The details
League City City Council voted 5-2 to at its Sept. 23 meeting have the city’s general fund fully reimburse the $12,616 cost to install irrigation infrastructure in the Hidden Lakes neighborhood, which is located on the city’s east side.
Construction will include four irrigation meters in the Hidden Lakes neighborhood, according to agenda documents.
What they’re saying
Council members Tom Crews and Tommy Cones voted against the motion to have the city shoulder the cost, arguing that it placed an undue burden on other taxpayers.
“I haven't asked everyone in these other [Homeowner Association]’s, but I don't believe that if I was to say, ‘Hey, do you want to help fund their green space irrigation?’ I'm pretty sure their answer would be no,” Crews said.
Crews made an amendment that proposed splitting the cost evenly between the city and the Hidden Lakes homeowner’s association, but the amendment failed 2-5.
The debate
Council member Chad Tressler, who voted for the city’s general fund to cover the cost, argued that it was more of an impact fee because it was a capital recovery fee grant reimbursement, not a direct payment.
“Backfilling unimproved green spaces in HOAs with landscaping for the betterment of the community is not a burden on the city, it’s not costing us something, and it’s not new growth that needs to pay for itself,” Tressler said.
