“Down the road, the council will look back and say ‘What kind of idiots were they who didn’t do it right the first time?’” said Mayor Pro Tem Bob Fry about the option the council eventually voted on.

The council approved a new police station near city hall, and renovations to the fire station.

The council voted unanimously to order design drawings on an option that would put a new two-story police station on the grounds of city hall, adjacent to the existing station, which would be torn down after construction.

But before the vote, it became clear that Fry and Council Members George Boehme and Steven Segal were anything but unanimous on the choice, but decided to vote for the option as a compromise.

“I am prepared to go with any of the plans to try to get consensus on this council to move forward,” said Boehme. He added later: “Unfortunately political decisions are rarely the best decisions.”

Originally, city staff recommended the council accept a different plan that would demolish the Public Works Building on Amherst Street and construct a new police station in its place. The current police station near city hall would be renovated as a new office for public works employees.

But after a council workshop on Oct. 19, it seemed most members wanted to vote for the different option. At Monday’s meeting, City Manager Michael Ross prefaced the discussion with a plea asking the council to still consider the staff-recommended option.

“Again, the staff does feel this is the best long-term solution,” Ross said. Segal, who said he had done some soul searching since the Oct. 19 workshop, took the plea seriously and put the question to other council members.

“The staff recommended it. The consultants recommended it. It’s the best option,” Segal said.

Staff recommended a plan that would demolish the current Public Works Building, constructing a new police station there, and renovate the existing station as a new office for pubic works. Fire station renovations are also included.

“Why are we turning that down?”

The main reason other council members went against the staff recommendation is because they don’t want to tear down the 15-year-old Public Works Building, which they said has life left in it.

They also don’t want to renovate the current police station and put public works employees there. Because that building is in such poor condition, the city would eventually have to build another new building for them, said Councilman Chuck Guffey.

Guffey earlier took issue with the upper-limit estimate that the architect said the city would need to pay for detailed design drawings. The fee also includes contract services like surveying and security system designs. Guffey said the $412,000 estimate was unreasonable because it was calculated as a percentage of total construction costs, $6.5 million, which Guffey said is too high.

“As a professional engineer, I can’t sit here and agree to this. It exceeds what I think is reasonable and rational,” Guffey said. “I think it needs to be redone.”

But Jeff Gerber, the architect the city hired for the police station design, said the $6.5 million estimate is consistent with what other cities pay for similar facilities.

“A police building isn’t a simple office building,” Gerber said. “There’s lots of components that make this more expensive than other types of construction.”

For example, he said, police stations must have jail facilities, very tight security, and design features for high-tech gear like 911 equipment.

“What you’re doing is beating this man to death right now because he’s made his best estimate,” Boehme told Guffey after he continued questioning Gerber about the cost estimate.

All of the squabbling made Monday’s meeting stand out from business as usual.

“It was one of the most interesting since I’ve been here,” said City Secretary Thelma Lenz, who has attended council meetings since she started working for the city in June 2008.

The next step is for Gerber, the architect, to bring back detailed design drawings that the council can use to collect competitive bids on the project.

“He can do the whole package by February,” Ross said about Gerber’s design. “Hopefully we can receive our proposals by February and begin construction in March.”

The store is tentatively scheduled to open during the first week of November. Tronstad said she anticipates the convenience of running in for a gallon of milk or other small things, just like she did before the closure of JMH grocery store on Edloe Street.

“I miss the old JMH a lot,” Tronstad said. “JMH had been here for years, it was part of the community. It was sad to see it closed.”

Jim Reid, owner of Matthews Market and former JMH co-owner, said he wants his store to serve the community also. He envisions the market as a meeting place for West U. parents and children, who can buy treats from the 15-foot candy bar or play Playstation and arcade games in the market’s game room.

“It’s really done to promote the community, and our local kids and local environment in a wholesome way,” Reid said. He decided to dedicate the market to Joni Hruska Fichter, a West U. resident who volunteers extensively in the community.

In June and July, the city denied Reid’s building permit several times and asked him to remove asbestos in the building, and get Harris County’s approval for the food-service side of the business. When Reid resolved those issues, he earned the permit.

Public Works Director Chris Peifer said that now, the store has passed many of its city inspections. There are still two mechanical inspections to be done, as well as plumbing and building inspections. Once all of the tests are complete, Reid said he’ll receive a certificate he needs to open Matthews Market.

In the meantime, Reid will be finalizing the menu for the restaurant and stocking his shelves with groceries.

