This Week: Water Bill Relief and Trailers for Harvey Victims; Voter Registration Deadline is Monday; Garden Oaks Montessori Magnet PTO 24th Annual Pancake Breakfast.

Water Bill Relief and Trailers for Harvey Victims

Council approved a measure to assist the 6,362 homeowners citywide who received unusually high water bills following Hurricane Harvey. After the storm, the Public Works and Engineering Department placed administrative holds on these accounts to ensure they were not disconnected and did not accrue penalties while under review. The one-time bill forgiveness measure allows:

• those with FEMA flood insurance claims filed before November 30th to be automatically billed based on account average monthly usage;
• those who filed a FEMA claim after November 30th or filed a private insurance claim for Harvey damage (or have other documentation demonstrating storm damage) to apply to Public Works for the special adjustment by May 1, 2018; and
• those who had to drain and refill pools to be billed for water only, with a credit for wastewater charges.

Council also voted to temporarily suspend the ordinance that restricts residential trailers and RVs on private property through August 31, 2019. This will provide an option for homeowners to remain on their property during the home repair process. Residents whose neighborhood deed restrictions also ban residential trailers must obtain permission from their homeowners’ association in order to receive the permit from the City of Houston.

Voter Registration Deadline is Monday

To participate in the Harris County Democratic and Republican Party Primary Elections, one must register to vote by no later than Monday, February 5th. To do so, residents must fill out the State of Texas’ online application, print, and mail to:

Ann Harris Bennett
Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector & Voter Registrar
PO Box 3527
Houston, TX 77253-3527

Please note that there is no option to submit the form online; the printed hard copy must be mailed.

Early Voting for the Primary Election will take place February 20th – Friday, March 2nd and Primary Election Day will be Tuesday, March 6th. Visit HarrisVotes.com to view sample ballots and to obtain more information about Early Voting times and locations.

What’s Happening in the District

On Saturday, February 3rd, the Garden Oaks Montessori Magnet PTO will host the 24th Annual Pancake Breakfast. Volunteer parents and grandparents will be flipping thousands of free pancakes, leading guided classroom tours, and providing activities and entertainment for attendees. The proceeds will benefit the school’s transition to a full, K-12 Montessori school. The breakfast begins at 8AM in the Garden Oaks Montessori Magnet School cafeteria (901 Sue Barnett, 77018).