CA Newsletter: Good government and good business
The Port of Houston is one of the economic engines that drives the prosperity of our region. It ranks first in U.S. international commerce, and it is the world’s tenth largest port.
The port is an economic powerhouse generating over $227 million in revenue each year. The private petrochemical and refinery complex along the Houston Ship Channel is the second largest in the world. More than 150 private terminals along the Houston Ship Channel provide much of the nation’s fuel and other refined and petrochemical products. Approximately 785,000 jobs in Texas are related to activity at the Port of Houston creating over $39 billion in income annually.
But the Port is more than just a business making a lot of money for a multitude of individuals. It is and always has been a governmental entity expected to operate, act and behave according to the highest standards of good governance based on values of openness, transparency, and fairness. Under the Texas Open Meetings Act, important decisions are to be made in public with adequate notice to those interested in such business. Port records are considered to be open to any person wishing to review them in accordance with the law.
Farsighted community leaders worked to establish an inland port in the Houston region at the beginning of the 20th century in the aftermath of the discovery of oil at Spindletop and the 1900 Hurricane that destroyed the Port of Galveston. On February 20, 1909, the Texas legislature approved legislation which allowed the creation of navigation districts to improve, construct and maintain waterways. Harris County wasted no time acting pursuant to the newly enacted law, and before the year was over voters had approved the creation of a port, then known as the Harris County Ship Channel Navigation District.
Under the original 1909 legislation the three navigation commissioners were appointed by Commissioners Court. Following the port’s 1927 reorganization by the Texas Legislature, the commission expanded to five members and through later amendments to seven.
Harris County and its officials are heavily involved in the operation of the Port. Commissioners Court appoints two of the seven Port Commissioners and jointly appoints the Port Chairman. The Port will receive $53.6 million in taxes this year based on rates set by Commissioners Court. The County tax assessor-collector collects these taxes and the County Treasurer serves as the Port’s treasurer. The County Auditor has various statutory powers and duties relating to the Port’s financial matters. The County Attorney has the authority to compel its officer’s to perform their duties according to law.
The government as well as the business of the Port Authority is inextricably intertwined with that of Harris County. The people of Harris County deserve and expect both good government and business. Our job, as our office undertakes its review of Port governance, is to help it meet these expectations. -Vince
Law firms briefed on Lawyers on Loan
The Winstead Law Firm hosted a reception on Wednesday, May 25th for the Harris County Attorney’s Office and the 25 largest firms in Houston to discuss the Lawyers on Loan Program. The program, co-sponsored by the Harris County Attorney’s Office and the Houston Young Lawyers Association, allows private practitioners to donate services to the Office and receive valuable training and experience. County Attorney Vince Ryan and Protective Services Manager John Odam described the program to the firms and the elected officials who attended the event.
Melissa Spinks, Manager for the Litigation Group, Chan Buckner, assistant county attorney with Revenue, Sumpter Frazier, manager of protective Services-Family, and Lynn Chamberlin, assistant county attorney with Protective Services-Juvenile described how lawyers can gain experience in their respective practice groups.
Major law firms were represented including Vinson & Elkins, Thompson & Knight, Coats, Rose, Yale, Ryman & Lee, Greenberg Traurig, Porter and Hedges, Fulbright & Jaworski, Baker Botts, Winstead, and Andrews Kurth.
92 acres acquired for Grand Parkway project
The Litigation Group concluded a contested Special Commissioners hearing Tuesday, May 24th . As a result, two tracts totaling 92 acres have been added to the land needed for the Grand Parkway Project in west Harris County. The Special Commissioners rejected the landowner’s valuation theory and use of three small acre tracts to establish the value of its larger acreage. Charles Moritz from the Title and Abstract Group gathered documents to show that the landowner’s sales comps were either pad sites or smaller subdivided lots that were previously sold from a larger undeveloped tract. The landowner sought $12.50 per square foot, but the Special Commissioners awarded only $5.25 per square foot for a total valuation of $983,530.00. Victoria Jimenez, assistant county attorney from the Litigation Group, handled the case with assistance from Cynthia Cedillos and Melissa Spinks. The case was Harris County v. Regency Grand Parkway/290 Retail, Ltd.
