Become Part of the Neighborhood Watch Team

CG Johnson is looking for block captains and other residents to help patrol the neighborhoods of WCID#89.

If you'd like to parcipate in making our homes and lives more secure, please come to the meeting.

Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 7pm

Harris County Constable Pct.7

5290 Griggs Rd.at the corner of MLK Blvd

Houston Texas 77021

Conference Room

Contact Rev C G Johnson at cgjohnson4@sbcglobal.net for more information.

Homestead Exemption Changes in the Law

Did you know that you are entitled to a break on your tax bill if you claim a homestead exemption? The general residence homestead exemption is granted by both Harris County and by WCID#89, making your overall tax liability much less. To claim a general residence homestead exemption, you must live in the house on the property being taxed. You can also claim homestead exemptions from taxes if you are over 65 years old and if you have certain types of disabilities. If you are a surviving spouse of someone who was receiving or qualified for the over-65 exemption at death, you may be entitled to receive the exemption if you were 55 years of age or older on the date of your spouse's death.

For a disability exemption: 1) You must have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment; 2) The impairment must prevent you from engaging in any substantial gainful activity; and 3) The impairment must be expected to last for at least 12 continuous months or to result in death. Alternatively, you will qualify if you are 55 or older and blind and cannot engage in your previous work because of your blindness.

Certain disabled veterans are eligible for 100% exemptions for their residence homesteads from Harris County. Current documentation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must be submitted to prove that the veteran receives full VA compensation and is either rated at 100% disabled or has a determination of unemployability from the VA.

Click here to download an application (maybe you moved, or turned 65, or became disabled) you also need to submit:
(1) A copy of your valid Texas driver’s license (or official Texas ID card if you don’t drive)
(2) A copy of your vehicle registration receipt (or a sworn, notarized affidavit that can be found at HCAD.org if you don’t own a car; if you do this, you also have to provide a copy of your current utility bill). To obtain a vehicle registration receipt, take $2 to an office of the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and have your license plate or VIN number handy. If you last registered your car at a different address than your current address, just ask the tax clerk to print the receipt showing your current address.

*Note: The addresses on all of this paperwork must match the address on which you’re trying to claim the homestead exemption. This is the step intended to prevent fraud. In the past, some crafty hucksters were able to avoid detection by toying with how they listed their addresses and names. John Doe might also show up as John H. Doe, J.H. Doe, J. Henry Doe or Henry Doe to skip his full tax bill on multiple properties.

People can get their driver’s license updated by visiting the Department of Public Safety online here and paying an $11 fee for a new card.

Security Reports from Constable & the Safety Meeting

Brunswick Lakes hosted a security meeting at the New Beginnings Church on May 1st that was well attended and very informative. Sgt. Basralian from the Constable's office answered questions and gave out details on suspicious vehicles in the neighborhood. You can look at all the security reports that are given to the Board by clicking here.

There was also a presentation by Ron Daniels on the Ultimate Lock for your doors. He can be reached at:
713-266-1400
713-875-8370
The lock costs $175 at Lowes (Lowes.com has the lock for $173 and HomeDepot.com for $199) and Ron Daniels will install it for $70 for the first lock and $60 for the second. Plus he will key them to the same key for free (usually a $27.50 fee per lock). Just let him know what community you are in (Brunswick Lakes, Brunswick Meadows, Brunswick Place, or Morningside) when you call.

C. G. Johnson and Mike Smith also announced their candidacy for the Board. The election will be a part of the general election on November 6, 2012 and future postings on this blog will feature candidate profiles.