The city’s capital improvement program, which issues debt-incurring bonds to fund construction, is far behind the curve in dealing with the situation. According to at-large City Council member and engineer Stephen Costello, 65 percent of the city’s drainage and street infrastructure — valued at over $10 billion – is beyond its useful life.
That’s why the Chronicle strongly endorses Proposition 1 on the ballot this November, also known as the Renew Houston initiative. It would amend the City Charter to create a dedicated fund for drainage and street repair paralleling a similar arrangement for water and sewer services.
The average homeowner would pay about $60 a year and businesses a little over a thousand dollars annually. The program would be authorized for two decades and would raise $8 billion.
I would have liked for them to respond more forcefully to the bogus arguments of the do nothing brigade, but I’ll take what I can get. I don’t really have anything else to add at this point. You know where I stand. We’ll see how the vote goes.