“It’s really set up as a convenience store for the neighborhood,” Reid said. “We’re really there to fill a void when you run out of milk, sugar or spices and things like that.”

Along with his real estate company, Rabon Reid Real Estate Services, Reid was responsible for the design and construction of Matthews Market. He designed the space to feel warm and inviting, using recycled materials like  refinished wood, old farm windows painted as grocery isle signs, and bricks from a building demolished in downtown Houston. Many decor features are handmade, like the signs and counter tops.

“We really went for a warm feeling,” Reid said. “We just really wanted this to feel like someone’s living room.”

Executive Chef Gilbert Buyher is working with Reid to refine the restaurant’s menu in preparation for the opening. He is cooking all the menu items for tastings, and changing the dishes based on feedback. The restaurant’s menu features family favorites like burgers, salads, Tex-Mex dishes and casseroles.

“It’s basic, it’s simple and good,” said Buyher. “Comfort food.”

Busy parents can also run in to pick up prepared dishes like king ranch casserole and lasagna, and then take them home to warm up and serve to their families.

Diane Sizemore owns neighboring retail store Hip Hop Lollipop, said she anticipates the market may increase her own sales. Many people already walk on Edloe Street and wander into her store, she said, but numbers could increase once Matthews Market opens.

“I think if [walkers] have a destination spot, it will be good for us,” Sizemore said. “I’m excited, I think it’s going to create traffic.”

Tronstad said she will hold judgement about whether Matthews Market is a good replacement for JMH grocery store until after she gets to explore the new store within the coming weeks. But she’s still excited about the pending opening.

“They look like they’re doing some fun things with it,” she said.

The Museum of Fine Arts opened a new exhibit, "Chaotic Harmony: Contemporary Korean Photography," that explores Korea through five themes.

“Operating under a relatively new democracy in South Korea, artists experienced a burst of creative energy and freedom of expression in recent decades,” said curator Anne Tucker in a statement. “The photographers in Chaotic Harmony observe the country’s notable growth in terms of industry and urbanization and convey the resultant issues as well as reflect on the country’s ancient culture and religions.”

The exhibit, “Chaotic Harmony: Contemporary Korean Photography” is running now through Jan. 3. It explores Korea through five themes: land and sea, urbanization and globalization, family, friends and memory, cultural and personal identity, and anxiety.

Admission is $7 for adults, $3.50 for children and seniors, and free for kids under 5. For more information call (713) 639-7300 or visit www.mfah.org.

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The council met on Monday to gather information in preparation for a vote next week about options to deal with the long-standing issues at the police station, which past councils have repeatedly put on the back burner.

Much of the 911 and other high-tech equipment is crammed in closets at the current police station.

“To not remedy the problems we’ve had with this building could really negatively affect us in the future,” said West U. Police Chief Ken Walker. During Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, water flooded the building and dispatchers operated electrical equipment with their feet submerged in water. If another storm flooded the station, Walker said he would shut it down, along with the city’s 911 equipment.

“That’s insane, we can’t let that happen,” Walker said. “We can’t expect our employees to be in there in those circumstance.”

There are enough supporting members on the current council to get something done, and now the question is: What? Staff have recommended one option, but the council is leaning towards another option to save the demolition of a city building that still “has life in it,” said Councilman Chuck Guffey.

The two options still being considered are referred to as Option 6 and Option 9. Other options in the series were thrown out by past councils. The remaining options include:

Option 6

Option 6

In this $6.5 million plan, the city would build a new two-story police station on a parking lot near city hall, very close to the current station. Public works would remain in its current location. The fire department would get renovations to enlarge a garage bay that is too small for a fire truck, create a new office, install separate male-female restrooms and showers, and make dorm areas more private.

Option 9

Option 9

This nearly $7 million plan calls for demolishing the Public Works Building on Amherst Street to make room for a new two-story police station and more parking. The current police station would undergo renovations, and become the new office for public works employees. The fire station renovations would remain the same.

Walker said both options will give the department what it really needs: A safe facility where police can operate with more space, even in the worst of storms.

City staff recommend Option 9 instead of Option 6 because they don’t want all police operations within walking distance of city hall, the nucleus of city business.

“We don’t always attract the nicest customers,” Walker said, referring to criminals arrested by police. “It’s beneficial not to have some of our repeat customers walking in with people going into city hall for business, or during a council meeting.”

Jeff Gerber, an architect with PGAL, presents a police station plan to the city council at a meeting on Monday.

