Leaders of the Brookshire-Katy Drainage District (BKDD) held a brief town hall meeting on October 1 at the district’s offices at 1105 Kenney Street in Brookshire. The meeting was the start of a conversation leading up to a bond issue in May 2027, said Jacquie Baly, who is currently serving as outreach coordinator for BKDD.

General Manager Stan Kitzman said that the bond issue will be only the second bond issue in BKDD’s history – the first created the district, which was started 65 years ago, he said. “It was a different world then; it’s a lot different world than it was five years ago.” Up to now the district has been maintained by a crew of seven in the field, with a small support staff in the office, he said.

“We are at a point now where we have projects that need to be done, that need to be handled in today’s world at today’s expense,” Kitzman said, pointing to the rapid growth in the area. The district has managed on a 6.1-cent tax rate with no debt so far. “To do these projects, it’s going to take a little more investment and a little quicker time period than what we are used to doing,” Kitzman said.

District Engineer Michael McCarthy presented a map and a brief overview of projects that might be funded through the bond issue or through partnerships with other governmental agencies. (See sidebar for list of projects.) These projects, totaling around $140 million with $120 million in construction costs, would provide immediate benefit to the area, McCarthy said. BKDD is actively working on preliminary engineering reports for the projects now, McCarthy said.

The area is prone to flooding and water that starts here ultimately moves into Buffalo Bayou to affect other areas in Harris and Fort Bend Counties, he said. BKDD is working closely with Waller County on the plan, he said and it is in alignment with the master drainage plan that has been in development for several years. The cities of Brookshire and Pattison also don’t have a lot of funding themselves for projects of this type, McCarthy said.

Presentations on the plan will be made to various community groups during the next seven months, Baly said.

Brookshire-Katy Drainage District covers over 49,000 acres with over 70 miles of channels, Kitzman said. BKDD’s service area includes portions of the greater Katy area, including parts of the City of Katy.