What you need to know
Members of the Bellaire City Council voted unanimously Sept. 16 to establish a new utility charge that will help generate revenue for drainage and infrastructure projects. The fee structure will follow a phase-in approach where charges gradually increase yearly until it reaches a peak in five years.
Residential property owners will start with a flat rate fee of $6 in fiscal year 2024-25 and will see a steady $0.50 increase until it caps out at $8.25 in FY 2029-30.
The fee for nonresidential property owners will be based on a seven-tier system that factors in the amount of square footage of impervious surface area at each property. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, an impervious surface area is a hard surface area that doesn’t allow water to seep into the ground.
Nonresidential owners will still see a gradual increase every year until their subsequent cap is also met in FY 2029-30. For example, an owner with a business with between 5,0001-10,000 square feet of impervious surface area will start out paying $12 in FY 2024-25 and will see a $1 increase every year until it caps out at $16.50 in FY 2029-30.
By the numbers
A representative from Willdan, an engineering consultant firm in Houston, said the charges were based on a sample of 285 residential properties and 308 nonresidential lots in Bellaire.
- The average residential impervious surface area is 4,930 square feet per lot
- The average nonresidential lot size is 32,931 square feet
- There is a total of approximately 40.7 million square feet of impervious surface area across the community
One more thing
City officials said if residents approve the $40 million bond package for drainage improvements on the November ballot, the stormwater drainage utility fee may be increased over time to pay back the cumulated debt.
