TOMPKINS’ MILROE FLIPS COMMITMENT, CHOOSES ALABAMA SPORTS | 6 COVERAGE OF HURRICANE LAURA Katy Times KATYTIMES.COM VOLUME 108, ISSUE 35 THE GREATER KATY AREA'S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1912 n katytimes.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 Brookshire reviews waste UH Katy begins classes services with safety precautions By R. HANS MILLER NEWS EDITOR six feet between students and eight feet they are in a situation on campus grounds Brookshire City Council met By R. HANS MILLER NEWS EDITOR between the classes and instructors, Neal that does not allow for social distancing to Aug. 20 with a shorter-than-usu- said. prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus al agenda covering updates he University of Houston’s Katy “There’s an eight-foot barrier between which causes COVID-19. associated with the city’s moves campus opens Monday for the fall the instructor and the students because “We have recently changed out custo- to deal with the COVID-29 pan- semester. In preparation, staff and most likely the instructor will not be wear- dial services,” Neal said. “So they’re doing demic, addressing flood mitiga- T faculty have been preparing throughout the ing the mask to lecture because it’s really deep cleaning to be ready for students to tion near Gresham Avenue and summer to establish safety protocols and hard to hear,” Neal said. come in. We’ve upgraded all of our chem- discussing the city’s upcoming facilitate increased distance-based learning Neal said the adjusted class formats icals, our disinfectants to hospital grade. budget and tax rate. throughout the summer, said UH Associate would not have an impact on fees, explain- We’ve changed all of our air filters (and) Police Chief Brandal Jackson Vice President for the university’s Sugar ing that the hybrid system where half the we’ve put up plexiglass for public-facing said the city has seen 60 cases Land and Katy campuses Jay Neal. class is on campus one day and the other desks.” of COVID-19 but most of the “This is our community. These are our half the next and the online-real-time Each classroom has cleaning stations cases are recovered overall. He neighbors. We do take that very seriously. models actually take more preparation and with hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes anticipates a testing site being We take their education very seriously, but care to manage. and designated seating areas to ensure established within Brookshire in their health also. The decisions we make “You know, I was a professor for 15 social distancing. the near future as Waller County aren’t in a vacuum,” Neal said. years. The online components can be more Neal said the planning to institute these finalizes an agreement with Those decisions include three options time consuming and take more effort than changes for UH Katy students was taken Access Health. for the types of classes students can choose face to face lectures,” Neal said. “No. I think with advice from several key stakeholders City Secretary Claudia from, additional safety precautions to a lot of faculty have put a lot of time and and internal task forces to ensure the safety Harrison said the city will have keep the campus population socially dis- effort to make sure students see value in of everyone on campus. As other institu- a drive-thru window available tanced and providing personal protective the content that they’re getting, you know. tions of higher education have opened in soon at the city office to help equipment – or PPE – to students, staff and We don’t want to be a diminished version the last few weeks, Neal said UH has looked people maintain social distanc- faculty, he said. of the value that the U of H is offering. … at the stumbles and cases arising at those ing while interacting with city Students’ three options for courses That hasn’t changed at all.” institutions. He said he feels the university employees. include hybrid classes which mix in-per- Neal commended faculty and staff for has done what it can to protect its students Alderwoman Kim Branch son instruction and online instruction, their effort to learn the online tools such as and will make adjustments to fill any gaps asked the council to approve streamed real-time instruction and regular Zoom and other online software which will in protocols that students, staff or faculty an item on the agenda to dig online classes where students work sepa- allow them to provide seamless virtual and may notice as the campus gets rolling with rately, Neal said. Classes have been limited in-person instruction. the business of education. out the ditch on the north side in size in many instances while more