Guide
Kyle's drainage fee and the dams
If a Kyle bill carries a storm drainage line, this is where it came from.
The facts, from the city
- Adopted
Kyle City Council adopted the Storm Drainage and Flood Risk Mitigation Utility ordinance on 15 November 2016. The fee first appeared on bills in January 2017.
- Why
The city says the October 2015 flood put 17 inches of rain on Kyle in about a day, which it calls roughly a 500 to 700-year flood.
- What it funds
A dedicated crew to maintain the drainage system, capital projects, equipment and compliance with the state stormwater program.
- Limits
Revenue from the utility can only be spent on drainage and stormwater activities.
- Dams
The city lists five dams in Kyle, advises residents to check whether they are in a potential inundation area, and reports no current risk of dam failure.
Staying informed
The city tells residents to sign up for alerts at WARN Central Texas, to check the Hays County Office of Emergency Management's water crossing and dam map, and to use HaysInformed.com for road closures.
For drainage concerns inside city limits, submit a request through Kyle 3-1-1.
What the drainage page explains
The city says a rainstorm that drops six or more inches can often close roads and push creeks out of their banks. It says many cities, Kyle among them, design infrastructure for a 10 to 25-year flood, with some built for 100-year events, and that building for a 500 to 700-year flood would be cost-prohibitive.
The utility is a fee, not a tax. The city says it is unrelated to a property's taxable value, and that a commercial property's charge depends on its impervious cover. It adds that it was not meant to cover mowing on private property, and that some drainage ditches belong to private landowners.
Projects the city lists for the money include dredging and de-silting water bodies and bridge and channel repair.
If a dam failure were announced
The dam safety page says to check whether you live in a potential inundation area, to consider flood insurance, and to keep three days of food and water and your papers in waterproof containers. It says never to drive around barricades and not to return until authorities say it is safe.
For the return home, it advises having a licensed electrician check systems before turning power on, never using electrical tools in standing water, and photographing property and keeping receipts. It also tells residents they have 90 days to file flood-related claims. That is the city's statement, so ask your insurer for your own policy's deadline.
Water is still moving. Call now.
One call connects you with an independent restoration contractor who serves the Kyle area. Then you decide what happens next.