Bellaire Civic Club.com

Call for Referendum To Require a Vote on Sidewalks!

SidewalkChoice was founded by a group of Bellaire residents who feel the $55 million dollar 2016 Bonds for Better Bellaire bond issue left out important facts about how the funds would be applied, and changes were made that obscured the true use of a portion of the funds.  For more information on the petition calling for a vote on sidewalks go to www.sidewalkchoice.com

Preface: On August 15, 2016, City Council approved a motion to call a bond election for November 8, 2016, for $53,980,000.  Four propositions were initially discussed:  1) street and drainage facility improvements for $20 million); the construction of new municipal buildings for $5.9 million (City Hall/Civic Center and Police/Courts Building), 3) water line improvements, for $20.38 million and 4) sidewalk improvements for $4 million. 

However Council member Pollard proposed that Prop 4 for sidewalks be included in Prop 1, and that proposition be changed to 1) streets, drainage, and sidewalk improvements for $24 million, effectively removing the opportunity for Bellaire residents to approve funding for stand-alone sidewalks.  Mayor Friedberg objected to this change.  In addition, the $12.8 million Siemens no-bid contract was included in Prop 3, not listed as a separate proposition.  

In response to requests for a printed version of my comments at the October 15, 2018 Council meeting I am posting it below:

Good Evening Mayor, City Council, and Citizens, Continue reading →

From boomtown to slowdown, in 1980 population in Bellaire dropped from a high of almost 20,000 to less than 15,000. President Ronald Reagan defeated Michael Dukakis and reigned for the decade until George H.W. Bush took over in 1989. There was Black Monday in 1987, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 22.6% on October 19^th, largest one-day decline in history. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 closed the decade.  Read the next chapter of Lynn’s Bellaire history!

All Chapters are listed under Bellaire History on the main menu.

Preface: In order to maintain our current revenue stream City Council has agreed on an increase to our property tax rate from $ .4159 to $ .4313 for tax year 2018 to compensate for the lower property values on the tax roll.  Those residents whose assessed value increased or remained the same as the prior year will see an increase in their property tax for 2018.  Those whose assessed value declined will see their tax bills remain the same or may see a decrease.  Here’s a random example of the current situation, a beautiful 3200 square foot home in Southdale built in 1996 that suffered flood damage and was completely rebuilt.  It sold this past July:

• HCAD Value as of January 1, 2017     $811,160
• HCAD Value as of January 1, 2018     $737,291  (a decline of $73,869)
• Sold Price as of July 30, 2018     $670,000 (an additional decline of  $67,291

Assuming the new owners protest the 2018 appraisal, this property’s value on the tax roll will be lowered a total of $141,160, or about 17%, from the 2017 value.  And this is just one of approximately 2000 homes that flooded in Bellaire, many with lowered HCAD appraisals FY2018. Continue reading →

Click to see how Bellaire’s debt compared to other similar sized cities in 2016- the current debt stands at $124 million

Many city governments find themselves up against a wall when they need money for day-to-day operating expenses, building new structures, improving existing structures or making repairs. Ongoing expenses, including employee wages, maintenance andinsurance, plus periodic projects including building schools, improving roadways and ensuring the safety of bridges, represent significant costs for city governments. To pay for these costs, a city’s resources include licensing fees and tax payments. But there are times when city budgets simply cannot sustain the city’s operating costs and city coffers come up shorthanded (or empty-handed) to cover expenses or fund needed projects. During times like these, government officials often turn to city bonds as a resource for raising the money. Continue reading →

UPDATE: Recent information has been received.  Find out what streets in the Group D Phase 1 and Phase 2 are approved for sidewalks and what streets have been removed.   Read it here. 

A few weeks ago, out of the blue, 4 members of Council chose to ignore the Bellaire residents who spoke out against the Pathways Plan and others who spoke against sidewalks in their front yards. By their vote to add 5 foot wide stand-alone sidewalks and even more concrete to our City those 4 members also turned their backs on the many residents who fear another flood. How much more concrete will cover Bellaire with 5-foot wide sidewalks? Or with more sidewalks, period? Continue reading →

It was 31 years ago, in 1977, that 4,619 Bellaire voters at a Special Recall Election called by a citizens’ initiative referendum succeeded in recalling from elected office the Mayor and three of the five City Council members.

