Missouri City hears plan to close $60 million utility funding gap; staff recommends capacity focus, regional option explored

Missouri City Council members discussed a projected $60,000,000 shortfall in water and wastewater capital projects at a special meeting on April 21, 2025, after a presentation by Nicholas Cook, assistant utilities director. Cook told the council the figure represents unfunded projects over the next five years for the Mustang Bayou service area and does not include line-extension work.

Cook framed the issue as a capacity and timing problem tied to rapid growth in the Mustang Bayou area and state permit limits enforced by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. "This is a presentation that has been postponed a couple of times, and so I'm here to talk to you about the priority that you didn't know that you have," Cook said. He said the service area is adding about 500 new connections per year, currently has roughly 5,200 connections and could ultimately reach about 8,000.

The presentation and council discussion outlined why the gap exists and what options the city is weighing. Cook said capacity constraints come from supply, storage and pressure maintenance. Two near-term capacity projects on the schedule would raise the city's regulatory capacity: an upgrade to an existing plant that would add 500 connections and a new water well expected to come online in 2027 that would add about 1,000…