Katy officials provide update on $19.5 million 2018 flood mitigation bond package

By R. Hans Miller | Times Senior Reporter
Posted 5/26/20

In 2018, city of Katy voters approved a $19.5 million bond package with three propositions that would allow the city to upgrade certain parts if its infrastructure to mitigate flooding in the city. …

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Katy officials provide update on $19.5 million 2018 flood mitigation bond package

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In 2018, city of Katy voters approved a $19.5 million bond package with three propositions that would allow the city to upgrade certain parts if its infrastructure to mitigate flooding in the city. With hurricane season on the horizon, Katy’s Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris and City Administrator Byron Hebert provided an update on the progress of the projects associated with the bond package.

“The biggest challenge that we have is to make sure that all of the projects are going to get done because these were estimates when we had to go and tell voters that we’re going to sell bonds,” Hebert said. “So now that we’re getting hard numbers I wanted to make sure that $1.25 million that we were going to (use to) do the First Street bridge – well let me hold onto that, because I can use (Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County) funds to get that done.”

Hebert said the city is trying to use the bond funding authorization efficiently by supplementing it not only with transportation improvement funding from METRO but also funding from General Land Office grants, the organization in Texas charged with distributing federal Hurricane Harvey relief funding.

Proposition A: $4.25 million

The Firs Street Bridge project is part of the 2018 bond package’s Proposition A, a bond package in the amount of $4.25 million dollars to be used to elevate the First Street Bridge to allow better flow of water out of the city and into the Willow Fork Branch of Buffalo Bayou. The remainder is to be used for improvements to the drainage system along Katy Hockley Road, Hebert said.

“We went to the Katy Development Authority and have gotten them to agree to use METRO funds for the $1.25 million, so that allows us to keep that bond authorization in case some of these other projects are overrun or cost us more than what the estimates were,” Hebert said.

Hebert said city staff is working to establish funding for the Katy Hockley Road project as well. While the city has the authorization to sell bonds now, Hebert said he is looking at property values and city revenues to ensure any bonds sold for the project don’t exceed the city’s ability to pay for the bond debt.

“Another thing we could do if we can’t issue those bonds is we could go back to KDA and use METRO funds to expand and do the drainage for Katy Hockley Road,” Hebert said.

Proposition B: $10.25 million

The Pine Forest and Riceland Terrace subdivisions were the focus for this portion of the drainage bond package, according to city records. Work in Pine Forest has been completed Harris and Hebert said.

Magnolia Ditch has been dug out in the Pine Forest subdivision, then lined on the bottom and sides with concrete to make it easier to maintain capacity over time, Harris said.

Harris said the city has already gone through Riceland Terrace and dug out the ditches to restore them to their designed capacity. However, the remainder of the work in Riceland Terrace will be done using grants from the GLO.

“The plan is the city is going to do the work out of bond funds and a GLO grant is going to pay for part of that project,” Harris said. “That project is to convert ditches in the neighborhood to a modern storm sewer drainage system that then drains to the new Town Park Detention Pond.”

Hebert said the goal of the storm sewer project is to get water out of neighborhoods and into the detention pond as fast as possible to mitigate flood risks. Patna and Fortuna drives will have the improved storm sewers installed beneath them and city staff have area residents will be informed before work begins that may limit access to driveways.

Hebert said he expects the engineering for the Riceland Terrace projects to be completed in time for the next Katy City Council meeting June 8 so he can ask the council to approve asking for bids for the expansion project.

Expansion of the Pitts Road detention pond was also part of Proposition B, Harris said. Funding in the bond allowed the city to purchase land around the already-existing pond and then expand it by about 14 acres.

“We’re just about 25% complete and that is a 14-acre expansion of the current regional detention pond that’s at that location, so there’s a 40-acre regional detention pond that is there right now and this bond project was a 14-acre expansion of that. They’re digging it right now – so it’s about 25% complete,” Harris said.

Proposition C: $5 million

Voters authorized the city to raise $5 million in bond funding through Proposition C in 2018 as well. Funding from this portion of the bond package is to be used for increasing capacity of the city’s wastewater treatment facility on the south side of I-10, between FM 1463 and Pin Oak Road.

“We did issue $5 million for the expansion of the sewer plant, which is Prop. C, so that’s been already issued and we have the money and now it’s in the design phase at Clay and Leyendecker,” Hebert said.

Clay and Leyendecker, Inc. is the city’s engineering consultant.

“All the projects we had voted on – we’re going to make sure that all of those projects get done,” Hebert said. “Either from METRO or through bonds or through grants.”

Correction: The projects in Riceland Terrace are expected to be finished with engineering in time for the June 8 city council meeting. The article has been corrected above to reflect that. 

Katy, Drainage, Mayor Pro Tem, City Administrator, Byron Hebert, Chris Harris, Proposition, Bond, METRO, First Street bridge,