Pearland Hiring Consulting Agency For Study

[Timnwendy]

Francisca Ortega at the Inside Pearland Blog has reported that the city of Pearland has hired a consulting agency to do a study of Pearland's growth, and the old "east side vs. west side" mindset is creeping in. I think this is a total waste of money at a time when the city should be reallocating funds to recover from Ike, but at least this problem (and its ramifications related to growth) is being discussed.

[brerrabbit]

Have not read the blog today, but I do almost every other day. I was actually going to post something here after reading the discussion on the one about a new library for the West Side. The whole East vs West arguement is really getting on my nerves. I conceed that a certain amount of infrastructure needs to be out in on the West Side, however comments like the one saying West Siders pay more taxes and are subsidizing the East Siders are just plain stupid. Considering I have lived on the East side of Pearland since 1994 and have been paying taxes there since then I can argue very easily that given the time value of money and the amount I have paid a relatively recent West Sider will not have paid as much as I have for many years, so who is subsidizing who. That plus the fact that huge tax abatements were offered to West side developers to build there in the first place suggests that thus far they have not even paid their fair share.

Don't get me wrong, I harbor absolutley no resentment towards those choosing to move to the West side. It has a lot to offer but, it's just not where my family wants to live. I shop there, I eat there, I go to the movies there, and then I go home to the East side. People on the West side are impatient and want it all and want it now. Well they would have never made it for the almost 15 years we have lived in Pearland because it took most of those years to get any retail, resturants or services near us.

Always remember patience is a virtue. You will get those things you want, just not as fast as you would like.

[Timnwendy]

Hi brer, I hear what you are saying. I'm sick of the argument too.

I do have a question, though, about the taxes. Are you currently paying a MUD tax on the east side? Did you ever pay one there? We folks on the west side are certainly paying them. Mine is something like .84. So the argument could be made that we are paying higher taxes to support the development of our own infrastructure.

[brerrabbit]

Don't pay and never have paid MUD taxes. When we were looking for a house one of our criteria was no MUD taxes. To the extent you are paying them then, yes you are paying your fair share of infrastructure for water and sewer. But water and sewer is as far as it goes. Your current city taxes you pay go to the same place mine have for the last 15 years, paying for fire, police, ems, etc. I pay around 2.75% in total taxes on the value of my house. That includes everybody's piece, City of Pearland, PISD, Brazoria County etc. My understanding is that people on the West Side pay as much as 4% of their homes value in taxes. Given that if I had the choice of where to live, it would not be on the West Side.

My other point was merely that I have been paying them for 15 years and believe me some of the things West Siders want are the same things we have been waiting for for 15 years over here. The development of the West End has been fast and there are things we still don't have. But again that's okay because I made the choice to live where I do based on all things that were in place when we moved to Pearland and I am more than willing to continue to live with my choice. Some folks on the West Side bought with high taxes, in proximity to a land fill, with a less than fully developed infrastructure and that's the decision they made. Work for change but don't blame others for the choices you made.