[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6607108,"mediaKeyId","2956548-e58752a91bc965bc30f51abe780e8d04","parentId",2956548,"title","U.S. Army Corps says Freeport flood-protection work suspended; Velasco Drainage District outlines local upgrades","audioSeconds",746,"startMs",231000,"endMs",977000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2956548-e58752a91bc965bc30f51abe780e8d04&start=231&end=977","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2956548-e58752a91bc965bc30f51abe780e8d04/thumbnail_231000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6607108/Clute/Brazoria-County/Texas/US-Army-Corps-says-Freeport-flood-protection-work-suspended-Velasco-Drainage-District-outlines-local-upgrades","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6607108-189dc2cccf1517b92f1373eb3571fbdc/orig.mp4?Expires=1776040513&Signature=SIOQ~oBfAo7aX5PqE5nRzVVVra7NKrpSgGaI59R38zwNilY0e7yx94867~q05NFcD0TbCf8UV8W6EBgaiYEEk0x5NF75tBhWFoJMNZItPal0WOa~RtSHA81hlBjQ-3AhwI6O4FKnaBsbKN~99GKirri-ZKOPbw3z~qmr1THZeGCkTO-MKsJamoXEPkxzPRdLD865B5vXzJ80~gqK5j8vPIy36V1VLFyJjlWzmjv991DWJsnYGKLignGdxrorzkBP8n-WvSKCOqfP6gWX4DhDp2K9zClwJztKIM~hE5fpANTkDawacLFU79z-aJ5ptE7sfe-Ugg8ABSyOfzMFAAvHrQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Clute","date","2025-04-10T00:00:00Z","article","The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the Clute City Council the federally authorized Freeport portion of the Sabine Basin Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) project is being placed into closeout and will not be constructed through the Corps’ current federal program.

Project manager Eddie Rigoyan, with the U.S. Army Corps’ Galveston District, said the Freeport project has been on suspension since April 2024 and that the Corps is finalizing closeout work at the request of the non‑federal sponsor, the Velasco Drainage District (VDD). Rigoyan said the project will remain authorized by Congress but that future work would require a new Project Partnership Agreement and new funding.

“The project has currently been on a suspension status since last April of 2024, and we are moving to finalizing and closing the project,” Rigoyan said. He described the original 2018 authorized plan as including roughly 13.1 miles of levee raising and 5.5 miles of flood wall plus a floodgate in the Dow Barge Canal; a later scope reduced those quantities.

Rigoyan said the Corps spent roughly $77.5 million on design and related activities for the three‑area CSRM project (Freeport, Port Arthur and Orange), with about 65% federal and 35% non‑federal cost share. He described work completed to various design percentages and said recent work produced a Post‑Authorization Change Report to document scope changes and costs.

Velasco Drainage District assistant superintendent David Youngblood told council members VDD intends to continue its own resilience work independent of Corps construction. Youngblood said VDD is upgrading the East Levee Frontal Pump Station by adding three engines, gearboxes and pumps to raise capacity from about 1,240,000 gallons per minute to about 2,050,000 gpm. He said the district’s overall pumping capacity will increase to about 5,000,000 gpm as other stations receive upgrades.

Youngblood said VDD is also replacing aging engines whose parts are no longer manufactured, raising levees to meet FEMA requirements and pursuing FEMA certification for the federal portion of the system. He described levee raises ranging from “four‑tenths of an inch to a foot and a half” in places to address subsidence and said VDD has already raised about 1.37 miles in the Oyster Creek levee system.

Both speakers emphasized that, though the Corps project is being closed out, the authorization remains in law and the non‑federal sponsor or another non‑federal sponsor could restart the process under a new partnership and seek funding in future federal budgets.

Council members asked for clarification about who would pay for any future work, whether state partners were participating in nearby efforts, and the status of data the Corps has collected. Rigoyan said the Corps will provide data gathered (survey, geotechnical and design work) to the non‑federal sponsor for its use. Youngblood said VDD is budgeting current funds to carry out its local work without additional federal dollars and will continue to use the Corps’ 404/408 coordination process for modifications that affect federally regulated structures.

The presentations left several practical matters for local officials: what VDD would fund directly, how much of the original Corps‑authorized scope would be needed to achieve local risk‑reduction goals, and how FEMA certification actions would proceed without Corps construction. Council members also asked whether state programs (for example, the Gulf Coast Protection District partnership referenced for other areas) were available to VDD; Youngblood said the district’s area is not part of that program without broader county participation.

The Corps and VDD encouraged the public to consult the Corps’ project web pages and story maps for updates and to contact agency staff with technical questions.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Clute - Regular Council Meeting - Apr 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the Clute City Council the federally authorized Freeport portion of the Sabine Basin Coastal Storm Risk Management project is being closed out at the request of the non‑federal sponsor; the Velasco Drainage District said it will continue upgrades to pumps and levees without federal construction.","taxTitle","Clute, Brazoria County, Texas","taxId",64454,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6607098,"Council approves engineering MSA extension, rejects mattress disposal fee, sets replat hearing",446,1444000,1890000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2956548-e58752a91bc965bc30f51abe780e8d04&start=1444&end=1890","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2956548-e58752a91bc965bc30f51abe780e8d04/thumbnail_1444000.jpg","/articles/6607098/Clute/Brazoria-County/Texas/Council-approves-engineering-MSA-extension-rejects-mattress-disposal-fee-sets-replat-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6607098-affe6ccf7c413ba7c76aefb1790f552b/orig.mp4?Expires=1776040513&Signature=gTQFi6p~QnNwxm9SkzllDNSx3d7yCNzLvzK2Ux9fDwToMrgd08MUoDLhUrb7u8EcRKih1H-qotWb5mgoYMWe4-QCRBiMzq~~6AFMOMbS2fMQ96L2lzdrg02--ccEsWdp7PV5rDkZeg~d9ZHxlvAK-VmJKYH6JFnbHSgsUnyBusgV4m3MecAYN2Y3vYz200JDl8awg3WIeLgYVlfMGfkIssaRpe-CY8cdAGA1TeqwVi1IeCuDXKa3q~YlwHTJiqHEfkn1zHvV8vX4TDJXVs-o3x-SeEAY7ryzzh8Ra~MHMA7hiFMuk8nxpTN2flLWEE0e9h5SM5t6e2TLkcoevYqD5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Clute City Council took a series of routine motions and formal votes during its meeting.

