On May 18, Fulshear Mayor Aaron Groff delivered the State of the City address in a video posted on the city website.
In the video, Groff covered several transportation and development projects the city has completed or made progress on in the past year, including the now completed construction on FM 1093.
“We’re super excited about the mobility that brings to our city, and we are thankful for Commissioner Andy Meyers and his efforts in making that happen,” Groff said.
Groff noted that the Huggins Drive cut-through, which was created to relieve traffic pressure from the FM 1093 project, is not a long-term solution, so the council has worked throughout the last year to attain the right of way that will allow Huggins to extend from FM 359 to Charger Way.
“The Huggins project will really begin to see some momentum in the next few days as development agreements get finalized and the county begins to work on the Huggins extension,” Groff said.
In terms of development, Groff pointed to the renegotiated municipal utility district agreements as a critical accomplishment of the city this year, saying they allow the city increased flexibility.
The city is also partnering with the Gulf Coast Water Authority and the Gulf Coast Authority in a project to bring a wastewater facility just south of Fulshear.
“That project is really picking up steam, and I’m excited for what that will mean to our community and the long-term impact that will have on our region,” Groff said.
Other city projects mentioned include finishing the first phase of the Primrose Park project, new water and wastewater lines along FM 359, and several finalized development agreements.
Economically, Groff said even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy throughout Fulshear has remained healthy. The city’s sales tax return in March was up 10% over the previous year, and while the city does not anticipate the same return for April, Groff said officials are cautiously optimistic things in the city will stay strong.
Groff said going forward he will continue to to push for legislation holding the appraisal district accountable as property values rise.
“I’m going to press forward and protect our residents,” Groff said. “I’ve already asked them to re-evaluate their plan and appraisals across the city as I believe it’s an unfair tax burden on our residents.”
The State of the City ended with Groff saying he and the council are excited for what is happening in the city and the hope that residents stay safe during this time.
“I look forward to seeing all of you in person very, very soon,” Groff said.
