Council members at the Feb. 14 regular meeting opted to take no action on a resolution that would have called for the stormwater utility fee to go to voters in May if it had passed, Pearland City Attorney Darrin Coker said. Feb. 14 was the final day for council to call for a May election on the item, he added.
“I think we are getting to a better place and we are trying to address [problems],” Council Member Alex Kamkar said. “Nothing is going to be perfect ... but we are evolving to get to a better place.”
Pearland City Council’s decision to move away from the stormwater utility fee ends a long saga that dates back to June 2021 when council first voted to send the fee to voters in May 2022. Through pushback from citizens, the Pearland Chamber of Commerce, businesses, school districts and even churches, council members opted to look at alternatives.
“Not a single person has told me they are [in favor] of the stormwater fee,” Council Member David Little said.
City staff will now work on providing preliminary engineering reports on 12 future drainage projects that had been identified as needs in the original propositions of the stormwater utility fee. A preliminary engineering report allows for city staff to provide clearer scopes and estimated costs for the projects, according to agenda documents.
Additionally, in a unanimous vote, city council adopted the creation of a committee that will be tasked with evaluating, reviewing and prioritizing potential projects for a drainage bond referendum to provide a recommendation to City Council sometime between June 1 and Aug. 3, according to agenda documents.
The committee will consist of Pearland Mayor Kevin Cole, two council members, two Brazoria Drainage District No. 4 members, one Pearland Planning and Zoning Commission member, a Pearland Economic Development Corp. member, a Pearland ISD representative, an Alvin ISD representative, eight community representatives appointed by Cole and each council member and lastly two members of the Pearland Chamber of Commerce, according to agenda documents.
The committee will need to meet at least twice a month but can meet more if it desires, according to agenda documents, and the actual members are expected to be appointed at the Feb. 28 city council meeting.
While the committee’s timeline is in line to give council the opportunity to send a potential bond referendum to voters in November, Council Member Trent Perez advised against it because it could get lost in the national and state elections. Perez will not be seeking reelection to his seat in May, he added.
“Drainage isn’t sexy,” Cole said. “It’s not shiny ... but when the storm is barring down we want to make sure that our drainage works.”
