Update your voter registration, save money on your taxes

Proposition 1 on the November 3 statewide ballot will lower your property taxes. But you can't vote for Prop 1 if your voter registration isn't current. If you moved, update your voter information here. Or if you're not registered to vote, fill out and submit this application. Why do you want to vote for Prop 1? It lowers your property taxes by increasing the state-mandated homestead exemption. Prop 1 also prohibits state and local governments from imposing a tax on real estate transactions-which means you won't ever have to pay a sales tax if you buy or sell property in Texas. Learn more about why you should vote for Proposition 1 on the November 3 statewide ballot at texansforprop1.com.

When you should call 811

You know to dial 911 in an emergency, but have you heard of 811? That's the number to call before digging around your home. Texas law requires a call to 811 before any excavation that's 16 inches or more deep to allow for underground utilities to be located and marked. Not sure how deep you'll be digging? Call 811. The call and the location services are free, and it's better to make the call than to knock out your neighbor's Internet service-or worse. Before you plant a tree or install a fence post, call 811. If you hire someone to install a sprinkler system, that person is required to call 811. Within two business days of the call, the appropriate utilities will visit your home and mark the location of any buried lines. The colors on the ground indicate what's beneath the surface: • Red: electric • Orange: telecommunications or alarm • Green: sewer or drain • Yellow: natural gas • Blue: water • White: proposed excavation • Pink: temporary survey marks Don't risk severing a telecommunications cable or puncturing a gas or water line. Call 811. It's free, and it's easy.

Meet the Candidates - SPI City Council Candidate Forum

South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum for South Padre Island City Council Thursday, October 1, 2015 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. SPI Convention Centre The public is invited to meet the Candidates. Place Three: Theresa Metty Sally Scaman Place Four: Alita Bagley Ron Pitcock Place Five: Paul Munarriz The public may submit questions in advance to the Chamber of Commerce, Attn: Roxanne Guenzel. Questions must include your name and contact information. Questions may be sent via email to roxanne@spichamber.com or mailed/delivered to 610 Padre Blvd., South Padre Island, Texas 78597. Questions mailed/delivered must be in a sealed envelope marked Forum Questions on the front of the envelope. Questions must be received no later than Thursday, September 24, 2015, 12:00 pm.

Demand for Texas housing remains strong

San Antonio-area home sales up over last year Sales and price growth in the city are on par with statewide activity. Read more from Texas Public Radio. Texas cities are among the top housing markets Dallas, Midland, Austin, and San Antonio made realtor.com's list of the hottest U.S. real estate markets in August. Read more in The Dallas Morning News. North Texas housing stays in demand Home prices are up 10-30% to some areas of the state. Read more from KERA. Rising home prices won't be a problem for Texas Even if sales level out, don't expect a price crash. Read more at CNBC. DFW sees record-high condo sales These low-maintenance properties are selling at unprecedented levels. Read more in The Dallas Morning News.

Increase funding for transportation infrastructure without new taxes or debt

Increase funding for transportation infrastructure without new taxes or debt In Lehman's Terms This week, a major network news program ran a story about the many states still struggling to recover from the recent economic downturn. Obviously, Texas was not one of those states. The current Texas Quarterly Housing Report shows healthy real estate growth in all segments of our economy and in all geographic regions of our state. Real estate sales and activity continue to be effective indicators of our economy's health. Why is Texas always one of the last states to feel the impact of a slow economy and one of the first to recover? Public-policy makers in Texas constantly look down the road to address problems with our infrastructure needs that could derail our long-term economic viability. Paramount among these needs is transportation. Unfortunately, accelerated growth in Texas has left our transportation system in disarray. Current funding for highways barely keeps up with road maintenance, leaving almost no money for badly needed road projects. But you can do something about this infrastructure problem. Proposition 7 on the November 3 statewide ballot creates a dedicated funding source to fix our current roads, construct new highway projects, and make all our roads safer to drive on. Proposition 7 returns Texas to the pay-as-you-go system of paying for roads, which has served this state so well for generations. Most important, the proposal redirects existing state funds and does not call for any new taxes, new debt, or new toll roads. I urge you to vote for Proposition 7 on the November 3 statewide ballot.

