Greetings from
Council Member Mike Knox
Property Tax Workshops

Tax Assessor-Collector Mike Sullivan wants to help taxpayers lower their tax burden, through protesting their values and applying for exemptions. The Property Tax Workshops will cover how taxes are calculated, types of exemptions available, how to protest your value and payment plans for delinquent taxes. The last day to submit a protest for the 2016 tax year with the Harris County Appraisal District is May 31, 2016. Please see the Property Tax Workshop schedule below and if you have questions, please call 713-274-8000.

Learn more about the protest process by visiting the Harris County Appraisal District page here.  

CLICK HERE to view the 2016 Property Tax Workshop Schedule

Council Member Knox Serving You
Comcast Cares Day

Comcast Cares Day is a celebration of the company’s year-round commitment to service, and has grown to become the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer event. In 2015, more than 100,000 volunteers improved more than 900 parks, schools, beaches, senior centers and other vital community sites. Since 2001, more than 700,000 Comcast NBCUniversal employees, their friends, family members and community partners have volunteered more than 4 million service hours at nearly 6,800 projects in communities across the United States and around the world.

I was happy to volunteer my time on Comcast Cares Day along with the Houston Food Bank. 

Ruby Lee Mosley, Honorary Mayor for the Day
I was pleased to honor the great Ms. Ruby Lee Mosley from Acres Homes. Her advocacy in the community has been key to getting services for senior citizens and youth. This week, she is honorary Mayor of Houston.
Hispanos Unidos Gala

I joined the National Hispanic Professional Organization for their annual “Hispanos Unidos” gala. Once again, the cultural diversity in our City never ceases to amaze me.

Katherine Randall Schweppe Park Ribbon Cutting

The Houston Parks and Recreation Department, together with the family of Katharine Randall Schweppe, cut the ribbon on the renovated neighborhood park (1801 El Paseo Road, 77054).

Katharine Randall Schweppe was a 19-year-old graduate of Kinkaid School and a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin when she passed away in a car accident in 1979. Her parents, Dr. Irving Schweppe and Mrs. Laura Schweppe, wanted the park to be filled with children and elements from Montgomery County, Port Aransas, and their ranch in Kendall County where Katharine had enjoyed so much of her life. The Schweppes' donation was matched with a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to purchase the property.

The current renovation, funded with Park and Recreation Dedication Funds, includes a redevelopment of the entry plaza and walkways, new seating walls, new playground equipment (3 - 5 year and 5 - 12 year, swings and logs), furnishings, trees and irrigation. The total cost of the renovation is $582,121. The design team was M2L Associates and the contractor was P2MG LLC.


HPD Cadet Class 225 Graduation
It was truly an honor to join HPD Cadet Class #225 during their commencement this April. They have committed their lives to protect and serve the public. I want to thank each man and woman for their commitment to the public and to our city.  
Springwoods Timber Creek NTMP Public Meeting

I attended the Spring Woods Timbercreek NTMP meeting.  The constituents have requested speed cushions in their area for quite some time.  I want to thank Gary Drabek for working with the neighbors and taking their concerns into consideration. The meeting went fairly well, and hopefully the speed cushions can be installed soon.

Lawson Academy Groundbreaking

I attended the groundbreaking for the expansion of the Lawson Academy.  I am proud of the great work the Lawson family has been performing for decades in Houston.  For those of you who may not be aware, the Lawson Academy provides the academic and social development young people need in order to learn and become productive adults.  Keep up the great work!

FEMA Disaster Assistance Now Available

Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) opening throughout the Houston area at Noon on Monday, May 2nd, to help survivors of April's devastating flooding register for disaster assistance, as well as speak directly with FEMA personnel regarding their disaster assistance claim. 

Disaster survivors do not need to visit a DRC to file for FEMA assistance, but help will be available to help answer questions regarding the FEMA disaster assistance process, rental resources, explain written communication from FEMA and connect survivors with available help, services and information.  Survivors can register for disaster assistance by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or by visitingDisasterAssistance.gov.  TTY users can call 1-800-462-7585. VRS users can call 711 and connect to 1-800-621-3362.

Homeowners and renters in the four declared Texas counties affected by the storms and flooding may be eligible to receive rental assistance from FEMA. The funds are meant to help pay for a clean and safe place for them to stay while making repairs or rebuilding their storm-damaged home.