Bellaire citizens were up in arms when the City Council insisted on going against the majority of residents who opposed more commercial development.  Read Lynn’s latest history article here!

When Time Magazine, Inc. published its, “Time 1968 40^th Anniversary Special” (© 2008 Time, Inc.) in which it describes that year and the 1960s era as, “War abroad, Riots at Home, Fallen Leaders and Loner Dreams: The Year that Challenged the World.”

The 1960s saw a wave of activism in the country, and Bellaire residents became activists as well.  Catch up with local, national, and world history in Lynn’s latest installment here.

All installments are are available on this page.

As you work towards the 2019 City budget and the possibility of another $45 or 50 million dollar bond issue I’d like to suggest the following.  First, check out the Comptroller’s Continue reading →

Chapter 9 of Lynn McBee’s Bellaire history is available here.  Houston growth brings Loops and Freeways and a town divided. A time of growth, with more discussion on zoning and desegregation in our schools.

All installments are are available on this page.

UPDATE:  City Council has tabled the Pathways Plan but did not vote it down.  Unless it returns for consideration and approval it will sit on the same shelf as the Branding proposal, available for a rerun in the future. The latest Pathways Plan information can be found here.    

Meanwhile, please review the articles on the nightmare proposal on Spruce and Fifth Street! Here’s the latest post.  This is another project the City Manager has been involved in for over a year. The businesses and land owners are not objecting to the new street and drainage improvements, only the plans for the parking that would narrow the street and hinder or block parking at their businesses.

See Costello Plans

It will harm our longtime local businesses, interfere with deliveries to the new H-E-B, create dangerous traffic patterns, and the costs, of course, will be provided after approval!

Read about the City Manager’s plans for Spruce and Fifth streets here.

At the very least it should be presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission for review.  Please stay engaged in these important matters.  Continue reading →

Chapter 8 of Lynn McBee’s Bellaire history is available here.  It wasn’t easy to agree on a path to arrive at the style of City government we have today.  And we’re still working on it!

All installments are are available on this page.

When a new City Manager takes the reins in Bellaire we might expect that he or she would bring a former executive assistant along, someone already in tune with their style of management.           Continue reading →

Final version of Council Priorities:  https://www.bellairetx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/18482/Council-Priorities—Adopted-61818?bidId=

Find it here: Council Priorities 2018-06-18.  Take a look at the overview – the Chevron property;  the costs to the city from Hurricane Harvey – $3.5 million, much of that will be reimbursed by FEMA and the Texas Municipal League, but a recent financial report estimated the City’s non-reimbursable loss at around $621,000.        Continue reading →

Here are the City Manager’s 7 easy steps to beautify downtown Bellaire:

1) Take the 60 foot wide commercial Spruce Street that runs behind a large grocery store, contains no small retail stores or boutiques, and is traversed daily in both directions by large delivery vehicles, narrow it to 30 feet or less and add sidewalks and angled public parking on the north side, which will…

2) Force large trucks turning from intersecting streets to swing wide to avoid jumping curbs while trying to avoid hitting other vehicles when making deliveries to businesses that line the narrow street while…

3) Being blocked from entering business parking lots along the north side of the street because of blocked or limited access to those businesses which…

4) Will damage those businesses economically due to the loss of private parking spaces and customer access and will also…

5) Endanger the lives of people parking in those angled parking spaces as they jaywalk to the other side of the street or try to back out into traffic on the narrow street and meanwhile the plan also…

6) Widens the intersecting Fifth Street that runs alongside the grocery store which would wipe out parking spaces for more businesses and then…

7) Narrows that street while constructing more sidewalks and angled parking spaces along the side of the new grocery store. Continue reading →

5100 block of Spruce – business parking spaces have been blocked, loss of parking at Jax. Click for larger image.

Some background: On March 19, 2018,  Public Works presented a plan to City Council to reconstruct the 5100 and 5200 blocks of Spruce St. and three blocks of North Fifth by the new H-E-B grocery. (Watch the meeting here.) The plan would add public angled parking along the north side of Spruce and the east side of Fifth on City right of way and narrow the streets, eating up the right of way.  See Costello Overlays Updated May 2018 . Also fancy lamp posts and trees.  Paid for by bond funds for streets and drainage. Continue reading →

Residents are speaking out in opposition to the proposed Pathways Plan.  The cost may be paid by the 2016 Bonds for  Better Bellaire funds for Streets, Drainage and Sidewalks.  The estimated cost eight to twelve million dollars.  You’ll find more information at Pathways Study under City Studies in the main Menu.

