By George Slaughter Given the confusion—both for attending school and playing football—accompanying the coronavirus pandemic, that the Taylor Mustangs were able to play football Thursday was a victory in itself. That the Mustangs posted a 37-0 win over Cy Springs was even better. “It’s rewarding to play a little football,” Taylor coach Chad Simmons said, adding that the players had been coming in “religiously” over the summer to prepare for the season, despite concerns that […]
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City Holds Public Hearing on Proposed Tax Rate
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 […]
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 […]
Katy ISD Accepting Name Nominations for Junior High #17
Katy Independent School District is now accepting nominations for the naming of Junior High #17, which is located at 25737 Clay Rd. in the northwest quadrant of the District. This junior high will provide enrollment relief to neighboring campuses, which are experiencing fast growth. Individuals interested in submitting a name are asked to review the Katy ISD Board Policy CW(LOCAL) for facility naming guidelines and submit a completed Nomination for Naming a New School or Facility Form – […]
City to Receive COVID-19 Relief Fund Money
By George Slaughter The Katy City Council Monday authorized Mayor Bill Hastings to sign the paperwork so the city can receive $838,805 in federal money for COVID-19 through the CARES Act passed earlier this year. The money is to cover city expenses related to COVID-19 that were not accounted for in the current city budget, and were incurred between March 1 and December 30 of last year, City Administrator Byron Hebert said in a memo […]
Katy ISD Seeking Input on Its Meal Distribution Program
By George Slaughter As the Katy Independent School District prepares for school to begin this month, it is seeking input for its curbside “grab and go” meal distribution program. On Saturday, August 8, parents in the district will begin receiving a survey, the purpose of which is to better enable the district to manage both its personnel and the 23 food distribution sites in the district. The survey closes next Wednesday, August 12. All Katy […]