Residents in Kingwood and other parts of the city of Houston will vote on Proposition A during the Nov. 6 election, which if approved, would ensure that funds collected from a drainage fee included in residents’ water bills are only used for drainage improvement projects, Houston City Council Member Dave Martin said.

“If you vote yes, that keeps city administration from using these dollars for other general fund expenditures,” Martin said. “If you vote no, then that lock box component goes away and any administration can use the money for any general fund expenditure.”

Martin said the drainage fee was approved by voters in 2010; however, this measure is on the ballot after the language used to describe the drainage fee was contested in court. The judge ordered the city to hold another vote to clarify how the funds collected from the drainage fee can be spent.

The drainage fee is determined by how much of a person's property is made up of impervious surfaces, such as concrete, as well as the type of drainage system that is used on the property. There are different rates for the two different drainage systems residents can use on their property.

A resident using a curb and gutter drainage system pays $0.032 per year per square foot of impervious surface. With this system, a homeowner with 2,000 square feet of impervious surfaces would pay $64 annually or about $5.33 monthly.

A resident using an open ditch drainage system pays $0.032 per year per square foot of impervious surface. With this system, a homeowner with 2,000 square feet of impervious surfaces would pay $52 annually or about $4.33 monthly.