Government
Additional $50M needed for Conroe water infrastructure
Around $50 million in additional funding is needed to pay for four water plants as city officials continued to express concern about Conroe’s diminishing water capacity at a Conroe City Council workshop meeting May 22. “I don’t need [the $50 million in] all one year,” Conroe City Engineer Chris Bogert said. “That can be two years. But it’s a serious impact. ... We’re currently scrambling for all the things we can do to stop the bleeding. But the answer is there’s no quick, easy fix for such a systemic problem.” Bogert also said consistent underfunding of water infrastructure has contributed to the city’s available water capacity diminishing. “We’ve been trying to correct this for many years,” Bogert said. “I’ve been here 9 years. The growth started before I got here. But each year, we go into the [capital improvement program] and request funds and the infrastructure is the last one to be filled.”
In Conroe’s capital improvement program for fiscal year 2023-24, the city budgeted $37.45 million for 17 water projects and $45.53 million for 20 sewer projects, according to the FY 2023- 24 budget document. Place 2 council member Curt Maddux asked staff if the city could use its fund balance—essentially a city’s savings account—to help fund water infrastructure. Collin Boothe, the city’s director of finance, said that could be an option, but that account must be drawn down carefully otherwise it could affect the city’s bond ratings. A minimum of 90 days of fund balance is needed in both the city’s general fund as well as the water and sewer operating fund, Boothe said. “But we don’t want to draw [those fund balances] down to the 90 days because some of the bond rating agencies are looking at those numbers,” Boothe said. “So we have to be very careful about drawing it down.”
Water Sewer Conroe’s water, sewer CIP budget
0 $10M $20M $30M $40M $50M $60M $70M $80M
$45.53M
$37.45M
SOURCE: CITY OF CONROE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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