Landlords with available rental properties can send an email to FEMA-Housing@fema.dhs.govThe email should include your contact name, the state that the property is located in, and your phone number.

Before coming to the DRC, make sure you have the following readily available:

  • Social Security number
  • Address of the damaged primary residents
  • Description of the damage
  • Information about any insurance coverage (renter's, homeowner's, flood insurance, etc.)
  • A current contact telephone number
  • An address where you can receive mail
  • Bank account information (including routing and account numbers)

Disaster Recovery Centers will be open:

  • Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 6:00pm
  • Saturday: 9:00am - 2:00pm
  • Sundays: Closed

The following locations have been identified as Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs)

Bayland Community Center
6400 Bissonnet Street
Houston, Texas 77074

Greenspoint Commerical Office Building
16800 Imperial Valley Drive
Houston, Texas 77060

Cypress Creek Christian Church
6823 Cypresswood
Spring, Texas 77379

Lone Star College Cy-Fair Library
9191 Barker Cypress Road
Cypress, Texas 77433

REMINDER: BE WARY OF SCAMMERS THAT CALL YOU CLAIMING TO BE FEMA REPRESENTATIVES. FEMA WILL NOT CALL YOU. DO NOT GIVE YOUR INFORMATION TO ANYONE THAT CALLS YOU. 
***If your property had damages, please apply no matter how minor you think your losses are.***


Home Elevation Grant Opportunity Announcement
The City of Houston, in partnership with the Texas Water Development Board, will submit a grant application on behalf of interested homeowners to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant.  This grant will request funds for Elevation of Existing Homes damaged during the 2015 and 2016 flooding events.

Who is Eligible?
Only Homeowners who have flood insurance.  The flood insurance must be from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and be effective at the time of the grant application.

How can this grant help me to avoid flood damage in the future?
If awarded, this grant will pay between 75% and 100% of eligible costs to elevate your home.  For this grant, home elevation means that your existing house will be lifted so that the lowest floor is one foot above the expected flood elevation and a new foundation will be built to support your home.

What are my chances of receiving a grant award?
FMA is a nationally competitive grant program.  Homeowners who have the strongest chance of award are those who own a property with a history of receiving large flood insurance claim payments over time.  These properties have special FEMA designations - FMA Repetitive Loss or FMA Severe Repetitive Loss Properties.  To have a chance of award, elevating your home must save FEMA more in future avoided flood claim payments than it costs to do the home elevation.  High priority will be given to properties that were damaged in the 2015 Memorial Day, 2015 Halloween and 2016 Tax Day Flood Events.  There is no guarantee of award.

How do I apply?
Follow the "Submitting Instructions" and complete the "Voluntary Interest Form and Checklist" published on the HoustonRecovers.org website under Rebuilding/Repairs. Attach the required documents and follow the instructions to submit your package to the City's Floodplain Management Office (FMO ).  DUE TO A COMPRESSED FEMA SCHEDULE, Applications are due to FMO by May 6, 2016 at 5pm

How do I learn more?
Keep monitoring the HoustonRecovers.org website for more details.   You can also contact the City's Floodplain Management Office with your questions at 832.394.8854 or fmo@houstontx.gov.

INTERESTED HOMEOWNERS MUST SUBMIT THEIR INFORMATION BY FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2016 AT 5PM TO MEET THE FEMA DEADLINE
If you chose to submit online, you still need to print sign and upload page 2 of this form:
http://houstontx.gov/citizensnet/home-elevation-grant-opp.pdf

If you chose to submit in person or via mail/fax/email please print and complete pages 1 & 2 of this form:
http://houstontx.gov/citizensnet/home-elevation-grant-opp.pdf
 
For all information on Repairing Flood Damage in the Floodplain,
please visit this link
FAQs | Repairing Flood Damage in the Floodplain
Service Requests:
Important Information:
Staff Information:
John Moss
Chief of Staff

Carla Hulsey
Deputy Chief of Staff

Trebor Gordon
Director of Community Outreach
City Council Member Mike Knox, At-Large Position 1 | 900 Bagby St., First Floor | Houston, TX 77002 | (832) 393-3014 | Atlarge1@houstontx.gov