The details
The approval allows city staff to prepare documentation and set public hearings on upcoming meeting agendas after which City Council will then vote on officially enacting a citywide moratorium, City Attorney Mike Garner said.
“This is not voting on a moratorium,” council member Marsha Porter said. “This is voting on the process of a moratorium. ... I would rather err on the side of maybe making a bad decision or a wrong decision, than mess with the citizens of Conroe, because I think that is the impact that we are all under an obligation to take care of.”
Garner told City Council that the city has been out of compliance with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s state requirements related to water capacity.
Norman McGuire, assistant city administrator and public works director, said the city is applying for a waiver from TCEQ that would allow it to use a lower connection threshold, roughly 0.4762 gallons per minute, to account for multifamily developments, which generally use less water. Currently, the regulation for compliance is 0.6.
Garner said the city could be fined up to $25,000 per day by TECQ and the state could intervene if it saw fit due to its noncompliance.
Diving in deeper
Purchasing contract administrator Brandy Taylor said underfunded water infrastructure projects throughout the years has led the city to this point of considering a citywide moratorium.
“Between beautification and [other budget-funded] projects, that is ... $112.5 million that we could have spent on water and sewer infrastructure and we would not have needed a moratorium,” Taylor said.
“This is an important, probably the most important vote I've made on this dais,” Wood said. “I hold this very responsible, and I know that this has repercussions that are long-lasting.”
How we got here
City Council first approved a temporary development moratorium for the northern portion of the city in August, according to prior reporting. It was then extended in December and again in April.
City staff first raised concerns to City Council about the water capacity strain in April 2024, according to prior reporting. In May 2024, officials estimated that addressing critical infrastructure needs would require approximately $50 million in funding, as previously reported.
Then, City Council approved implementing seasonal irrigation restrictions last June, limiting watering from May through October to help conserve water, per prior reporting.
Stay tuned
City Council will revisit voting on enacting a temporary citywide moratorium after two public hearings in the upcoming weeks.