Option 9 would also add more parking for police and other city employees. The proposed location of the police station on Amherst is near the city’s fuel supply and water tank, so police could guard those resources. The location also has room for expansion, which wouldn’t be possible if the police station was near city hall, like Option 6 proposes. Staff reports say it makes more sense to have the public works employees near city hall, since residents visit the department for permits.

“Finally putting things in the city where they should be, and where they should have been, that’s Option 9,” Walker said. “We recommended it because it’s the long-term solution.”

But at Monday’s City Council Workshop, most council members left the room leaning towards Option 6. They asked the city’s architect to prepare more details about that plan and present them at the Oct. 26 city council meeting. Council members don’t like the fact that Option 9 calls for demolishing the 15-year-old Public Works Building.

“The problem is you have to tear down a pretty good building … There’s nothing wrong with it,” Guffey said. “The building has life in it.”

Guffey said he also doesn’t like Option 9′s proposal to renovate the space where police currently operate and then moving public works employees there. Guffey said he thinks the building is too far gone and renovations may cost much more than expected.

“People are going to say we’re crazy because we’re saying ‘we can’t use the police station’ and then turning around and using it,” he said. “It’s short sighted to repair or patch up the current police station.”

Councilman Steven Segal entered Monday’s meeting with the desire to support Option 9, because like city staff, he thinks that plan better serves the city’s long-term interest. But Segal is likely to switch to Option 6 as a compromise.

“What changed my mind is, I want to see a new police station,” Segal said. “I think I’m being practical … In a decision like this, I’m not going to get my way at everything. I’m doing what I think is best.”

So Segal will agree to a plan that puts the new police station on the grounds of city hall. But he said he anticipates a time, perhaps 30 years from now, when the current Public Works Building outlives its life cycle and needs to be replaced.

Segal said he hopes that the city council in charge at that time will consider flip-flopping the locations so the police move to a new station on Amherst Street, and the public works department moves in near city hall.

“When it comes down to it, we’re all sitting here trying to make a decision about what’s in the best interest of the city,” Segal said.

The city council will consider the police station options again on Monday. They hope to move plans along quickly to take advantage of the very competitive, low-cost construction marketplace that has come about due to the economic recession.

HISD District 5 covers West University Elementary and Pershing Middle School. The candidates answered questions on Oct. 15 at the Bellaire Area Candidates’ Forum, an event hosted by the Bellaire Democrats.

Ray Reiner, left, and Mike Lunceford answered questions on Thursday about their positions on issues affecting the Houston Independent School District. They are running for HISD Trustee for District 5.

Although their positions are similar on many issues, the candidates tried to distinguish themselves by noting how their past experience will serve students.

Reiner is a retired HISD administrator who worked with students, parents and the community during his time at the school district.

“I have a good sense, a good feel for what is going on in our public schools,” Reiner said.

Lunceford graduated from an HISD school, sent his children through Houston schools, and has been an active school volunteer for 16 years. He is a petroleum engineer who focuses on strategic planning and data analysis.

“I look at things from a business scale from the outside,” Lunceford said about how he would approach the Trustee position.

Both candidates agreed that the dropout rate and achievement gap are the most pressing issues that HISD currently faces.

Reiner said the district should expand its career readiness programs and form more partnerships with universities in Houston for dual credit programs. Equally important, he said, is strengthening early childhood development programs.

“There has to be a commitment on the part of school districts to be reevaluated every year with early and head start programs,” Reiner said.

Lunceford said the district should “think outside the box” to make sure it’s meeting the needs of students who are at risk of dropping out. Vocational training should be revamped to include modern class offerings in the medical and technology fields. The district should offer class schedules that work for today’s students, he said.

“There’s a large group of kids, that maybe they have to work,” Lunceford said. Night classes may help them stay in school.

Both candidates agreed that administrators need to try to improve parental involvement in their children’s education. Reiner said parents can join Parent Teacher Organizations, and various school committees. But another way to involve them is through extracurricular activities like sports and band.

“Parents will have kids involved and come up to the school on a regular basis to see them perform, or participate in different activities,” Reiner said.

Lunceford said he also supports getting parents involved in decision-making committees, and that the responsibility to improve involvement should come from the school administrators.

“It starts at the top at the school,” Lunceford said. “The Principal has to make a concerted effort.”

