First of all, I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. Given that I will be soon presenting the State of City address, it occurs to me that even though I write on December 23, 2024, going through all that has been accomplished in 2024 would be redundant and lengthy, but like holiday season presents, there is no harm in peeking at a few early, is there? Of course not! So, let’s do it.
First and foremost, in November, we passed Prop A and B, which authorized the issuance of up to 70 million dollars in bonds, 40 million for the redevelopment of Cypress Ditch, and 30 million for upgrades to our wastewater collection system. The 30 million would include enough money for the decommissioning of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), should we ultimately decide to go that route, and the creation of water detention, WHEN (right?) we get the land to create that detention, which as you know involves a land swap with the City of Houston, and any additional land we can muster in the area. I can tell you that we are also working hard to convince the State of Texas to place 54 million dollars in its base budget for a 2025 start for the balance of the money for the Cypress Ditch project. Cross your fingers folks;
Second, City Hall is now covered with new solar panels, which is a project that emanated out of our ESB Board. The production of electricity has begun, the cost savings are equally underway, and we anticipate the payoff in seven short years;
Third, we will be adding several new police officers to the force as soon as we can get them hired and trained; and
Fourth, we have authorized the issuance of our notice of the intention to issue Certificates of Obligation to buy 2.5 acres of land, literally hundreds of yards outside of Bellaire, as a home for our Public Works Department, which has, essentially, been homeless for almost 10 years. This is another huge lift for the City as this purchase will set the City up for success for decades to come.
While I couldn’t be more thrilled for us as a City with our accomplishments, challenges still remain, and big decisions await the coming year. The biggest for now is what is the ultimate fate of the WWTP? Before launching into how that discussion is shaping up, let me also remind you that we are listening to you. For example, we implemented a no right turn on red policy at the intersection of Bellaire Blvd. and Newcastle. Its goal was to make the intersection safer for all those heading to Evelyn’s Park, which is ever-growing. It has been the focus for many years, through City surveys, independently by City staff, Evelyn’s Park, City Council, and our Police Department. Candidly, we didn’t do a specific traffic study for the move. Perhaps we should have, but we thought to save the 10-12 thousand dollars for the study (which we are now doing) and keeping faith with survey results that focused on walkability and pedestrian safety. Invariably, we implemented the no right turn on red policy, and while we believe it kept people safe; we heard from many of you that it took forever to get through that intersection, cars were backing up, and perhaps that, in and of itself, didn’t further the goal of safety. We listened, took the signs down, and are now doing the study. While we are still committed to safety at that intersection, let’s see if we can’t implement a system at that intersection that makes it safer without limiting the natural flow of traffic. We will get there, I am confident. We also recently heard the hue and cry about the proposed increase in the rates for the Bellaire Recreation Center and are reconsidering those for the coming year. We know we can’t please everyone and know that we won’t, but we hope the message we are sending is that City staff and this City Council are committed to listening and getting it right for the City at large.
We are all super busy at this time of the year, so I want to assure you that no final decision has been made on the WWTP, but we are working on it. For me, the decision on what to do centers around cost, commitment, and priorities. What is the real cost of repairing it? What is the cost of replacing it? What is the cost of decommissioning it and what are our alternatives in that event? What are the benefits of getting out of the wastewater treatment business? What is the cost to maintain it if we bite the bullet and add tens of millions in debt to repair or replace it? What is the cost of service to you if we send our wastewater to the City of Houston versus the cost to you of a repair or replacement scenario, and where are we in terms of our future needs if we repair and replace the WWTP? Look, the above is not an exhaustive list, but these questions are at the top of my list.
Many of you say we should maintain our independence, perhaps, at all costs, and correspondingly, ask why we would ever rely on Houston for the treatment of our wastewater. I would offer that we no longer have a landfill, but we still collect the trash, which is what we really care about. I would also offer to those that say, where will it end, if you get rid of this, what is next? I am not persuaded by that argument and direct you to see our commitment to increasing our police force, obtaining new vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, land for our public works, and bonds for the millions necessary to improve our wastewater collection service. For me, it can’t be an emotional decision, although I understand that view, as it used to be mine. It has to make sense in terms of cost, our priorities, and our commitment to maintain the WWTP should we decide to keep it. You see, we wouldn’t be here had we always been committed to putting away chunks of money each year for the annual maintenance that is required to maintain a WWTP. We never really have. Frankly, nothing tells me things will change. We will always likely find something else to spend money on. Make no mistake, we have spent a fair amount of money over the years on the WWTP, but if we spend tens of millions to repair or replace it, which includes raising it much higher, as the area has not only sunk, but is smack dab in the middle of the 100-year floodplain, will we commit to the annual maintenance that is required thereafter? Tying into Houston’s system has real benefits as it is right across the street, but some people don’t trust Houston. It’s an issue to be considered for sure, but we will know more once we have a solid proposal from Houston to work with. I am also comforted by a few facts. First, this Houston plant services about 125 thousand homes/businesses. We would be a fraction of that service. Second, if the Houston plant has a problem with flooding, so would we if we don’t rebuild, but the cost to fix that issue would also be ours alone to include the obligation to provide service in the meantime. Third, the cost of service of sending our water to Houston would be spread out over the entire population of the City of Houston versus the 17-18,000 residents in Bellaire, which would be the case if we chose to go it alone.
In the end, this is not the place to fully flesh this matter out, nor did I intend to do so. We also don’t need to make a decision today. I did hope to provide you with a glimpse of the matters we are considering and the issues that exist. It’s going to be a difficult decision. While I can’t speak for the Council as a whole, my commitment to you is to gather as much information as I can, consider all the benefits and burdens, and make a thoughtful and supported decision that addresses our needs without sacrificing our future.
For now, enjoy the holidays, and we will get back after it in the new year.