The Katy City Council voted Aug. 24 to advance a proposed $0.420 property tax rate and annual budget. Residents will get two chances to weigh in at public hearings before final adoption.
Mayor Dusty Thiele announced a public hearing on the proposed budget at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at City Hall, 901 Avenue C. A second hearing on the proposed tax rate follows at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at the same location.
The proposed budget would generate $1,508,112 more in total property taxes than the current year, a 5.8 percent increase, according to agenda documents reported by the Katy Times. Of that increase, $241,066 is expected to come from new property added to the tax roll. As we reported Sept. 3, the proposed rate is lower than the current rate, though rising property values mean most homeowners would still pay more.
The council also approved waterworks and sanitary sewer bonds of up to $20.6 million to finance new water treatment facilities. Councilmember Johnston Dietz said city staff accurately forecast the capacity need.
First-ever KPD police auction
In a separate vote, the council authorized an agreement with PropertyRoom.com Inc. to sell unclaimed property held by the Katy Police Department. Police Chief Byron Woytek called it the department's first such sale.
"Some items in the department's property room had been there for 20 to 30 years," Woytek said, adding that the sale would free up space. Some items will be shipped to Tennessee for disposition, while jewelry will go to Meyerland for appraisal.
The program carries no cost to the city. PropertyRoom.com splits the first $1,000 in proceeds 50-50 with KPD. Beyond that, KPD keeps 75 percent. No auction date has been announced.
$79,000 for Igloo Road repairs
The council approved $79,000 in METRO funds for emergency asphalt repairs on Igloo Road, where heavy truck traffic has caused significant deterioration and vehicle damage, according to agenda documents.
Mayor Pro Tem Gina Hicks questioned the repeated repairs. City Engineer David Kasper said the full road replacement is seven to eight years away. The current resurfacing is expected to extend the road's life by three to five years until a permanent concrete roadway can be developed with Waller County, Waller County Road Improvement District 1 and possibly the City of Fulshear.
Other actions
The council annexed four acres in Fort Bend County for commercial development. At TxDOT's request, the council also approved new speed limits along Highway 90 within city limits: 50 mph near Woods Road to just west of Schlipf Road and from east of Choctaw Lane to Tubular Road, 45 mph from Tubular Road to near Caroline Street, and 35 mph from Caroline Street to the centerline of Buffalo Bayou.
