05/04/2006
District 126 candidate speaks at Chamber Governmental Affairs meeting
The Governmental Affairs Committee of the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce continued its candidate forum format when it hosted Republican Patricia Harless, a candidate for the District 126 House seat in the November election, at the committee’s May 4 meeting.
“The Chamber has got to get involved in politics, because if you don’t it’s going to affect the small- and medium-sized businesses that the chamber supports,” said Harless, a small business owner who owns Fred Fincher Motors.
“As a business person, I’ve been involved in the legislative process for the last 10 years as an unpaid industry volunteer,” she continued. “(Being a legislator) is hard work, you have to make a lot of tough decisions, and you never make everyone happy. A politician’s strength is the willingness to do what’s right all the time for their district.”
Harless said she supports property tax relief but wants to ensure that any new tax bills don’t negatively affect small businesses.
“Businesses play the most important part in Texas ’s economy,” she said. “We have a great, healthy economy but it’s not going to stay that way if we don’t change some things. I think our government has money to save, but they don’t frugally save that money.”
A tax bill recently approved by the Texas House and Senate would hurt small businesses, Harless said. She believes it is a mistake to tax revenues rather than net profits, and said that such a measure could force many small businesses to close.
“I operated my business for a number of years losing a little money or breaking even, yet provided 20 to 40 jobs and provided sales tax revenues every single year,” she said.
She supports toughening laws to combat illegal immigration.
“I don’t think we can get into a guest worker program or deportation until we close up the border,” Harless said. “We have to start taking action to seal off our borders, not because of Hispanics, but because of terrorists.”
Harless favors local control of schools and is opposed to vouchers to help parents pay for private school tuition.
“When you get a check from the government to send your kid to school anywhere you want to go, you have lost control,” she said. “Parents have the right to choose and have control over their children, and when government gets involved they lose that control.
“Vouchers dilute public school education. Fortunately, because we have good people that have supported strong schools with good teachers in Cy-Fair, we don’t have the problems that other school districts face.”
Harless summed up her campaign by emphasizing that she is primarily a businesswoman, not a politician.
“I know how to make a business profitable and accountable,” she said. “I do it every day. I’ve done it for 22 years, and that’s what I want to bring to Texas .”
It is important to note that the Chamber has not endorsed any candidates in the November election, and that the opinions expressed by visiting politicians are not necessarily those of the Chamber’s staff or board of directors.
The Chamber’s Governmental Affairs Committee meets on the first Thursday of each month at 9:15 a.m. at the Chamber offices, 11050 FM 1960 West, Suite 100 . For information call 281-955-1100 or visit the Chamber’s Web site at cyfairchamber.com.
05/04/2006
City of Tomball is still pursuing possible Hooks Airport acquisition
The future of David Wayne Hooks Airport and a possible sale of the facility to the city of Tomball remain unclear, but area business leaders have made it clear that they want the airport to remain open because of its positive economic impact.
Tomball Assistant City Manager Mary Coker on May 4 spoke about the city’s plans concerning the possible purchase of the airport at the monthly Transportation Committee meeting of the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce.
Coker noted that the airport, located at the intersection of Stuebner-Airline Drive and FM 2920, encompasses 600 acres and includes three runways, including a seaplane landing strip. There are 478 airplanes based at Hooks, of which 27 are corporate jets, she said.
“If the city of Tomball were to purchase Hooks, the money stream would come from fuel sales, hangar rentals, an excise fee and a concession fee,” Coker said. “If we take federal funding (for the purchase), we cannot take a profit. All profits would have to be returned to the airport for improvements.”
The idea of the city purchasing the airport, which is owned by the Gill family of London , was first brought up in 1995 and resurfaced again in 1999. A feasibility study funded by the Texas Department of Transportation was begun in 2003 and is nearing completion, Coker said.
“We needed a feasibility study because purchasing and operating the airport cannot cost the taxpayers of Tomball,” she said. “That has been the issue since the beginning.”
According to Coker, a 2004 appraisal of the facility priced it at $28 million. She expects that value has risen since then. City officials are hopeful they could obtain a federal grant that would pay for 90 or 95 percent of the purchase price, she said.
Coker added that an estimated $10 million in upgrades would be needed to make the airport completely compliant with FAA standards.
But obtaining federal funding could be the least of the obstacles in Tomball acquiring the airport, Coker said. More significant challenges include the fact that the airport is inside the city of Houston ’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, and that special legislation would have to be passed to allow Tomball to annex the airport. The city may also face negative public opinion from homeowners who live in close proximity to the airport.
Still, the airport is seen as an important economic development tool because businesses want to be in reasonably close proximity to airports where private corporate planes can take off and land, Coker said.
“If you have a well-operated airport, it attracts businesses that use corporate jets,” she said. “There are a lot of businesses in north and northwest Harris County that operate corporate jets, and that’s one of the things they look at when they’re looking at placing their business. If they have to go to Hobby or Ellington, they’re not going to base their business in northwest Harris County .”
Hooks is designated as a reliever airport for Bush Intercontinental, and is one of only 33 privately owned reliever airports in the United States , Coker said.
“There is a hangar shortage in Harris County , and you hate to see these airports go away,” she said. “For the economics of the area, no one in the business community or the Tomball chamber wants to see the airport go away. But it may happen, because the owner is trying to sell it (for the highest price), and not necessarily only to Tomball.”
The Transportation Committee of the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber meets on the first Thursday of each month at 8 a.m. at the Chamber offices, 11050 FM 1960 West, Suite 100 . For information, call 281-955-1100 or visit the Chamber’s Web site at cyfairchamber.com.
Archived News
04/11/2006 No end in sight for growth in Cy-Fair ISD, district official says
04/11/2006 Senate District 7 Democratic Candidate presents his platform at Chamber forum
03/24/2006 Chamber on a roll with Ten Pin Challenge
3/22/2006 Cy-Fair College stands to benefit from bond issue
03/02/2006 No silver bullet to solve traffic congestion, Texas A&M researcher says
02/08/2006 Raveneaux Country Club is the Site of the 2006 Spring Swing
02/02/2006 U.S. 290 plans are advancing, TxDOT engineer tells Chamber committee
02/02/2006 State legislator reports on gross receipts tax
01/05/2006 Chamber Transportation Committee sets priorities for 2006
01/05/2006 State Legislator proposes ideas for reducing School Property Taxes