Precinct Four Announces Resurgence of Phone Scam Alert

  The recent resurgence in the Star-7-2 telephone scam has prompted the Department to issue the following warning:

  

The Star-7-2 scam involves the victim receiving a call from a stranger posing as telephone technician or a person in a desperate situation such someone who has been arrested.  The caller attempts to invoke a sense of urgency with the victim that requires the victim’s immediate assistance.  The victim is prompted by the caller to forward the call by pressing star-7-2 and entering a number provided by the caller.  The caller may advise that he is not allowed make another call, children are involved and need to be picked up, or any number of similar tactics to convince the victim to participate.  If the victim complies, the victim’s calls are forwarded to another number where the caller’s partner in crime can accept collect calls and third party calls which are all billed to the victim’s telephone phone.  The victim is usually not aware of the scam until he or she receives their phone bill.  

 

If you receive a call from an unknown person similar in nature to the one described above beware.  Advise the caller that you are not willing to participate and hang up the phone.  

Deputy Contracts for Neighborhood Security Will No Longer be Honored

According to a recent story on ABC13 neighborhood associations will no longer be able to procure additional patrols for their community from the harris county law enforcement agencies as the result fo meeting vote by County Commissioner’s Office.

Article reads as follows:

HOUSTON (KTRK) — Homeowners in Harris County are no longer allowed to hire extra deputies to patrol their neighborhoods.

County commissioners voted yesterday to no longer honor deputy contracts, at least until they completely review the program. Email obtained by 13 Undercover revealed the sheriff’s office was cutting into taxpayer patrols, so it could sign new contracts. That essentially benefited only neighborhoods who could afford the service.

Commissioner Sylvia Garcia says deputies should instead provide quality service to the entire county.

“Because what you do then is create the have and the have nots. People who have money can pay for contract deputy service. People who can’t afford it don’t get the deputies,” she said. “It’s absolutely, patently unfair.”

County commissioners will revisit the issue in September.

What are your thoughts?

Spring Named One Of The Nations Most Affordable Places To Own A Home CNNMoney.com America’s Best Places to Live

Money Magazine features photo submitted by ExploreSpring.com (Spring TX Premier on line Community) of Old Town Spring in Where Homes are Affordable List as Spring makes its first appearance on the list. While its first formal appearance on a national ranking, Spring began its emergence last year making contender lists on CNN Money and U.S. News and World Reports

Spring, TX, July 17, 2008. ExploreSpring.com is proud to announce that Spring has been selected as being one of the most affordable cities in the nation for home ownership. 2008 is Spring’s first year on Money Magazine’s Top 25 “Best Places to Live: Where Homes are Affordable” ranking, released this month. While this is Spring’s 1st year as an official list maker, in 2007 it was a contender on Money Magazine’s Best Places to Live List and U.S. News and World Report’s Best Places to Retire.

Spring’s family purchasing power and median home price were factors that helped make Spring a top Money Magazine pick. According to Money Magazine, “residents who buy real estate in these 25 growing cities see their incomes go the furthest”. The Where homes are affordable list featured 6 Texas cities, 2 of which are in the North Houston Metropolitan area –Spring at #15 and Atascocita at # 19.

The Top 25 Where Homes are Affordable cities as determined by criteria developed by Money Magazine are: 1.Nicholasville, KY - Median home price: $70,000, Median family income: $53,505; 2. Watauga, TX - Median home price: $117,040, Median family income: $73,203; 3. Redan, GA - Median home price: $115,000, Median family income: $71,466; 4. Franklin, IN - Median home price: $103,000, Median family income: $63,555; 5. Clay, NY - Median home price: $124,000, Median family income: $72,488; 6. Plainfield, IN - Median home price: $124,000, Median family income: $72,282; 7.. Marion, IA - Median home price: $131,500, Median family income: $76,576; 8. Omaha, NE - Median home price: $113,000, Median family income: $65,611; 9. Clinton, MI - Median home price: $132,318, Median family income: $76,643; 10. Bellevue, NE - Median home price: $120,000, Median family income: $69,192; 11. Russellville, AR - Median home price: $85,000, Median family income: $48,589; 12. Mission Bend, TX - Median home price: $133,000, Median family income: $75,974;