When asked how they would deal with teacher shortages, Reiner and Lunceford said HISD must work harder to recruit qualified teachers, and offer incentives to retain current teachers. Reiner said teachers for upper-level classes like German and calculus are hard to come by, so the district should mentor and support them, and do everything possible to retain the teachers. Lunceford said he supports a program that gives bonuses to teachers who excel, and said he’d like to implement better mentoring during new teachers’ first three years of employment.

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Around lunch time, Lynette Gaido and Susan Boyd, the Lamar Principal’s secretary, were crossing the street at Westheimer Road to get something to eat. A car driven by an elderly man turned from River Oaks Boulevard and hit both women in the crosswalk.

“It was like a movie: arms and legs in the air, somersaulting,” Gaido said. “I think I flipped 2-to-3 times. I remember falling on my front and my leg slapping the street. I knew when I heard that slapping sound that something was broken.”

She was right: Her leg was broken in three places, requiring surgeons at Memorial Hermann Hospital to install metal rods to piece the bones back together, she said. Boyd escaped the accident with cuts and bruises and is at home today recovering, said Lamar spokeswoman Tina Thompson.

Miraculously, a group of fire marshalls were standing at the school’s entrance and they saw the accident happen.

“I looked up and saw a sea of blue running towards me,” Gaido said. They tried to stabilize her condition until the ambulance arrived.

An elderly man was driving the car that struck Gaido and Boyd, and Gaido said he apologized profusely multiple times. The Houston Police Department did not respond to a request for more information before the deadline for this story’s publication. InstantnewsWestU.com will update the story as soon as possible with information about the driver and whether police cited him for the accident.

Gaido said she never learned the driver’s name, but she felt sympathy for the man because he felt so terrible about the accident.

“That’s why they call them accidents, the don’t happen on purpose,” she said. “It makes me realize personally, in my car, I need to be more careful about pedestrians. I’m sure there will be a lot of lessons learned from this.”

Gaido said she thinks the intersection at Westheimer Road and River Oaks Boulevard is dangerous, because the crosswalk signal turns to “walk” at the same time the green light changes for cars on River Oak turning left onto Westheimer. Lamar’s 3,000 students use the intersection multiple times daily, to catch the bus, go to lunch, and more.

“There should be a sign or something saying ‘pedestrian crossing’ or something like that,” she said. “But I’m not raising a flag. I want to get back to work.”

Before she returns to teaching Chinese, Gaido must complete physical therapy. She may need to use a wheelchair until she recovers, since her job requires hours of standing. But that’s not what was on her mind when Lamar Principal James McSwain visited her in the hospital yesterday.

“I said ‘Please, I’m concerned about my Chinese classes falling behind’,” Gaido said. It’s difficult to find substitute Chinese teachers.

“She’s the one who told him to go to Broadway,” Fran Callahan, executive director of the Lamar High School Alumni Association, said about Denney.

Now Tune, who graduated from Lamar in 1957, is returning on Oct. 21 to his Alma mater for a special performance as a way to say thank you. The event marks the grand opening of the school’s auditorium, which underwent a $1.5 million renovation and is reopening as the Ned S. Holmes Performance Hall.

Tune will perform his current touring show, “Steps in Time: A Broadway Biography in Song and Dance.” He wrote, choreographed and directed the biographical show, which takes the audience through his 50-year career on Broadway.

The legendary performer won his first Tony Award for his leading role in the Broadway musical Seesaw, and he has gone on to win eight more Tony Awards for acting, choreography and directing. He has earned countless other awards, including the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest honor for artistic achievement. Tune even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

About five years ago, he performed at the Lamar auditorium when the school’s Alumni Association began a fund raising campaign to renovate the space.

“It was in pretty bad shape,” Callahan said. “The sound sytstem didn’t work, the lights didn’t work, the seats were wooden seats that had been built in 1937.”

Since then, the Alumni Association raised $2.5 million from 300 private donors, including parents, alumni and foundations. Several donors contributed gifts of $100,000. Houston businessman and 1963-Lamar-graduate Ned Holmes, the namesake of the renovated auditorium, gave a whopping $500,000, Callahan said.

“That’s pretty unusual for a public school,” she said. “I just think we owe a debt of gratitude to all the donors. It wouldn’t have happened.”

Holmes is the chairman and CEO of Ned S. Holmes Investments, a nationwide real estate firm. Before that he lead a financial holding company and bank for about 20 years. Holmes currently serves as a commissioner on the Texas Transportation Commission, and he has an extensive public service record that includes membership on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, a City of Houston planning commission, and the Port of Houston Authority board.

