Grayson County

Grayson County, Texas is on the Oklahoma and Texas border. It is also 70% white. See this from the Trib:

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state’s environmental agency, to halt approving permits for concrete production plants in Texas until the 2025 legislative session.

Patrick’s letter to TCEQ Chair Jon Niermann on Tuesday comes after his visit to Sherman Monday night to listen to residents’ concerns over a proposed 600-acre cement plant and limestone quarry by Black Mountain Cement. The plant would be located behind a church in Dorchester, about 60 miles north of Dallas.

“I appreciate that TCEQ has a difficult job. You have a formula, and you follow it. However, as Lt. Governor, I must look at the bigger picture of what is best for our communities,” Patrick said in the letter to Niermann.

Patrick cited concerns from business leaders, elected officials, and residents about the plant’s potential impact on air and water quality. He said approving the plant’s permit could have detrimental impacts on the community and its economy.

Patrick’s letter said that despite a TCEQ review that concluded the plant would pose “no air quality danger to the area,” the community remained unconvinced and questions the accuracy of the agency’s analysis.

TCEQ did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Patrick said the cement plant could impact other companies in Grayson County like GlobalWafers, a semiconductor chip manufacturer. The company’s spokesperson has expressed concerns about the cement kiln project’s impact on its operations and warned of potential legal action if the project is approved.

Here is the entire Trib read: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asks TCEQ to halt concrete plant permits | The Texas Tribune.

I wonder if Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick knows that concrete production plant applications have been filed in communities of color, like in H-Town. Stay tuned for sure.

_____

The Chron has a story on the HCAD Board of Directors election. Here are parts:

Most Houston-area property owners likely are unaware that the amount of taxes they owe is decided, in part, by a group of local appraisers overseen by a little-known board of directors. But for the first time they are being asked to elect three of those board members on May 4.

Even some members of the Texas Legislature are unaware that these races are underway, State Rep. Christina Morales, a Houston Democrat, said Tuesday.

“In one of the group texts, I said, ‘You realize there’s an election on May 4?’ And two in the group said ‘I had no clue,'” Morales said. “These are my colleagues who voted on this piece of legislation.”

And this:

HCAD board members have the power to hire and fire the chief appraiser, a position held by Roland Altinger since 2016.

The new appraisal district seats are nonpartisan, with no party listed for the candidates on the ballot. While (State Sen. Paul) Bettencourt has not yet endorsed candidates in the three HCAD races, Morales said at a news conference on Tuesday that she’s supporting a slate of candidates for the HCAD board endorsed by the Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation – Kathy Blueford-Daniels, Melissa Noriega and Pelumi Adeleke.

Here is the Chron read: Houston voters to elect property tax board members for first time (houstonchronicle.com).

I voted for the three mentioned above and the HCAD logo is the featured photo.

_____

Commentary gets the feeling that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is going to be standing alone on the following. I don’t think her colleagues on Commissioners Court are going to join her on this. See this from the Chron:

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Monday called out the county’s methods of awarding millions of dollars in contracts to companies building infrastructure like roads and parks, arguing that the county spends local tax dollars with far less transparency than when it is working with federal money.

Hidalgo cited a recent report prepared by Harris County Auditor Michael Post’s office that found the county doesn’t produce a rigorous paper trail when choosing the winners of contracts. The engineering department, which oversees major infrastructure projects along with commissioners’ offices, did not have consistent records available until as recently as July 2023. 

Now, Hidalgo is calling on her four colleagues on Harris County Commissioners Court to give up their control of these decisions and hand over the reins to the county’s independent purchasing department.

Here is the entire read: Hidalgo seeks ‘change’ to Harris County’s contract process (houstonchronicle.com).

I would also like Judge Hidalgo to lead the way in getting the County Clerk’s office to update the campaign contribution and expenditure report filing system. Uploading a pdf is old school.  Updating the system will make it easier to follow the money if you know what I mean.  I guess the folks in charge at the county don’t want us to follow the money.

_____

Our starting pitching has improved and now our clutch hitting is slowing down. We wrap up the series with The ATL this afternoon.