13. Arnold, MO - Median home price: $119,600; Median family income: $68,165; 14. Des Moines, IA - Median home price: $105,000, Median family income: $59,724; 15. Spring, TX - Median home price: $131,005, Median family income: $74,298 16. Lake Jackson, TX - Median home price: $149,426, Median family income: $84,069; 17. Janesville, WI - Median home price: $124,700, Median family income: $69,706 18. Beavercreek, OH - Median home price: $168,000, Median family income: $93,540; 19. Atascocita, TX - Median home price: $171,462, Median family income: $94,508; 20. West Des Moines, IA - Median home price: $161,500, Median family income: $88,096; 21. Pearl, MS - Median home price: $100,000; Median family income: $54,471 22. La Porte, TX - Median home price: $136,990, Median family income: $74,478; 23. Westerville, OH - Median home price: $184,950, Median family income: $100,385; 24. La Vergne, TN - Median home price: $127,000, Median family income: $68,590; 25. Papillion, NE - Median home price: $169,000, Median family income: $90,921.

Pictured left and on CNNMoney.com is The Happy Peddler boutique in Old Town Spring, submitted to Money Magazine by request from ExploreSpring.com. “Spring is a premier City in Texas. We’ve got it all! We’ve got great weather, a low crime rate, low unemployment, blazing growth, terrific schools, proximity to major attractions, all in a wonderful small town,” commented Elle Carnes.

Spring has experienced impressive growth over the last five years. This is reflective of Spring’s affordability, thriving economy, and great schools. Spring ranked as number 15 out of 25 top ranking affordable cities in the nation. Anyone who would like more information regarding this prestigious recognition please go to Spring’s community web site (www.explorespring.com) or Money Magazine’s website.

About ExploreSpring.com
Explore Spring Texas is a locally owned City Directory for Spring, Texas where you can find all kinds of services - from restaurants and automobiles to shopping and home services. ExploreSpring.com provides a central online location 24 hours a day to find information relevant to the Spring Community. The web site is located at (http://www.explorespring.com.

Why Sign the Spring-Klein Cityhood Petition?

A lot of us are unaware of what risks we face by not being an officially incorporated city. Some of us new to the area, may even assume that we are incorporated because Spring has multiple Zip Codes, Multiple Post Offices, and at first glance all the earmarks of a city. But….if you look up Spring, Texas or Spring, TX on YAHOO or Google Search Engines, what you will find is mostly business listings and links to Old Town Spring. However, one item did stand out in particular, the listing on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, it defines Spring Texas as “a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community located within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston in northern Harris County, Texas and southern Montgomery County, Texas.” So what is a Census-Designated Place you ask? Again, Wikipedia explans that “A census-designated place (CDP) is a type of place (a concentration of population) identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages. CDPs are communities that lack separate municipal government, but which otherwise physically resemble incorporated places. CDPs are delineated to provide data for settled concentrations of population that are identifiable by name but are not legally incorporated under the laws of the state in which they are located. The boundaries of a CDP have no legal status.” Therefore according to the government and its definition of our beloved home and community it is only recognized for census purposes and falls under the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston and has no legal protection of a government to exercise authority within its boundaries.

The 2000 Census cites the population of Spring Texas CDP as 36,385 people and 3,400,578 people for Harris County. According to Census projections, the 2006 population of Harris County was 3,886,207 people. According to a recent speech by Precinct 4 Constable Ron Hickman, Spring TX makes up 54% of all growth in Harris county. So you figure if in 2000 Spring had 36,385 people and we make up 54% of the estimated growth in Harris County, then Spring has grown 720%!!!!!, THAT WOULD MAKE US THE LARGEST GROWING CITY IN TEXAS AND THE 8TH LARGEST CITY, behind Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso, and Arlington respectively. That’s larger than Tallahassee, FL or Tacoma, WA and comparable to cities like Arlington, VA or Birmingham, AL.

So back to my original question, Why sign the petition?

1. Because we are unicorporated and have no control over what types of businesses go where. I remember just over 3 years ago a tar factory intended to build next to Northgate Crossing and right behind Old Town Spring. And while they followed the letter of the law in posting notifications, they undermined the spirit of the law by posting notifications in the Southern half of Harris County and smaller print newspapers. It wasn’t until Rep. Riddle held a town hall meeting that residents of Spring became aware of this and protested, and was able to shame the company into changing its plans. We need our own zoning committee!
2. Because we could we are growing faster than any other city in Texas and need to protect our schools and our children. 
3. Because we run the risk of slowly being chopped off in bits and pieces as our extraterritorial jurisdictor sees fit. I don’t know this for a fact, it was told to me that the FM 1960 area West of I-45 was once a Spring zip code, which would explain why we are often clumped in with that area as North or Northwest Houston and as you can see it now has a Houston Zip Code.
4. So we can have our community services, police department, water department, community center, hospitals, and fire departments. I know we have some of these services in place, but we are subject to other taxes that do not pour directly into our community, but are dispursed throughout the county.
5. So we can have some say over our property and sales tax.
6. JUST SO WE CAN HAVE A VOICE!

