1. County commissioners will vote on the Houston Astrodome project’s progress.
Harris County Commissioners will vote Tuesday morning on whether to move forward with the Houston Astrodome revitalization project. Assuming the Texas Historical Commission approves the plan, the county would spend $10.5 million to draft renovations. The vote will take place Tuesday at 9 a.m. on the ninth floor of the Harris County Administration Building, 1001 Preston Avenue, Houston.
2. A Kingwood TIRZ will discuss major transportation initiatives.
On Thursday, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 10, a taxing entity in Kingwood, will receive an update on the proposed $60 million expansion of Northpark Drive from Houston civil engineering firm EHRA Engineering. The meeting will also address potential intersection improvements at the intersection of West Lake Houston Parkway and Northpark Drive. The meeting will take place at 8 a.m. at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods Drive, Kingwood.
County judge Ed Emmett will address the Lake Houston area on Thursday.[/caption]3. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett plans to address Lake Houston-area issues.
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett will discuss transportation, healthcare, energy and other pressing regional topics during his State of the County speech on Thursday. Emmett has served as county judge since 2007. He is also director of the Harris County’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and chairman of the Harris County Juvenile Board. Registration is required at LakeHouston.org for the event, which will be held at 11 a.m. at Walden on Lake Houston, 18100 Walden Forest Drive, Humble.
4. Sample ballots are posted, and the voter registration deadline is approaching.
Harris County residents much register to vote by Oct. 11 to cast their votes in the Nov. 8 election. Early voting will be available from Oct. 24 through Nov. 4. Sample ballots are posted online.
Montgomery County residents who want to vote in the Nov. 8 election have three weeks left to register to vote. The deadline is Oct. 11, and unregistered individuals can visit www.mctx.org/election to register.
5. The local chamber of commerce has joined a lawsuit against the federal government.
The Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce has joined a lawsuit challenging a new overtime law passed by the Department of Labor. Currently, full-time, salaried workers making $23,660 or more per year do not qualify for overtime pay. Under the rule, that salary level changes to $47,476 or more per year in 2016.
“We agree it’s time to raise the threshold, but to double the amount and only giving six months to comply is hard for businesses to do,” said Jenna Armstrong, president and CEO of the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a far reaching ruling.”
6. The Texas Senate will hold a property tax reform hearing in Houston.
The Texas Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform and Relief, chaired by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, will be at Houston Community College West Loop Center Thursday for a special public hearing. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. Thursday in the West Loop Center Auditorium, located at 5601 West Loop South, Houston.
The committee will take testimony about the governance, transparency and accountability of appraisal districts and appraisal review boards. Testimony will also be heard on ways to improve Texas’ tax rate setting process and how to “provide taxpayers more input when a city or county wants to raise tax revenue in excess of its ratification tax rate,” according to Bettencourt’s office.
