Stormwater director hints at possible HOA dues reductions, confirms fees won’t start until 2017

Stormwater Utility Director Kathy Roecker said today representatives from two different homeowners associations have approached her and volunteered the idea of reducing their HOA dues should the city assume control over all stormwater facilities and implement a fee to finance the activity.

The motivation for such fee reduction is obvious: HOAs would no longer have the financial obligation to maintain stormwater/drainage facilities within their grounds should the city take over the city’s drainage/floodwater mitigation responsibilities, a takeover that seems not only highly probable, but imminent.

"I reached out to about half a dozen HOAs in June to introduce myself, my position and the possibility of establishing a drainage utility," Roecker told me today via e-mail.. "During that time, an HOA representative mentioned the idea of lowering their dues if the utility (and subsequent fee) is passed by Kyle City Council. Wednesday night at the council meeting, another HOA talked to me about reducing dues if the utility passes. Of course, the lowering of HOA dues is at the sole discretion of the HOAs and is not connected to the city."

Roecker said residents who are paying HOA dues should contact their respective HOA boards to discuss reducing dues as a result of the city’s stormwater facilities takeover and subsequent fee implementation. The residential fee currently being discussed is $5 a month.

She also cautioned that "Neither of the two HOAs who talked to me about lowering their dues have committed to do so. The city is not requesting commitments; the lowering of HOA dues is at the sole discretion of the HOAs."

She also agreed with my earlier timetable that the earliest the city council could consider a stormwater fee schedule would be Oct. 4, but she also reminded me that the Oct. 4 council meeting has been cancelled because of conflicts with Texas Municipal League meetings and a National Night Out scheduled for that week.

She then confirmed "If council approves the utility, the city is looking at levying the fee in early 2017."