Free Republic

Dramatic differences emerge leading to lively exchanges Four candidates are running to shape the future of Friendswood. Running for Position 2 are Lonnie Moffitt and John LeCour. Contestants for Position 5 are Kitten Brizendine and Chris Peden. All candidates’ positions were stated at the well attended forum at Village on the Park Friday, April 15. Fifteen issues, raised by the audience, were addressed. The program provided concise, descriptive statements of their positions showing sharp differences between various candidates’ liberal and conservative positions. The issues soliciting the most divergent opinions were taxes, City-funded development, zero-based budgeting, and the candidates’ vision for...

A June 2004 meeting between Friendswood school officials and the chief appraiser of the Galveston County Central Appraisal District was to keep the school district from losing state funding because under-appraised homes in six Friendswood subdivisions, said FISD superintendent Trish Hanks. The meeting has become fodder for Houston talk radio station KSEV and its Lone Star Times web site, with allegations that the district tried to bring unwarranted influence to bear on the appraisal district to boost property values and therefore permit a "stealth" tax increase. In the arcane process of property appraisal for tax purposes, Hanks said the state...

Friendswood school district and appraisal district officials on Friday defended a meeting they had last year that resulted in higher property appraisals for residents in six subdivisions. Both Ken Wright, the appraisal district’s chief appraiser, and school Superintendent Trish Hanks said the meeting was to ensure the school district did not lose state funding because property in its boundaries had been under-appraised. Hanks, other officials and three school board members met with Wright last year, presenting him with records of home sales indicating the appraisal district had undervalued real estate in the school district. Hanks said school officials wanted to...