Port Isabel Lighthouse Market Days

The phone number new homeowners will want to keep handy

Shaking hands at closing doesn't have to be your last interaction with your Texas REALTOR®. In fact, you may want to keep in touch for a while. Here are a few instances when you'll glad you kept his or her number on hand. • To tap into a valuable contacts list. When you need help with repairs or maintenance, your Texas REALTOR® can recommend service providers she or her clients have worked with. • To learn about your community. Your Texas REALTOR® will know the location of nearby businesses and information about local agencies, like the school district and city or county offices. • To solicit general homeownership knowledge. This could even include the process for filing for a homestead exemption or protesting your property tax appraisal. • To learn about your new home. If your Texas REALTOR® can't answer your question about the property-like which day the trash is picked up or which utility companies the sellers used-he or she will know who to call or where to look to find the answer.

A Night Under the Stars

A special prom night to honor adolescents and adults with developmental and physical disabilities. Saturday, September 26th 6:00pm - 9:00pm at the Port Isabel Event and Cultural Center. Call 956-433-5041 to RSVP

How to find the best place to buy your next home

I was surprised to see my neighborhood make a local magazine's list of top neighborhoods in my city. You see, our neighborhood wasn't on that list the previous year, and I don't think much has changed. That got me thinking about whether people really make decisions about where to live based on all those lists. You know the ones: best cities to raise a family ... top locations for young professionals ... hottest towns for techies ... most affordable places to retire ... best beaches, and on and on. There's nothing wrong with using a list as a starting point when thinking about where you'd like to live. But I hope you'll dig a little deeper. Spend some time in the area. Talk to the people. Check out the traffic. Experience the shopping and the entertainment-whatever it is that you'll be doing in your new locale. Don't forget to talk with your REALTOR®, too. REALTORS® know cities and neighborhoods as well as anyone. In fact, I'd put them at the top of the list.

14th Anniversary of the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway Collapse Ceremony

Friends of Animal Rescue South Padre Island

Join Friends of Animal Rescue for their first annual "Tails on the Beach 2015", a celebration of man's best friend. Free to the public at Clayton's Beach Bar on South Padre Island September 19th 9am - 3pm. Free bandannas for the first 100 dogs!

Port Isabel & South Padre Island Joint Chambers All Member Meeting

The Spazmatics at Louie's Backyard

Louie's Backyard Sep 06, 2015 11 PM Admission: Early Bird $20 Ticket URL: http://spazmatics.eventbrite.com Make your Labor Day Weekend plans today! All of your favorite bands from the 80’s packed into one great group. The Spazmatics are a crowd favorite, bringing you all of the best hits from the 80’s that you know and love! This concert will sell out! Get your Early Bird tickets online now.

You can ban a new tax on real estate

In Lehman's Terms Call it what you want: A real estate transfer tax. A sales tax on real estate. A real estate transfer fee. A home tax. They're all the same thing: A tax on the sale of your property. Thirty-seven states have such a tax, but Texas does not. And you have the opportunity to make sure Texas never has one. Proposition 1 on the November 3 ballot gives Texas voters the chance to ban a real estate sales tax. Forever. You already pay high property taxes. A vote for Proposition 1 ensures you won't have to worry about adding this tax, too. This vote is important for your personal finances but also for the state's economy. I've participated in economic development initiatives that encourage businesses to relocate to Texas. The message from these out-of-state businesses is always the same: They want to come to Texas for our business-friendly climate and because we don't have a state income tax. But they worry that the state's high property taxes will complicate the relocation of employees. However, when I inform them Texas is one of 13 states that does not have a real estate tax, they again want to come to Texas. Proposition 1 will ban taxes on the sale of real estate. It will also take the first step toward lowering property taxes in Texas. Voting for Proposition 1 saves property owners money now and in the future. Mark Lehman is the vice president of governmental affairs for the Texas Association of REALTORS®.