Floods prove more attention must be paid to storm water management

I have not written that much of what will go down in history as the Great Halloween Floods of 2015 because others with far more resources could handle the reporting on this subject far better than I. I will say, however, that these floods proved to me something I’ve suspected ever since I relocated here more than a year ago, and that is city government must devote much more attention to storm water management. I was chagrined when I read the city’s Comprehensive Plan and there were separate sections on "Water" and "Wastewater," but not on "Stormwater." At last night’s City Council meeting, a number of residents complained flooding was exacerbated by clogged drains, directly attributable to the neglect in storm water management. During this year’s budget negotiations, I advocated for instituting storm water fees so the necessary fixes to the city’s infrastructure could be paid for without additional increases in homeowners’ property taxes. Storm water fees are calculated by the amount of impervious surface on any given property so, for example, the owners of the shopping centers with the large parking lots will bear a lot more of the cost than an individual homeowner — an example of one of the few taxes in Kyle that would fall more heavily on businesses than on homeowners. I will again be advocating for instituting storm water fees during the next budget go-round. The city has recently hired a company to perform what amounts to a streets inventory to determine what roadways in Kyle are in most need of repair. These most recent floods make the case that the city should do something similar in regards to storm water -— contract with a company known for storm water management to conduct a complete assessment of Kyle’s storm water utilities and report to council what the needed fixes are and how much they will cost. The cost of those fixes then should be paid for by the storm water fees. This city is growing. Everybody knows this. And as more city land gets paved over, the threats of additional flooding are going to increase unless the issue of storm water management is addressed. And if the city fails to do this on its own, I guarantee you the EPA will step in and order the city to take certain actions. I don’t think very many people want to see that happen.

Also during last night’s City Council meeting, City Manager Scott Sellers and Mayor Todd Webster went to great lengths to praise all the individuals who responded to the devastations caused by last week’s flooding.

"This was really a remarkable recovery," Sellers said. "That’s in large part due to the response from city staff. I started to list all the individual departments and Hays County but I just stopped because there was such an overwhelming response from everybody. Everyone did an incredible job from dispatch, public works, parks, admin. There were folks here at this building doing great, great job. But we could not have responded in the way that we did without the county’s assistance — from the county commissioners on down — everyone did an incredible job."

Sellers also thanked TxDOT for its response to flooded vehicles along the I-35 frontage road as well as at Kohlers Crossing and 2770.

"As we went around assisting and cleaning up property, I would say 90 percent plus (of Kyle residents) were extremely appreciative of the response that the city had offered," Sellers said. "That’s a community that comes together. A disaster will either bring people together or drive them apart. In the heat of things it either brings out the best or the worst in people. We’ve seen it in disasters past and we saw it very, very well with this event. So to everybody who assisted in this last event, I want to say ‘Thank you’."

Mayor Webster thanked the city staff, saying he witnessed first-hand the reactions of citizens relieved of many burdens, especially the clearing of debris, due to the rapid response from the city’s employees. He also singled out the city’s contracted trash haulers, TDS, for its response.

"This was a pretty extraordinary thing that happened," Webster said. "What I saw was that through the work of the staff it drew people together. I saw the community responding. Every house I was with you could see neighbors and friends and families working together. True, some people were upset, but the majority of people came together and it was very good to see."

Of course, some of that good feeling may dissipate as affected homeowners begin dealing with their insurance claims, but that’s another issue.