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