DISTRICT INFORMATION

Advance Emergency Preparedness Plan Ensures your Water District’s Readiness for Natural Disasters

Many, many years ago, Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District No. 25 (the District) was like most other MUD’s: The District was comprised of only one subdivision, one water plant, the tax rate was high ($1.85 per $100.00 of evaluation) and every action taken was a reaction to a current crisis, which was expensive and caused many disruptions in serve to the residents. However, times have changed and the changes occurred over 15 years ago to ensure the District is/was ready before a natural disaster occurred. A new board of directors, 15 years ago, decided that a change in operational behavior was necessary to improve fiscal results and to ensure excellence in customer service. The mechanism utilized to facilitate the accomplishment of the objectives noted included:

1. The development and implementation of a mission statement
2. The development of a short and long term strategic plan, to include capital improvements
3. The construction of additional facilities that created redundancy in the facilities to minimize the opportunity for system down time
4. Emergency natural gas generators are in place at every facility to eliminate the need for location and delivery of equipment and fuel supplies in an emergency. Hence, all pumps and motors will be functional for power if electrical sources go down, eliminating the need to wait for fuel deliveries or trying to secure generators from outside supply sources.
5. A proactive maintenance program that allows for a progressive, planned repair approach to reduce emergency breakdowns and repairs.
6. Planned growth through annexation that has allowed the District to reduced taxes from a high of $1.85 per $100.00 of valuation of years gone by the new rate voted this year of $ 0.84 per $100.00 of valuation.
7. Depreciation has been added as a line item in the operations budget to assist in stabilizing and rebuilding reserves.

While no organization, to include municipalities, can guarantee continual service during a regional disaster, such as a category 4 or 5 hurricane, the District’s Emergency Response/Preparedness plan was designed to minimize the opportunity for a loss of service to our residents. Other items included as part of emergency readiness include:

Restocking chemicals and other critical supplies well in advance of know emergencies to ensure enough supplies on hand to facilitate operations for two weeks.

Trucks are topped off with fuel in advance of impending events and the fleet is decentralized to minimize potential loss.

Only essential staff remains on duty during the imminent arrival of a known catastrophic event but those identified as essential staff, to include the Incident Commander, move on site and remain until the danger or threat has passed.

The District’s billing software and accounting databases are exported to out of town locations to maximize safekeeping and the ability to recreate information should it become necessary to do so. Additionally, all computer files are printed and copied to external hard drives, important documents such as contracts and insurance files, and additional computer equipment, are sent to cold site storage facilities identified as outside the potential disaster area.

Staff, during catastrophic events, go to facilities or respond to resident concerns in groups of two.

Battery operated communication equipment as well as emergency radio equipment is already on site.

Extra motors are on site for water plants so that in the event of water infiltration, motors can be replaced immediately.

Should the public water supply become contaminated, notices will be posted on the bulletin board in front of the District’s administrative building and signs will be posted at the entrances of each subdivision within the District.

Residents can contact the District at its main number 281-277-0129, and follow voice prompts for emergency requests. However, if the phone system fails, you may try to contact the Assistant General Manager, Operations at 832-256-3202 or the Acting Chief Operator at 281-904-0024. Please keep in mind, that if cell towers are adversely impacted, direct contact may not be possible until tower service is restored.

The District’s philosophy is this: Municipalities have only one thing to offer to their residents and that is service. As such, the services provided must be at the highest levels reasonably attainable. The facts indicate that every step the District has taken during the last 18 years has been successful in accomplishing their goals. So when a catastrophic event is identified that may affect our District, residents may rest assured that your district has an emergency plan in place that was developed and implemented some time ago that should minimize the opportunity for a loss of service and/or downtime.

Dear Resident:

RE: Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Maps

Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District No. 25(the “District”) would like to take this opportunity to inform you that FEMA has developed its preliminary Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM) for portions of Fort Bend County, Texas. The DFIRM is FEMA’s efforts to update flood hazard maps so that they accurately reflect current flood risks. To learn more on how the preliminary DFIRM’ s affect your area, the District would encourage you to do the following:

1. Visit the Fort Bend County Drainage District’s website, https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-services/drainage-district/floodplain-map, to use their interactive mapping tool and determine how your area is affected by the preliminary DFIRMs.

2. Contact your insurance agent to discuss the preliminary DFIRMs and how it
affects your area. The District suggests that you discuss the benefits of
purchasing flood hazard insurance now versus at a later date. The District encourages its residents to evaluate all of their options regarding these preliminary flood hazard maps. If you have any questions about the preliminary maps, please contact a representative listed on the Fort Bend County Drainage District’s website.

BOARD ANNOUNCES POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR USE OF DISTRICT MEETING FACILITIES

The James Cupp Meeting Center is available to be used by groups and individuals as a benefit to the residents of the District, as well as the local community. The facility is adjacent to our Operations office and is located at 18310 Old Richmond Road, Sugar Land, Texas 77498. The District will block out the times during which all or part of the Meeting Center will be used by the Board or for District purposes, and the remaining times shall be available for use by groups in accordance with the procedures and policies adopted by the board.

Any group or individual may reserve the James Cupp Meeting Center on a first-come, first-served basis, after completing a Reservation Application Form provided by the District. The form must be signed by persons over eighteen years of age who agrees to be ultimately responsible for the facility use and to be present during the use of the Meeting Center.

The form must be accompanied by the appropriate deposit.
Once the application is reviewed, accepted, and the reservation is acknowledged by the District’s representative, the fee must be paid 10 business days prior to the scheduled event. No User shall allow any group or individual to use the James Cupp Meeting Center during the User’s term of occupancy other than those making the application and approved for use of the Center. For questions, information, or clarification, call (281) 277-0129 ext:5405 or 5309

PDF Attachments

James Cupp Policy and Procudures
James Cupp Reservation Application
James Cupp Meeting Center Brochure

Craig Rathmann, Rauscher Pierce Refsnes, Inc.

The District is authorized to finance the acquisition or construction of water supply and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and storm drainage facilities (the “System”) with the proceeds of bonds which the District sells at competitive sale to bond underwriters. These facilities provide the District with the means to drain storm water from the land located within the District’s boundaries, and to provide District residents and other customers with drinking water and the ability to flush their toilets.

Since the District lies within an unincorporated area of Fort Bend County, the District is the legal entity which is empowered to provide such services. The District is limited by Texas law to the activities in which it may engage, including the uses which it may make of any funds which it borrows. Therefore, once the District’s water, sewer and drainage system is complete, the District will typically only sell additional bonds to rehabilitate or upgrade the system.

The District pays principal of and interest on the bonds which it sells with the proceeds of the District’s debt service tax. The District levies the same tax rate on all property located within the boundaries of the District. The interest payments which the District pays on the bonds are exempt from federal income taxation — they are “tax exempt” bonds. Tax-exempt bonds bear interest at rates which are significantly lower than taxable instruments.

The District’s Board of Directors has worked diligently over the years to minimize the District’s borrowing costs. Recognizing the need to minimize the taxes which District taxpayers pay while, at the same time, providing the services to which District residents and other customers are entitled, the Board has sold bonds at times when interest rates have been most favorable. They have refinanced District debt when savings might be achieved and have worked very hard to improve the District’s credit. The Board has succeeded in this to the extent that the District has been able to obtain municipal bond insurance on recent District bond issues, and the District is now able to obtain very high ratings on its bonds and minimize borrowing costs, including interest payments.