expected to be online as all council meetings have been since the pandemic was declared in March. The proposed $32 million […]
People Who are Looking to Embrace Veganism, Read this
There are many reasons that you may be considering a move to a plant-based lifestyle. It may be because you’re struggling to reconcile the cruelty, which is an inevitable consequence of the meat and dairy industries. Or, you may feel that a diet without animal products will have a positive effect on your health and wellbeing. It could be that you’re concerned about the impact that mass animal production has on the environment. But no […]
Superintendent Rallies Staff as Katy ISD Procures PPE for New School Year
By George Slaughter Safety and resilience were the key ideas promoted Tuesday by Katy Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Ken Gregorski, but he admitted that when he gave last year’s superintendent’s convocation speech, he didn’t expect things to be as different as they have become. While this year’s convocation was online, the tone remained encouraging and positive, just as in the past. “I know this is not who we are as educators,” Gregorski said. “We’re […]