The alumni association spent $1.5 million to renovate the school’s auditorium. Instead of squeezing into 18-inch-wide wooden seats, guests on Oct. 21 will comfortably enjoy Tune’s performance in 23-inch-wide upholstered seats. Other renovations replaced the stage, lighting, sound system and curtains, painted the walls, and polished the Art Deco metal fixtures.

“All of that, now, is spit polished and shining again,” Callahan said. “The chairs are the most impressive because they’re 100 times better than the other ones.”

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show cost from $75 to $150. A rehearsal at 3 p.m. is also open to the public, and costs $35. People can purchase tickets online at www.signmeup.com/66550 or call Fran Callahan at (713) 522-5960, Ext. 359.

The city needs three new officers after two officers were fired this year, and another left West U. to work for the U.S. Secret Service. But Walker put a hold on the job search in July, when Mayor Bob Kelly began discussing cuts to the city’s retirement plan.

“The problem at the time was we didn’t want to recruit applicants telling them their retirement system was one thing, and then change it,” Walker said.

Kelly was considering cuts as a possible way to pay for renovations to the police station without having to raise taxes. In July, Kelly wrote an email to City Manager Michael Ross:

“Please find a way for the City to pay for it without a tax increase….i.e. cuts in the existing budget (I realize this may have to come from some employee expenses since that item is a major part of the City’s budget) and/or additional revenues.”

Read more about the changes Kelly proposed, and other council members’ responses.

Walker said he felt comfortable resuming the job search after a Sept. 26 budget workshop, where it was clear the majority of the city council opposed cutting retirement benefits.

“They have to vote on it again, but we got a very good indication of what they were going to do after the first vote,” Walker said.

One new patrol officer did come on board in August, during the retirement-benefits debate. Walker said he made it clear to the officer there was a possibility that the city council may cut benefits.

The West U Police Department’s budget can support 23 patrol officers, but right now it employees only 20. The department can handle public safety in West U with that number, but it’s not a good idea to go lower.

“If it gets below that, we have to start using overtime,” Walker said.

The department is recruiting for the three open positions by advertising on the Website of the Texas Municipal League, advertising in other police publications and by visiting police academies with students near graduation.

Applicants must jump through a lot of hoops to be police officers, such as passing an entry level test and completing extensive physical and psychological testing. Filling positions can sometimes take a long time because it’s not easy to find good, qualified applicants for the job, Walker said.

“I don’t know of any police departments in the state of Texas that have an easy time finding good applicants to hire,” he said. “To compete for the limited pool of applicants, we have to have our salary and benefits competitive … Even discussing possible cuts in benefits can hurt our recruiting efforts.”

“The Angel Store” features the artwork of more than 50 artists, all focusing on “angelic” themes. The Oct. 17 grand opening features music and food, and begins at 6 p.m. at the Betz Art Gallery in Houston, 1208 W. Gray St.

The art is for sale, and proceeds benefit Justice For Children, a nonprofit organization of “guardian angels” that protect the rights of children from abusive households who are caught up in the legal system.

For more information contact Lori Betz at 713-576-6954 or info@betzgallery.com, or visit www.betzgallery.com.

So when a resident called Councilman George Boehme recently because he wanted to throw a block party to celebrate his wife’s birthday on Oct. 31, it first appeared that he was out of luck.

“He got told this year there were already too may block parties so they couldn’t have one,” Boehme said. The councilman called City Manager Michael Ross and found out that Walker was already on top of the problem.

On Monday, the city council approved a change to the West U ordinance that governs street events like block parties. The problem was the city owns a limited number of barricades needed to close streets for block parties.

Walker proposed that the city council change the street events ordinance to make it the residents’ responsibility to rent their own street barricades from a private company.

“That way we can have more parties happening on the same day,” he said. “It was one of those things where people questioned it, and then we started looking at it and wondered why it was done that way.”

The council on Monday also changed the way the city chooses a traffic control officer to approve events and work out the details of road closures. The old ordinance said the police chief would be the traffic control officer, but now the city manager or whomever he chooses will perform the duties.

These two changes may not be the last. Councilman Steven Segal questioned another portion of the street events ordinance that deals with fees the city charges to provide traffic control and to notify residents of street closures.

The ordinance explains how the city computes charges for both services, but then states that the maximum charge will be $300. What if the city’s costs are more than that, Segal asked?

“I wish you’d look at the fee aspect of this to make clear what’s going to take place in practice,” Segal said.