I don’t know about you, but I am getting tired of being considered a no mans land. Its like we don’t exist. We are home to the only Amusement Park in the Houston Metropolitan Area, have a historical landmark in Old Town Spring, libraries, museums, and excellent schools. We need to keep Spring a beautiful and wonderful residential community. But if we don’t stand up and speak out, we will soon lose our voice because we risk becoming a small part of a much bigger city. Now I don’t know if that is on the table at the moment or not. But Kingwood probably wasn’t expecting it when it hit them either. Let’s be proactive!. Let’s make our position known. We are Spring-Klein Texas and we want to control our future! So please sign the petition, pass the word and if you’d like to host a copy on your site. Post a comment here and I’ll be more than happy to send it to you.

Spring Klein Petition

Enter your name:

Display as “Anonymous”

Click here to read this petition.

Newest 10 of 10 signatures

10	bertha brantley	6/30
9	Samantha Weesner	6/25
8	Karen Krieger	6/23
7	Paul Proske	6/23
6	Anonymous	6/21
5	Anonymous	6/20
4	Staci Polonski	6/19
3	Anonymous	6/19
2	Clark Blair	6/19
1	dayakar moparty	6/19

To sign the petition in person visit one of these locations:

* Accelerated Paint and Body, 21714 I45 North, 77373
* Najjias Fine Furniture (6526 FM2920)
* Templeton Insurance Agency, 21120 Spring Towne Drive, Spring, 77388
* Alexander’s Academy, 625 Brandt (Old Town Spring), 77373
* Smoothie Factory(2920/Kuykendahl, Chase bank parking lot)
* Spinzers Corner Store (Kuykendahl/Willow Forest)

Petition powered by ThePetitionSite.com

Sources:

http://factfinder.census.gov

 

 

http://factfinder.census.gov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring%2C_Texas  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterritorial_jurisdiction  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census-designated_place

Spring ISD Classified Job Fair to be held June 26

The Spring ISD Transportation and Operations departments will hold a Classified Job Fair from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 26 at Westfield High School, 16713 Ella Blvd. There are immediate openings for custodial positions from 3:30 p.m. to midnight starting at $8.60 per hour. Positions for bus drivers ($12.02 per hour minimum) and bus attendants ($8.60 per hour) are available for the upcoming school year. Drivers will be hired immediately, so they may begin Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training this summer. Classified applications are available online or at the Spring ISD Human Resources office, 16717 Ella Blvd. Applications will also be available on-site at the job fair.

classified applications

Spring TX WiFi Hot Spots

In today’s wireless economy, finding places you can do business on the interent away from home or the office is imperative. Here is a list of local WiFi Hot Spots in Spring, Texas.

Barbara Bush Branch Library	6817 Cypresswood Dr Harris County Public Library, Spring, 77379
Crepe Paris Cafe	16870 Stuebner Airline Rd Spring, 77379
Hooks Airport	20803 Stuebner Airline Road, Spring, 77379	Hotspot.bz
Knowledge Quest	1310 Rayford Rd, Spring, 77386	Independent
McDonald’s	25222 I-45, Spring 77386
Rao’s Bakery & Coffee Cafe	6915 Cypresswood Dr  Spring, 77379
Starbucks I45 and FM 242	3068 College Park Drive, Spring, 77381	T-Mobile Wireless Broadband
Starbucks, Louetta & I-45	7316 Louetta Rd, Spring, 77379
Starbucks, Pinecroft & Lake Woodlands	1440-g Lake Woodlands Drive, Spring, 77380	T-Mobile Wireless Broadband
Starbucks, Kuykendahl & Louetta (TC)	18565 Kuykendahl, Spring, 77379	T-Mobile Wireless Broadband
Starbucks, Panther Creek & Woodlands Pkwy	4775 W Panther Creek, Spring, 77381	T-Mobile Wireless Broadband
Starbucks, TC - Woodlands	25111 Grogans Mill Road, Spring, 77380	T-Mobile Wireless Broadband
Texan Wild Burgers & Wings	8905 Louetta Rd, Spring, 77379

