In defense of MUDs
Benefiting many
Regarding “MUDs and trees” (Page B8, Friday), it’s time to quit bashing municipal utility districts without understanding how and why they exist. The municipal utility district engineers, attorneys and financial advisers are experts in weighing the cost-benefit analysis of selecting and purchasing land and digging detention ponds. Think about the alternative — do nothing and wait for the next storm to flood the neighborhood again. If that were to happen just one too many times, FEMA can take steps to purchase the flood-insured properties instead of paying out claims. Then, consider the impact to the municipal utility district’s total taxable value and the increased tax rate to meet the district’s financial needs, whether that be for debt service obligations or operations and maintenance.
The residents in the Pecan Grove Municipal Utility District should be thankful that the district has the financial wherewithal to pull it off. Many district’s don’t have that luxury. Homeowners that lost their homes on Memorial Day due to the Brays Bayou flooding only wish the Harris County Flood Control District had that kind of financial capability and authoritative power.
Kingwood wouldn’t be Kingwood, Sienna Plantation wouldn’t be Sienna Plantation. Cinco Ranch wouldn’t be Cinco Ranch, and First Colony wouldn’t be First Colony without municipal utility districts. The most significant benefit to the residents living in a municipal utility district is affordable housing. Without them, the cost of a home can easily be $50,000 higher and then some. I’ll leave it to the mortgage experts to run the calculations to determine how many families wouldn’t qualify for home loans if they had to pay an additional $50,000.
There’s a lot of talk that municipal utility districts need to be more transparent. How much more transparent can the Pecan Grove Municipal Utility District board of directors be when it meets in the community at least once a month at a public meeting place? Show up.
Randy Jones, Houston