Yesterday, we sponsored the Winds of Change Brazoria County economic symposium in Lake Jackson.  Ed emceed the event, and you can check out the full coverage in The Facts.

Among the speakers were Lt. Col. Oliver North, former CIA National Intelligence Council vice chairman Herbert Meyer, and Rice University economics professor and Perryman Group founder Ray Perryman.

Lifehacker teaches, well, life hacks (i.e. tips for making your life better).

Without this indispensible website, I wouldn't know that a wad of aluminum foil is a great grill cleaner, how to wrap headphone cords neatly, or that a free Excel plug-in can give you recommendations on the best ways to present data (nerd alert!)!

And yesterday they made a timely post called "Why Choose a Credit Union Over a Bank."

Well worth the read.

Based on information we have received, CenterPoint is estimating most of Lake Jackson and surrounding areas (over 95%) will have electricity restored by Monday. Therefore beginning Monday, 9/29, we will stop serving daily meals, snacks, and drinks to employees at our affected branches. However, until every employee has electrical power, we will do the following: Meal Allowance

• An employee without electricity at their residence will be paid $15.00 per day meal allowance.

Temporary Housing

• As long as there is a need, we will continue to coordinate the temporary living quarters (motel room or RV).

Employers affected by Hurricane Ike: To report temporary layoffs due to Hurricane Ike, please call the Texas Workforce Commission at 1-866-367-1332 or email hurricaneike@twc.state.tx.us. TWC representatives on this special employer hotline will expedite unemployment claims for you and your employees. Disaster-related unemployment benefits are available to the self-employed.

The United Way of Brazoria County has uploaded a PDF to their website complete with resources, information, and referrals for Hurricane Ike in Brazoria County.

Definitely worth the download if you're in Brazoria County.

In our first break from Hurricane Ike updates in a few weeks, we'd like to let you know we've released the beta version of the new tdecu.org.

We're asking our users to help us improve the site.  Let us know where it can be made better - we'll be making steady changes between now and our official launch at the end of the month.

Given that Brazoria County has been officially declared a disaster area, citizens and businesses should be informed of tax exemptions and extensions available to them to avoid unnecessary expenses.

The IRS has announced that Texas taxpayers residing in disaster counties may postpone tax filing and payments until January 5, 2009.  This will allow extra time for people to stay focused on the rebuilding and cleanup effort.  The IRS computer system automatically identifies taxpayers located in the covered disaster area and applies automatic filing and payment relief.  If an affected taxpayer receives a penalty notice from the IRS, they should call the telephone number on the notice to have the IRS abate any interest and any late filing or late payment penalties that would otherwise apply.  The IRS disaster hotline is (866) 562-5227.

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs also announced that state law allows for certain sales tax exemptions in the wake of a disaster.  Additionally, businesses damaged by Hurricane Ike may postpone paying state taxes, if necessary, while they clean up wind and flood damage.  Upon request, taxpayers may be granted an extension of up to 90 days to file state tax returns due in September and October.

To that end, I wanted to make you aware of the Texas Comptroller's Hurricane Ike Information Website at www.window.state.tx.us/disaster.  Questions about paying tax on storm recovery services, as well as business requests for a filing extension, should be directed to the Comptroller's office at (800) 252-5555.  Extension requests can also be emailed to tax.help@cpa.state.tx.us.

This website contains a wealth of information; however, below is a summary of some of the storm recovery-related expenses that may be exempt from state and local sales tax.

• The cost of labor to repair storm damage to non-residential property, including offices, stores, and other commercial buildings.  The cost of labor must be separately stated on the repair bill.
• Texas never imposes sales tax on labor for residential repairs.
• Services used to restore storm-damaged property, including dry cleaning of clothing and draperies; rug and carpet cleaning; furniture cleaning; and appliance repairs.
• Charges for cutting storm-damaged or downed trees.  Charges to haul away trees and limbs are taxable, as are charges to haul away other storm debris.
• Certain charges related to mold remediation.
• Purchases made with vouchers or debit cards provided by FEMA, the Red Cross, and the Salvation Army.  Storm-related purchases made with cash donations or personal funds are subject to sales tax.
• For evacuees taking shelter in hotels and motels, the Governor has waived state and local hotel taxes for a 14-day period that began September 8.  Storm victims who remain in a hotel for 30 days or more may claim an exemption for their entire stay.

My office remains committed to assisting the citizens of Brazoria County through this disaster.  We can be contacted at 979-848-1770 or 512-463-0564.

• Saturday – normal hours
• Sunday – open 1pm to 5pm (full service)

• Saturday – Drive thru open until 6pm
• Sunday – closed

• Saturday – open until 3pm (full service)
• Sunday – closed

• Saturday – open until 5pm (full service)
• Sunday – open 1pm to 5pm (full service)

• Saturday – closed
• Sunday – closed

• Saturday – closed
• Sunday – closed

• Saturday – open until 5pm (full service)
• Sunday – closed

• Saturday – closed
• Sunday – closed

The City of Lake Jackson website now lists the town curfew from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM.

Update (9/19): The website is now reporting the curfew has been lifted completely.

Just got this message from CBISD (Columbia - Brazoria Independent School District):

CBISD classes will resume Friday, September 19, 2008