Celebrate Christmas Early with Spring Klein Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber to hold their first event to promote Spring, Texas and introduce area residents to local businesses with a festive celebration

Spring, TX – June 16, 2008 – The Spring Klein Chamber of Commerce (SKCC) will hold their first annual Christmas in July banquet with a live auction on Friday, July 25, 2008 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.  All proceeds from the auction will be to support the startup of the Chamber, a not-for-profit organization (application pending) that operates to promote business development, a strong community and superior quality of life in Spring and Klein Texas .

To be held at the Augusta Pines Savannahs in Spring, Texas , the event will have all the ambience and air of Christmas complete with dinner, dancing, holiday decor and live music. In its first year the Chamber hopes to increase awareness about the Chamber, boost its current membership by 20%, and raise $5,000 for its startup year.

The live auction will feature a host of items ranging from household products and baked goods to sports memorabilia and event tickets. Running the auction will be Mark Moore with Cheray Auctioneers, License # 15019, who is volunteering his time in support of the chamber.  Special guests are expected throughout the evening to celebrate the season with Spring business owners and residents.

“We are so excited to be creating an organization dedicated to the well being of the Spring Klein area. We want to nurture it and preserve its beauty, while embracing the enormous growth we are experiencing,” said Elle Carnes, Chairman of the banquet.

Tickets are on sale now at $50 for chamber members and $55 for non-members. SKCC is soliciting donations for door prizes and auction items, as well as underwriters and advertisers for the event program.  If you would like to contribute or attend the auction, please visit us online at www.springkleinchamber.org or contact Elle Carnes, Banquet Chair, via email info@springkleinchamber.org or phone at (281) 912-1107.

Still Time to Enter your Favorite Photo and Win!!!

Whether photography is your hobby, or just an occasional pastime, we invite you to participate in ExploreSpring.com’s photo contest. To enter visit ExploreSpring.com at http://www.explorespring.com/pages/Photo_Contest click [Submit a Photo] at the bottom of the page and upload your photo and description. That’s it, it is that simple. The $10 Visa Gift Card and a custom T-Shirt with your winning photo on it will be awarded to the photo with the most votes at midnight on July 31, 2008. This month’s contest is wide open with only 1 entry thus far, so come make it interesting and join us online. The winner will be featured on our homepage, in our newsletter, and contest winner page.

 

Rep. Riddle on Margin’s Tax

While browsing the blogs today (Thursday, June 05), I found myself lingering over Jason Embry’s “Postcards from the Lege” regarding the state’s margins tax.  His overall assessment of the attitudes regarding the margins tax were generally right on.  He did, however, breeze straight through a point I think could use a little more discussion.  He wrote “in the end, the plan was a net tax cut, because it cut more money in property taxes than it was projected to raise.”

True, the Texas Tax Reform Commission made all kinds of claims about the vast savings  both businesses and citizens would realize under this new, magical margins tax when it was pressed upon legislators in 2007.  But even in the midst of the campaign to earn votes for the plan, legislators like myself, who opposed the tax from its inception, knew the estimates were inaccurate and the rhetoric was skewed. 

The state never had in mind a goal of achieving a net tax cut, because that would mean that the state would have less to spend.  In fact, lawmakers created two other taxes, the cigarette tax and the motor-vehicle tax, just to make sure we didn’t create a deficit.  Despite repeated promises from the Commission that most businesses would somehow end up paying less while the state would end up reaping more, the math never made sense.  All the while, we were sitting on top of an $8 billion surplus with only $6 billion needed to pay for property tax reductions. Yet the legislature chose to create new taxes rather than giving back what the state had overcharged. 

Now, with ten days left before businesses have to write a check for their new taxes, it’s obvious that someone in the state has to be seeing a huge net tax increase.  The comptroller estimates that this new margins tax is going to generate $11.9 billion dollars, more than twice what the old franchise tax would have generated. 

So whose footing the bill?  Not the big corporations who were exploiting the loopholes in the old franchise tax.  This time around, it’s small business owners, who make up 97 percent of the all the businesses in Texas.  Recent surveys by the National Federation of Independent Business indicate that as much as 84 percent  of small business owners are going to see their tax burden increase by more than 100 percent, and more than 40 percent of those who saw an increase in their state tax liability will now face an increase of more than 500 percent over their previous bill.   

