Oak Forest Residents Oppose Drainage Fee
Community says city, county passing buck on flood control
by Mary Lee Grant

When it rains, residents in the Oak Forest area can't sleep at night, said Janice Gabriel, president of the Mangum Manor Civic Club. They stay awake because they are worried that their homes will be flooded, yet again, by nearby bayous and creeks.

Neighborhood associations in the area are working to get the city of Houston and Harris County Flood Control District to work together to address problems that may seem small on a citywide basis, but that are crucial to individual homeowners.

The groups plan to organize a meeting with various governmental bodies to address the flooding problem soon. In the meantime, Oak Forest neighbors unanimously voted against the city of Houston's proposed drainage utility fee, hoping to come up with a better solution to the area's flooding problem.

Houston city officials are proposing a $5-$7 month fee to finance a citywide flood control plan. It would be included in the city's fiscal year 2004 operating budget and capital improvement plan. At issue is a proposal for the city's drainage utility fee, which would finance improved citywide storm water control.

"What we need is a unified plan to control flooding," said Lindsey Lee, president of the Oak Forest Homeowners Association, which includes about 5,200 houses in the area between 42nd Street, Ella Boulevard and U.S. 290.

"What we are seeing is a unique turf war in terms of what each group doesn't do. The city, the county ... each entity seems to think controlling flooding in this neighborhood is someone else's job."

Lee said the neighborhood has united in its opposition to a citywide drainage fee, fearing the money would be used for other purposes.
"Basically, we don't trust the city," Lee said. "We are afraid we would sign on and then we still wouldn't get any attention paid to our situation. We feel the city would find a way to circumvent it."

But city of Houston Public Works Department spokesman Gary Norman said city workers are busy in the area.

"In the last 365 days we have done 5,472 feet of regrading in those two neighborhoods and responded to 22 requests for ditch maintenance," Norman said. "That's almost a mile of work. If they are still having problems, I would suggest they call 311 to see if anything needs to be touched up or any additional work done. It is pretty obvious we are doing our job."

At its monthly meeting in April, the Oak Forest Homeowners Association unanimously passed a resolution opposing the drainage utility fee proposed by the city.

"Residents of Oak Forest believe the proposed drainage utility fee is a short-sighted, poorly developed attempt by the city of Houston to solve a problem of its own doing," Lee said. "Our residents view the proposed fee as the city's attempt to pass a tax increase by hiding it as an allegedly temporary fee.

"Considering the amount of funds needed to repair the city's drainage system, residents do not believe the drainage utility fee will be temporary. Further, they are not convinced the additional fee would be used for maintaining the drainage system since the city of Houston continues to use funds from the water and wastewater fund for other purposes."

The group also opposed the drainage fee because its members believe that governmental entities working together is the key to solving the flooding problem, Lee said.

"The residents of Oak Forest are also concerned that the city's efforts will not be effective until the city of Houston and Harris County coordinate their efforts to manage and control flooding in the area," Lee said. "At the meeting, residents expressed they would most likely support a comprehensive, well thought out plan for drainage and flood control that was developed and supported by all governmental bodies within the flood plain -- not a piecemeal, stopgap solution like the city's proposed drainage utility fee."

He said much of the flooding in the neighborhood comes from Brick House Gulley and White Oak Bayou, near T.C. Jester Boulevard.
Other problems arise from lack of maintenance work in flood-prone areas, Lee said.

Homeowners association First Vice President Greg Ryden said that when a recent 54-inch storm sewer line was repaired on Ella, it was found to be half-full of sediment.

"Our understanding is that drains are only repaired on an ad-hoc basis, according to whoever complains the loudest," Lee said. "As a result, many of our streets flood, even those far away from Brick House Gulley."

Gabriel said she recently held a meeting to address flood control, which 100 people attended. She hopes future meetings with the county and the city will bring solutions.

"I get the impression from the county that they just think our neighborhoods are Podunk entities that aren't worth bothering with," she said.

When she complains to various government groups, they tell her about Federal Emergency Management Agency programs in which homes in the area could be bought out, she said.

"But we don't want to get bought out," Gabriel said. "There are people who were born here and who want to die here -- and not in a flood."

She said the neighbors are opposing a plan to build apartments near Brick House Gulley, thinking that it will create worse flooding.

"What we would like is for the county to buy some of the flood prone area and make a park out of it," Gabriel said.

Ryden said that many of the issues could easily be dealt with, if only some group would take responsibility for doing them.

"Most of these problems are fixable," Ryden said. "But they become big problems when you don't have scheduled maintenance."