These remarks were posted as an effort to explain how things in today’s Jersey Village are much more complicated than in the early days of Jersey Village. “When the city was formed, and there had to be a group to manage the affairs of the city, so the city council was formed. That was the beginning 50+ years ago when the city was formed originally. Seems pretty simple.”
When a small number of residents learned that the City of Houston had been given state approval to expand its ETJ to include virtually all unincorporated areas in Harris County, they drove to Austin to incorporate in 1956 as the last city to be able to not be part of Houston. I will add that The Woodlands, Kingwood, and Clear Lake wish they had done the same.
Those early residents were involved in starting a Baptist Church, Church of Christ, Methodist Church, and Presbyterian Church. They started the administration, including its first Mayor, City Council positions, city secretary, Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works, City Sanitation Department, and developed public park areas. They played a huge part in the development of the Cypress-Fairbanks School District, including getting Post Elementary and JV High School located here in the city. Jersey Village was developed over many years in a section-by-section approach and not by a single developer like new developments today.
To suggest that those who have lived in JV a long time might not understand the complications of running a city like JV today is a laugh, if it were not so arrogant. I will say that when you have a discussion in city council meetings on Monday night and sit in a bible class on Sunday morning with the same people, there is always respect and a willingness to listen during both meetings. Some of us remember learning that Harris County had changed the plans for the construction of the Beltway 8 project to a freeway toll road, replacing the boulevard that would cut through JV, where Senate is now. Some of those leaders got in a plane and flew to Austin that night to meet with state leaders to get the toll road rerouted around JV.
We had serious discussions about plans over the years, one of them about losing backdoor garbage collection. When the city first began as a city, the city office, police station, and fire department were all in a building that had been a sales office, which was located where the Fire Station is today. The first City Hall was constructed next door. The first Cy-Fair Teacher Credit Union office was located across the street located next to the Jersey Village Baptist Church. Several years later, the voters approved the construction of a Police Department Building and a new Fire Department Building.
The decision many years ago to sell the golf course to Cameron Iron was made by the residents, even though some residents played golf there, and it was part of the original “country club” approach for JV. The city had developed with a mixture of size and price housing, and the majority of the residents were not golfers. They agreed to sell to Cameron and get a new swimming pool constructed by Post so that it could benefit more of the residents.
I could continue to provide many examples of the interactions between those who served on the City Council and as Mayor and the residents, but you will either understand my point or just reject them as worthless. Jersey Village has been my home for over 48 years, and my family represents four generations now living in JV. Both my daughters went to Post and graduated from JV High School. Two of my granddaughters graduated from JV High School as well.
It is not normal for city governments to try to make it difficult to learn their plans or for cities to not give the voters a say in very large projects. Part of the remarks made that prompted this response was “the voters should have understood when they voted to approve the City Charter changes, they were allowing City Council to do as they pleased without voters getting a say, yes or no.” Now that the two very expensive swimming pool proposals were voted down, it appears City Hall will not allow the voters a chance to say no again. They will go to the bond market to borrow as much money as they want for whatever purpose until Texas stops them or they get voted out of office.
The Jersey Village City Manager plans these projects, and those on the City Council and Mayor read and accept what he tells them. They package the projects in a lengthy Council Meeting package and then vote on the entire package without discussion of individual items. The statement has been made by the same person above, “It is up to each person to take time to review all of the documents to know what is being approved!” The City Manager and Mayor have called this “transparent” many times over the past years.
If they are allowed to go forward with $44 million worth of Certificate of Obligation Bonds, in addition to the property tax increase you will see in your 2025 tax bill, your future property taxes will be even higher. They are not telling you that because they are not going to let you vote, period. Your only recourse will be next May when they must hold a City Election for three of the Council positions.
Take time to sign the petitions to force the City Council to get voter approval before they take on new bond debt that WILL raise your property taxes.
