Our civilization is faced with the challenge of achieving unity in diversity, and the Diversity over Division initiative was launched in Fort Bend County, Texas to bring people together through art, music, and other activities. To this end, I implemented art contests, public murals, spoken word presentations, diversity training, and much more. Additionally, a district diversity calendar was created to highlight holidays, celebrations, recognition days, and other festivities in our community. This calendar serves as a tool for staff, students, and families to learn more about other cultures and traditions as we strive to be a unified community based on inclusive practices. Tax transparency tools were also promoted to allow citizens to view the tax rate of each Fort Bend entity.
It was found that the county tax rate was one of the lowest in the area. In November of last year, County Judge KP George announced the creation of the Fort Bend County Community Engagement Committee with the goal of better engaging with diverse communities. Listening tours were organized in every district of Fort Bend County to hear residents' needs and concerns. In addition to this, 47 nonprofit organizations in the Houston area provided software to connect veterans to any resources they needed. This increased data helped us better understand the needs of Fort Bend County's more than 27,000 veterans.
Judge George also led the Fort Bend Commissioners Court to advocate before the Texas Legislature for property tax reduction and valuation. He created the “Adopt a Family” program in Fort Bend to help care for the neediest families in the county and provide them with much needed items such as diapers, baby wipes, toothpaste, toilet paper, and paper towels. The Youth Leadership Council and Program was also launched to train and provide resources to dozens of young people so they could make changes they wanted to see in their communities. Numerous recreational facilities such as cricket fields, parks, and community centers were brought to every precinct in Fort Bend County. The committee's main objective is to develop initiatives and strategies to help better interact with the diverse communities of Fort Bend County. A multi-million dollar voter-supported mobility development program was launched to build new roads, lanes, and more in every corner of Fort Bend County.
County resource fairs were held in all districts of Fort Bend County so agencies, non-profit organizations, health care providers, schools, and other resource providers could reach out directly to residents with services for Fort Bend families and youth. Sierra covered the entire South Houston area including the Friendswood Independent School District, the Friendswood City Council, the Fort Bend County Commissioner's Court, the Clear Creek Independent School District, and the Harris County Metro. Big companies such as Amazon, Tesla, TikTok, Samsung, Dollar General, Texas Instruments and others were also involved in putting Fort Bend County on the map. The Diversity over Division initiative is helping bring people together through art, music and other activities while promoting tax transparency tools for citizens. The county judge has also created a Community Engagement Committee that is listening to residents' needs and concerns while providing resources for veterans. The Adopt a Family program is helping care for those in need while youth leadership programs are training young people to make changes they want to see in their communities.
Finally recreational facilities are being built throughout Fort Bend County while big companies are helping put it on the map.