Hand sanitizer and masks will be avail- Neal said making the university’s of Sixth Street between Gresh- sections were added in order to keep class- able for students as well, Neal said. Masks partnership with Houston Community am Avenue and Kenny Street. room populations low so that desks can be will be required whenever students, faculty Branch said that while the ditch properly spaced apart. There are generally or visitors are in buildings and whenever See CLASSES, page 5 does run by her home, her reasoning for requesting the drainage maintenance was that PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY THE the drainage along that portion UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON of the street having insufficient The University of capacity caused street flooding Houston’s Katy campus and garage flooding throughout is entering its second the surrounding neighborhood. year in operation with The City’s attorney Justin an increase in enrolled Pruitt advised the council to students that hasn’t hold off on replacement of been finalized yet and culverts that were also requested the challenge of setting by Alderwoman Branch – who is itself up to prevent an married to Mayor Darrell Branch outbreak of COVID-19 – because the project to replace among its nursing and the culverts may be paid through engineering students, with grant funding the city is faculty and staff. seeking to improve its drainage. Council also decided to let the city’s current property tax rate of $0.64000 per $100 valuation stand moving into the next year. While the rate was not formally adopted. “Just to make sure every- body’s clear, we’re not adopting the tax rate at all,” Pruitt said. “All council is doing is saying they understand that it’s 64 cents and it’s higher than what we used to call the ‘effective Katy City Council moves See BROOKSHIRE, page 5 ahead with trash service HAVE A NEWS TIP? By R. HANS MILLER the city and Republic Services – the [email protected] NEWS EDITOR outgoing waste disposal services vendor – to roll out new trash and SUBSCRIBE TODAY Katy City Council met virtually via a recycle bins to residents. The process (281) 391-3141 Zoom teleconference for their regular as of Monday was about 72% complete Aug. 24 meeting at 4 p.m. During the in regard to trash cart delivery and the August 27, 2020 meeting the council received an up- company had passed out 14,000 bins 10 pages | $1 date on rollout of the city’s new trash to residents as of Aug. 23. Republic R. HANS MILLER service through Texas Pride, reviewed Services’ dumpsters were set to be Katy ISD adopted its tax rate and budget at the Board of Trustees Aug. 24 options for a proposed tax rate for the removed Wednesday and Thursday meeting. Trustees also charged Superintendent Ken Gregorski with establishing city and scheduled public hearings for of this week, though Hurricane Laura a committee to decide on an official name for KISD Junior High 17. the city’s proposed budget and tax rate may impact that, he said. for the coming year. Final removal for Republic Services’ trash bins will be Sept. 7 and only the northernmost portion of the city near Solid waste or north of Franz Road will see a gap Katy ISD moves Kevin Atkinson of Texas Pride said the company was coordinating with toward election, See COUNCIL, page 5 budget hearings By R. HANS MILLER NEWS EDITOR The Katy ISD Board of Trustees met for their regular monthly meeting Monday at 6 p.m. and moved closer to adopting a property tax rate and an annual budget. The board also heard from the KISD General Counsel Justin Graham regarding the process to move forward with board elections Nov. 3. “This will be the … fourth time in the last 15 years that we’ve reduced the tax rate,” said KISD Chief Financial Officer Chris Smith. “We did it back in the R. HANS MILLER 2005-06 and the 2006-07 school years – then we did Katy City Council was briefed on the rollout of trash services by Texas Pride, the city’s new solid waste services it again, fast forwarding it back to the 2015-16 school vendor at their Aug. 24 meeting. Council members also discussed the state’s new process for setting property year. We were able to drop it a penny – of course last tax rates and briefly debated how much to cut property taxes given the city’s need to move flood mitigation year we dropped it by a couple of pennies.” projects forward. See KISD, page 5 THE KATY TIMES 2 THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 COMMUNITY KATYTIMES.COM MEMORIAL HERMANN/R. HANS MILLER Jerry Ashworth is set to take on the leadership for the Memorial Hermann Katy and Memorial Hermann Cypress hospitals this Sept. 13. Memorial Hermann to get new CEO By R.