This is one point of agreement between two city commissions tasked with creating regulations for basements in West U. But members of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission and the Building and Standards Commission will meet in the coming weeks to smooth out disagreements on other regulations for subterranean structures.

Questions they must iron out include how large basements can be, where they can be situated on the lot, how homeowners can use the space, and whether a basement should count towards the home’s overall size limit.

The two commissions started working on basement regulations in the summer of 2008 when City Planner Debbie Scarcella told them that three West U homeowners had applied for permits to build basements. During construction for one basement on Lake Street, the contractor excavated soil all the way to the adjacent property line.

While constructing this basement on Lake Street, contractors excavated soil right up to the neighbor's driveway.

“The neighbor was fearful that their driveway was going to cave in,” said PZC Vice Chair Bruce Frankel. “We felt like it needed to be addressed. It’s never been addressed because the thought was ‘Who in their right mind would build a basement in Houston, Texas?’”

Some West U homes within the 100-year flood plain cannot have basements in accordance with the rules of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But there are no existing restrictions for the remainder of West U, which sits in the 500-year flood plain.

The commissions approached the city council in January 2009 to ask whether the city should prohibit basements entirely or just regulate them. With homeowners’ property rights in mind, the council voted to allow people to build basements and asked the commissions to work on regulations.

Since then, the BSC worked on setting construction regulations: rules for drainage systems, flood protection measures, proper techniques to construct the foundation and walls, and other building issues. The commission plans to return to the issue on Oct. 15 during its monthly meeting.

“This is something we see as a trend coming along,” said BSC Chair Bryant Slimp. “We don’t want situations coming up that could have been mitigated or prevented.”

Meanwhile, the PZC tackled questions about the placement of basements on lots, how they should conform to building setback rules and other zoning issues. The commission talked about the status of basement regulations at its Oct. 8 meeting.

“To me, it’s very irrelevant to talk about basements,” said new commission member Bob Higley. Other members agreed that the new regulations may have limited impact, only affecting residents who are building new homes in the city.

“The dynamic is that property values are so high,” said ZPC Member Dick Yehle. People want to maximize the square footage of their properties.

Some questions about basements in West U enter the purview of both commissions. For example, will the size of a basement be limited to the footprint of the house, or can it extend into the yard? Do basements count towards the city’s size limit for new construction? Will homeowners be allowed to install plumbing?

Right now, the two commissions disagree on about seven issues, according to a PZC document. Within the next week, the chairs and vice chairs of both groups will meet and try to iron out these details.

Eventually, when the two commissions reach a consensus, they will draft an ordinance and take it to the city council for feedback.

“It’s just a slow process,” Slimp said. “We’re trying to look at it from every angle we can, to make sure it’s as fair as we can get.”

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The city expects to bring in more tax revenue in 2010 even though the city council voted Sept. 24 to actually lower the tax rate — last year it was 35.9 cents per $100 valuation, and this year it will be 35.8 cents.

The reason the city still expects an increase is because property values in West University Place increased by 7.6 percent. The city will have total taxable values of $4.2 billion, compared to $3.9 billion last year.

During Monday’s public hearing, officials will do a presentation to explain the numbers and then open the floor to public comment. Here is the tax rate presentation, available from www.westu.org.

Another presentation will explain the city’s 2010 budget. Total revenues are estimated at $27.5 million: 55 percent of that comes from property taxes, 31 percent comes from fees for services, and the rest comes from various fees or fines.

Planned expenditures total $28.7 million. Personnel expenses are the largest category, requiring 39 percent of total expenditures. Other large ticket items include the city’s operating expenses and debt service. After officials explain these numbers, residents will get the chance to ask questions or make comments.

Here is the budget presentation, available from www.westu.org.

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It will be rescheduled for Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. at Colonial Park, 4130 Byron. For more information visit www.westu.org or call (713)-662-5892

The Back to School Bash event also offers a chance to meet with representatives from partner agencies like food-services company Aramark, Volunteers in Public Schools, the Success Express bus, various universities and more.

The Central Region of HISD has held three Community Connections meetings throughout the school year for the past three years. The purpose is to keep parents and the community informed about the district’s initiatives, receive their feedback regarding educational issues, and improve HISD’s efforts to provide a quality education for children.

“Last year was the first year we started off the school year with our Back to School Bashes,” said Adriana Tamez, Central Region Superintendent in a statement. “We received such positive feedback that we have decided to hold them again this year as part of our strategic plan for increasing achievement.”

The event begins at 6 p.m. on Oct. 12 at Lamar High School, 3325 Westheimer Rd.