Find a larger map at https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/59d5518947ecf500018f07c8/5a6a1c3c920f950001f4fbc0_Bellaire-Proposed-Pathway-Plan-Loops-01-08-2018.pdf

and more information here: https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/59d5518947ecf500018f07c8/5a71f5f9a5a19b0001252558_Neighborhood-Meeting-Community-Pathways-Plan-01-23-18.pdf

NOTES from the February 20th presentation:  The proposed Loop System pathway width may be 8 feet and it runs throughout Bellaire neighborhoods.

PLEASE study the maps included in this presentation. The estimated total cost is approximately $ 8 to $12 million, not including the cost for rights of way, utility relocation, and other attendant costs.  Another $1.5 million is shown for sidewalks.

According to the PowerPoint presentation a survey (Survey Monkey) of Bellaire residents garnered 440 responses, 7 of them non-residents.   Let City Council know what you think.   Were you aware of the presentation in January or February?  I was not.  Nothing in the water bill, nothing distributed door-to-door with the trash bags.  What do you think?  Is it time to organize?  Please post your comments on the User Comments page.

UPDATE FROM A RESIDENT: I got a response from the City Manager as well as the Special Projects Manager. Looks like we don’t have to worry about Baldwin sidewalks!:

Thank you for reaching out. I can inform you the original recommendation to install a pathway along Baldwin for both bicyclists and pedestrians has been removed from the Community Pathways Plan.

During our open comment period, we have received comments similar to what you have indicated in your email. This caused a closer examination of this recommendation. The pathways identified in this plan are intended to be within the City’s right of way and are not intended to be on resident’s property. In Bellaire, most right of ways are 60’. This is not the case for Baldwin – it’s a 50’ right of way. In order to add a pathway on Baldwin, the entire roadway would have to be realigned, very similar to how the Newcastle Trail was constructed when Newcastle Street was completed. In addition, Baldwin was recently constructed in 2011 and is in good condition. There are also numerous conflicts (trees, utilities) in the right of way that would have to be relocated or removed. For this area, the Newcastle Trail can be used as an alternative pathway.

Email the Mayor and City Council via our City Clerk, Tracy Dutton at tdutton@bellairetx.gov.  Ask her to forward your email to the Council.

Substandard and Abandoned Houses

Substandard and abandoned houses were an early topic of last Monday’s regular Council meeting. After numerous complaints from residents on Nextdoor and articles in the Southwest News about abandoned houses the City Manager provided a PowerPoint presentation on the subject.  Continue reading →

Have you tried to find information on the City of Bellaire website?  One example: search for City Council agenda packets.  You’ll find the calendar for the current month where you can click on the Council meetings.  The next best possibility is City archives, except the most recent agenda shown is for March 24, 2014.  If you really want to find the most recent agendas you literally have to go back month by month.

Search for transparency or transparency in government.  First up is annual local debt report – informative (and scary), but not really about transparency in government.  Then some type of City report, and so on.  Nothing close to West University’s site, which lists Transparency in Government as a main menu item.

What’s your experience with Bellaire’s website?  Comments are welcome

This excerpt is from the most recent City newsletter, The Boulevard:

1. Group C Phase II: Streets, Drainage and Sidewalks project – There are five street blocks identified in this project. Three of the street blocks are adjacent to the HEB area and will have wide sidewalks, landscaping, trees, irrigation, streetlights, and on‐street parking. A waterline was added to this project after identification in the condition assessment for Proposition Three. Construction is estimated to begin this fall.

Continue reading →

Per the April 11th Cultural Arts Board agenda, Item D: DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION – Recommendations to name the hallway in City Hall that will house art. – Chair Terry Leavitt-Chavez

What art?  Donated or Purchased?

Here’s the agenda: Cultural Arts Board Agenda for April 11, 2018

Bellaire has come a long way and thanks to longtime resident Lynn McBee the City’s history will unfold on this web site.  Just click the menu item for Bellaire History and enjoy a good read!