But businesses will see a huge reduction in property taxes, right?  Doesn’t look like it.  In Harris County alone last year, commercial appraisals were up more than 30 percent, already wiping out any supposed savings from the tax-swap.  Dallas County reports increases of more than 20 percent.  In Travis County, as reported by the Statesman, commercial appraisals are up almost 10 percent.  No net reductions to be found there.  Just more fuel added to a Texas-size tax-and-spend machine.

With an overall budget of more than $160 billion and surpluses that constantly hover in the tens of billions of dollars, Texas has had every opportunity to create real net tax cuts for both our small  businesses and our private citizens by identifying government waste and reducing how much the state spends.  Instead, the legislature has chosen to single out the very backbone of our economy, the small businessperson, and ask them to give 500 percent more than they are already contributing to state coffers.  If we don’t see the error of this new tax and take steps to fix it, or better yet, repeal it altogether, there won’t be any small businesses left to tax. 

 

Debbie Riddle

State Representative

District 150

New Petition to Incorporate Spring-Klein as a City

Spring, TX. The residents of Spring, Texas have initiated an effort to incorporate Spring and Klein Texas into its own city, which according to the Constable Ron Hickman, “makes up 54% of the growth in Harris County”. Please read the body of the petition below.

Spring Petition                                                                   June 5,2008

We the Citizens and Business owners of Spring-Klein, Texas enter into record this petition for the independent incorporation of Spring- Klein, Texas. We seek to remove the boundaries from servitude to the City of Houston as an additional territory.  Spring-Klein is located in northwest Harris County and southeast Montgomery County. This area through this affirmation for sovereignty by acting in its own interest for a Municipal Seal and that it receive funds from the State and US treasuries as a municipality with dominion to self government.  This is to include all such funds that provide for funding to municipalities from the General Funds and all other departmental funding through the State and Federal Government.

We the citizen of Spring-Klein, Texas declare our jurisprudence for our own City thereby we shall maintain the name Spring–Klein, Texas. Also keeping with the laws and statutes of the Great State of Texas demand our right to formulate our own City Hall with elections through the democratic process for Mayoral and City Council Seats etc. In addition that we’re also provided any additional congressional and senatorial seats in our national Electoral System. 

This transition will provide for this city to operate its own Emergency Response Systems for first responders and also shall provide a city government as well as to elect its legislative and senatorial seats at both State and Federal legislative branches in accordance to regulations and Statutes and the past practices  of formulating the independence of  other cities such as Sugarland, West University Place, Southside Place, Bellaire, Webster, Baytown, Etc. Due to our size and our population we find our position in order that of all the listed cites in this document Spring is the largest of them all.

We shall continue as an established part of the Metropolitan Area of the City of Houston and feel our position adds to the Metropolis. However our intent is to increase upon our growth and our ability to maintain Law and Order to our region keeping with the growth by the establishment of City Ordinances enforced by the Spring-Klein Police Department.

We as Citizens and Business owners of Spring maintain the right to all land trust pertinent to the laws and statutes of State of Texas demand all original boundaries be respected and any new territory by which there are undiscovered boundaries. We ask these and any boundaries are respected and all lands belonging to the Spring- Klein Area are indeed through this process protected from future annexation by Houston or the Woodlands.  This will insure proper taxation for the complete area and that no land be negotiated to Houston, The Woodlands or any area in the Metropolis thereto misappropriation by any means  

By the signature of the citizens of Spring-Klein this petition is duly entered into record that Due process for the aforesaid requests are reviewed by the legislation which will under the statutes of the Great State of Texas allow for this referendum be place on the ballot for the Citizens to weigh all issues and vote thereto. 

Plans are in the works for a Town Hall Meeting, however, the petition is available for signing at the following locations in Spring:

●  Online at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/spring-klein-petition

●  Najjias Fine Furniture (6526 FM2920)

●  Smoothie Factory(2920/Kuykendahl, Chase bank parking lot)

●  Spinzers Corner Store (Kuykendahl/Willow Forest)

●  Alexander’s Academy (Old Town Spring)

If you are a business owner and would like to host a petition signing, pleas email the Spring-Klein Chamber, at info@springkleinchamber.org.