| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Westchase District in Houston is celebrating its |
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| 6 | 7 | | 20th anniversary in 2015, and this special milestone provides a |
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| 7 | 8 | | fitting opportunity to take note of the success of this unique |
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| 8 | 9 | | neighborhood; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, This business management district was established |
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| 10 | 11 | | by the 74th Texas Legislature in 1995 with the passage of S.B. 1601, |
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| 11 | 12 | | authored by J. E. "Buster" Brown and sponsored by Sylvester Turner, |
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| 12 | 13 | | and of H.B. 3204, authored by Joe Nixon; governed by a volunteer |
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| 13 | 14 | | board of property owners and representatives, the district has |
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| 14 | 15 | | maintained an assessment rate of 0.9 percent since its inception, |
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| 15 | 16 | | and it is home to some 2,000 businesses, including such major |
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| 16 | 17 | | employers as Aker Solutions, BMC Software, Cameron International, |
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| 17 | 18 | | Phillips 66, Samsung Engineering, Halliburton, and other |
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| 18 | 19 | | enterprises; since the district's creation, the assessed value of |
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| 19 | 20 | | its buildings and land has grown from $850 million in 1995 to $4.2 |
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| 20 | 21 | | billion today; and |
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| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, Improvements in Westchase through the years have |
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| 22 | 23 | | included the planting of thousands of trees, shrubs, and flowering |
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| 23 | 24 | | plants, as well as the installation of custom-branded street signs |
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| 24 | 25 | | and mobility enhancements to the area's roads and streets and the |
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| 25 | 26 | | creation of the Library Loop trail; the district employs 30 police |
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| 26 | 27 | | officers who supplement the work of the Houston Police Department, |
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| 27 | 28 | | providing 15,000 additional hours of patrols each year; and |
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| 28 | 29 | | WHEREAS, The district's annual Corporate Challenge, |
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| 29 | 30 | | Wonderland in Westchase, and Summer Food Drive help to engage |
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| 30 | 31 | | businesses and residents, and its charitable organization, the |
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| 31 | 32 | | Westchase District Community Fund, has donated more than $200,000 |
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| 32 | 33 | | to local organizations; an e-newsletter, The Wire, reaches 10,000 |
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| 33 | 34 | | readers twice a month, and a farmer's market each week provides |
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| 34 | 35 | | residents and employees with locally grown fresh produce; and |
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| 35 | 36 | | WHEREAS, The Westchase District includes parts of the house |
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| 36 | 37 | | districts of Representatives Jim Murphy, Gene Wu, Hubert Vo, Borris |
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| 37 | 38 | | Miles, Alma Allen, Sarah Davis, and John Zerwas, as well as parts of |
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| 38 | 39 | | the senate districts of Senators Joan Huffman, Paul Bettencourt, |
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| 39 | 40 | | and Rodney Ellis; and |
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| 40 | 41 | | WHEREAS, For two decades, the Westchase District has |
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| 41 | 42 | | contributed to the prosperity of Houston, creating a welcoming |
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| 42 | 43 | | environment for many successful businesses and a comfortable |
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| 43 | 44 | | setting for those who live or work in the area; now, therefore, be |
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| 44 | 45 | | it |
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| 45 | 46 | | RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 46 | 47 | | hereby commemorate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the |
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| 47 | 48 | | Westchase District and extend to its governing board, business |
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| 48 | 49 | | owners, and residents sincere best wishes for continued success. |
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