HOUSTON – Colleges and universities will be exempt from Houston’s drainage fee due to state law, Mayor Annise Parker said Wednesday.
Voters approved Proposition 1, now known as “Rebuild Houston,” by a narrow margin last month. Prop 1 supporters had said the fee would only cost the average homeowner $5 a month to improve the city’s crumbling infrastructure.
During Wednesday’s City Council meeting, Parker laid out, for the first time, her timetable to implement the drainage fee by July 1.
She wants a draft ordinance by the end of January, a public hearing by March and a council vote by April.
But that will likely be difficult -- especially since the mayor now says that state law exempts colleges and universities. That even includes private institutions like Rice University.
Meanwhile, local school districts will still have to pay. HISD administrators have said this will force them to lay off dozens of teachers.
When 11 News asked whether this was fair, Parker blamed the state legislature.
It's unclear how much the college exemptions will drive up the cost for homeowners.
Parker also said Wednesday that there is a possibility that school districts might be able to enter into an interlocal agreement with the City of Houston, meaning they’ll get some sort of credit for infrastructure improvements they pay for on their own.
The mayor is fighting against any exemptions not required by state law. She claims that of the eight large cities in Texas with drainage fees, none exempt churches and only two – Austin and Lubbock – exempt schools.
Opponents plan to take this fight to the state legislature next month. But first, they’re suing the city. The group, which includes church leaders, is asking a judge to overturn the fee.
"The ballot language, we know, was intentionally vague,” said David Welch, a spokesman for the Houston Pastors Council. "This impacts every taxpayer in the city."
