Committee Chair Seth Thompson during Pearland City Council’s July 11 regular meeting said the committee preliminarily recommends a $90 million package for the city in a potential bond referendum.
“Staff provided a proposed bond project list,” Thompson said. “There were 26 in total, and all of them together was $150 million, but we went through and reviewed them. We were more comfortable around the $90 million stage, but we were able to get all the projects that we think directly affect homeowners.”
Thompson said the committee prioritized projects within the city’s jurisdiction and responsibility; projects that minimize, reduce or remove structural flooding; projects that can be completed or started within the next five years; and tax implications on Pearland citizens.
All projects listed from 1-23 provided by the city were recommended by the committee with the exceptions of an update of the master drainage plan worth $1.5 million; flood insurance rate map updates worth $1 million; and buyouts to the Twin Creek Woods and Clear Creek Estates Detention totaling $2.5 million.
The committee was created by City Council in February after it chose not to not to pursue a stormwater utility fee that would have gone to voters on May’s ballot. The committee’s purpose is to identify and prioritize the city’s most needed drainage projects to include in a bond. The committee met on a biweekly basis from March 23-June 1, Thompson said.
The committee consisted of Pearland Mayor Kevin Cole; council members Tony Carbone and Alex Kamkar; Pearland ISD Superintendent Larry Berger, Alvin ISD Trustee Vivian Scheibel; Jerry Koza, Pearland Economic Development Corp. director; two BDD4 members; a Pearland Planning and Zoning Commission representative; a Pearland Chamber of Commerce representative; and eight community representatives.
The committee will meet again in the fall to review updated preliminary engineering reports provided by the city on the list of projects, Thompson said. The first reports will begin to trickle in in September with the latest ones being completed in November, Pearland Assistant City Manager Trent Epperson said.
“To me, it was very critical that we got the citizens involved,” Cole said. “It was different people from all over the community.”
