HOUSTON – A majority of Houston voters do not support a $5 monthly fee to improve the city’s drainage and streets, according to an 11 News/KUHF-Houston Public Radio poll released Monday.
Rice University’s Center for Civic Engagement conducted the poll, which surveyed 500 registered voters in the city of Houston earlier this month. It had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
City council placed the $8 billion referendum on the November ballot, but the mayor and council members are still working out the details of a drainage fee, which is just one part of the 20-year plan.
When asked whether they would "allow the city of Houston to charge each household a $5 monthly fee to maintain and improve Houston’s drainage and streets," just 42 percent of respondents said they favored the idea.
Fifty-three percent said they opposed it and just five percent were undecided or refused to answer.
"Usually this issue, you might expect to have a lot more undecided (voters)," said Prof. Bob Stein, 11 News’ political analyst. "(The proposal) hasn't been widely discussed. Council just put it on the ballot after the petition drive. But nonetheless, in these hard financial times, voters are opposed to this."
Supporters of the plan have estimated it would cost the average household $5 per month and commercial businesses about $90 per month, although Mayor Annise Parker is quick to point out those numbers are not set in stone.
"If we don't get our arms around the drainage and infrastructure problems and tackle the backlog of drainage and infrastructure problems, we are going to choke ourselves," Parker said.
But there has been mounting criticism from business owners that feel they will bear the brunt of this fee. Opponents say churches and car dealerships, for example, will be hit especially hard.
Parker said she opposes any exceptions to the fee, although political observers say exceptions may be necessary to secure council’s support.
A similar drainage fee was struck down in 2001. Opponents branded it as a "rain tax."
This time, a group called Renew Houston is spearheading the proposal and insists the current plan is different.
"With all due respect to your poll…it all depends on how you ask the question," said Keith Wade, a consultant for the group.
He said the 11 News/KUHF poll "oversimplified" the proposal and left out the plan’s pay-as-you-go feature, which supporters say will prevent the city from taking on additional debt to pay for infrastructure.
In response to the 11 News/KUHF poll, Renew Houston released its own survey Monday. The group claims 58 percent of the respondents liked the plan – even after they were informed of the possible fee.
According to Renew Houston, just 31 percent of the voters it surveyed opposed the idea.
"I think that the citizens of Houston will want to have a dedicated fund for drainage and streets on a pay-as-you-go basis and I believe they will support that," Wade said.
Critics of the group have said it's made up of engineers who stand to benefit most if this fee is adopted.
"I think that’s natural when you look at the issue we’re talking about," Wade said. "(The plan) was put forth by the people who understood flooding and drainage. But the over 20,000 citizens who signed that petition were from all walks of life."
There also seems to be less confidence in the government’s ability to tackle the flooding problem.
According to the 11 News/KUHF poll, just 42 percent of Houstonians surveyed thought the city had prepared their neighborhood for flooding during hurricanes, storms or severe rains.
Houston resident Isaac Morris felt the city should be able to take care of drainage without an extra fee.
"Right now I don't believe it's a good idea with the economy being bad," he said.
Morris said his neighborhood on the 6300 block of Roughlock constantly floods, Still, he said even a $5 monthly fee is too much.
