Nearly 40% of flood control infrastructure has less than 10 years left on its overall lifeline, with 35% of projects needing serious repairs in the next 20 years, officials said. In the upcoming Nov. 5 election, Harris County voters will choose whether to fund the HCFCD’s proposed tax rate of $0.04897 per $100 of valuation—a roughly 58% increase from the previous fiscal year.
“Maintaining flood infrastructure is an ongoing responsibility and an ongoing task, and so tax revenues are the best way to cover ongoing operational costs, like repairs, like mowing [and] upkeep,” Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said.
If the tax rate increase passes, HCFCD officials said an additional $113 million would go directly into a dedicated maintenance fund supporting critical maintenance projects, staffing needs and new resident-focused communication.
Zooming in
Flood control seeks tax rate increase for aging projects HCFCD officials shared 36 maintenance projects as examples that could be funded should the increase pass, including eight in Precinct 4.
In the Katy area, the projects include two drainage ditches leading to South Mayde Creek and one at Northside Mason Creek. The projects focus on erosion repair, channel rehabilitation, sediment removal and pipe replacement, according to HCFCD project documents.
The maintenance projects aim to protect community businesses and residential homes near flood zones, including the more than 32,000 acres of land and over 300 homes that flooded during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Briones said.
“We saw the vast devastation and impact,” she said. “We know that that region has the Addicks and Barker dams, which are two of the most dangerous dams in the United States. We know that these weather events will continue, and we need to be as prepared as possible.”
To educate voters on the proposed tax rate increase, the HCFCD hosted a series of in-person and virtual meetings through Oct. 19.
How we got here
With the county’s continued population growth, the number of assets the flood control district has to oversee and maintain also grew. At least $1 billion in project maintenance costs have already been deferred, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen said.
While local tax incentives have supported various flood control projects, she said necessary maintenance funding has remained relatively flat over the past decade.
“This is a problem decades in the making. [The HCFCD] is 87 years old. Many large investments have been made in the organization’s history, but quite a number of them were in the ‘50s and ‘60s,” Petersen said.
Since 2000, the number of county flood assets has doubled, but maintenance investments have stayed flat, causing the life cycle of assets to grow, Briones said.
“Maintaining our infrastructure is essential to protecting the safety of residents and the resilience of our region,” Petersen said. “The funding increase would be transformative for our maintenance practices.”
What residents should know
If voters approve the measure, average Harris County homeowners with a $379,030 home and a homestead exemption would see a $60 increase per year in annual taxes, according to the county’s Office of Management and Budget.
“While residents cannot do anything to stop the above-average increase being levied on them by Harris County, one place where they can send a signal that they feel their property taxes are increasing too much is by a no-vote for the flood control district proposition,” said Mark Jones, political science professor at Rice University.