- The council unanimously approved Resolution No. 17‑2025, extending the city’s master service agreement with McManus Payne (formerly McManus Johnson) for professional engineering services for one year. Councilmember Nicole Maddox made the motion; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

- The council unanimously approved Resolution No. 18‑2025, rejecting Waste Connections/Seabreeze Landfill’s proposed separate mattress collection and disposal fee (a $65 per mattress surcharge cited by staff). City staff and council members said the city’s 2008 disposal partnership contemplated annual CPI adjustments and that an unnegotiated, unilateral surcharge would unduly burden residents. The motion to approve the resolution was made by Councilmember Chris and seconded by Councilmember Maddox; the vote was unanimous.

- The council unanimously approved Resolution No. 19‑2025, accepting the Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation for a preliminary replat of property at 910 Brockwood (a 0.59‑acre tract to be split into two tracts) and set a joint public hearing on May 8, 2025, at 7 p.m. The motion was made by Councilmember Catherine Aguilar and seconded by Councilmember Bond.

Council also approved the consent agenda and minutes by unanimous voice vote at the start of the meeting.

","The Clute City Council unanimously approved a one‑year extension of a master service agreement with McManus Payne Engineers, formally rejected a proposed mattress disposal surcharge from Waste Connections/Seabreeze Landfill, and approved a preliminary replat and joint public hearing date for 910 Brockwood.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6607103,"Council splits responsibility on one disputed utility bill, denies another appeal after meter test",3835,2115000,5950000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2956548-e58752a91bc965bc30f51abe780e8d04&start=2115&end=5950","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2956548-e58752a91bc965bc30f51abe780e8d04/thumbnail_2115000.jpg","/articles/6607103/Clute/Brazoria-County/Texas/Council-splits-responsibility-on-one-disputed-utility-bill-denies-another-appeal-after-meter-test","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6607103-df851f12d2832f7031c650159d0cff39/orig.mp4?Expires=1776040513&Signature=PSE8lMcHt0YjqjFVbZIi8emqsxlZrTHqWBpQom1IFGdOjk5Z9lOVU64-zGBS~XrPDErzmpweC81eC2O9AtlB-Hcj4fo~G~-WW1S17u~z5adi--qiGeXm56hx3heVPllqica0Tswz-4beroidNA0bJlMOAodvxYhp3cs1aLFbhoruaTwFWT41E1eDjtafSzSQCBVL6bJ4SsBdXuS-J7t6MFpv9dGt3fpfnrNZRGu0E6XvsybuvNQqu0sZJwaR1xxEQc8wZL3GFRPRaYpCU6Aq~syxAI9zNcPr420eSpOWyDIgwPSpQUlwzMewpXCm4Brf2kbSLNYTb898bHHoKhhcdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Two customer appeals over large water bills drew extended council discussion and differing outcomes.

An owner representing a commercial building at 456 Brazosport Boulevard asked council to cancel about $3,500 in charges after staff said the account had been disconnected in June 2022 but later showed continuous water use from April–May 2023 while the building was vacant. The owner said the meter and valve are under city control and that the property had been secured; staff said the meter was turned off but not locked and that someone had reopened service while the account was inactive.

City staff told council the period of anomalous use totaled about 293,400 gallons and generated roughly $3,500 in charges. Staff also said the municipality’s monitoring flags anomalous use only on active accounts; because the account was inactive at the time the usage occurred, the system did not automatically flag the event. Council members discussed whether the city should bear some responsibility for not detecting the use sooner and whether the meter infrastructure can be secured against tampering.

Council voted to charge the water usage to the property owner but to credit or reduce the sewer portion of the bill to reflect the city’s share of responsibility for not flagging the inactive account. A motion recorded by council specified the water charges remain the owner’s responsibility while the sewer portion would be reduced; council voted unanimously.

Separately, a hotel operator appealed a separate high bill he said was caused by a faulty meter. Staff said the meter had been removed and tested by an independent company in October 2023 and that the test showed the meter was accurate. Staff told council that the recorded usage passed through the meter and that council policy and municipal ordinance require property owners to pay for water that registers, even if where it went after passing the meter is not known. The hotel operator said he had plumbers inspect plumbing and disputed where the water could have gone; council members pressed him to mitigate losses and accept offered payment plans. Council concluded the evidence supported the city’s billing and required the owner to make payment arrangements; the chair said the council had already decided in a prior session and repeated that decision at the meeting.

Both appeals included extended exchanges about meter testing, where water recorded by a meter might go (for example, into a sewer or a pool), and what constitutes adequate notice when anomalous usage appears on an inactive account.

","Councilors voted to charge a disputed commercial water bill to the property owner while crediting the sewer portion; an earlier appeal involving an anomalous hotel water bill was denied after the city reported the meter tested accurate and the water registered as used.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

U.S. Army Corps says Freeport flood-protection work suspended; Velasco Drainage District outlines local upgrades

Council approves engineering MSA extension, rejects mattress disposal fee, sets replat hearing

Council splits responsibility on one disputed utility bill, denies another appeal after meter test