Cibolo council directs staff to develop plan after Saddle Creek Ranch residents raise floodplain and access concerns

Cibolo City Council directed staff on Oct. 13 to prepare a plan for cataloging and addressing drainage and detention‑pond maintenance in neighborhoods where homeowners’ associations (HOAs) manage large open‑space drainage areas.

The vote followed more than two hours of discussion and public comment focused on Saddle Creek Ranch, a Cibolo subdivision whose HOA members told the council they inherited roughly 20-plus acres of floodplain and detention areas they cannot afford to maintain. Staff said the city currently maintains about 450 acres of city drainage channels and that roughly 375 additional acres are HOA‑maintained; staff estimated a fully loaded day of drainage work at about $3,633 and a one‑time remediation job at Saddle Creek would cost about $18,163.

The request grew out of citizen concerns that new phases of development and blocked or single egress points raise public‑safety and emergency‑access questions and that HOA‑owned floodplain parcels are increasingly silted and overgrown. Charity Rodriguez, the Saddle Creek Ranch HOA president, told the council: “We already have the approval for the next development, and there's 92 homes in just that area, not including the other 2 that we already have. … The traffic impact study would provide that information … and we have been unable to get that as well.”

Councilwoman Katie Cunningham framed the issue as part of a longer planning problem: “This is kind of the result of a bigger issue where we've had and allowed developers to as part of our code … turn over floodplains” that HOAs cannot realistically maintain. She urged the city to address both the immediate backlog and longer‑term policy changes to the Unified Development Code so future subdivisions do not create the same maintenance burden.

Public Works staff outlined current capacity and costs. Chris Gomez, presenting the drainage division briefing, said the division maintains more than 450 acres of city drainage channels, easements and open spaces on a roughly six‑week cycle, with higher‑visibility areas every two weeks. He said last fiscal year staff identified roughly 375 acres of HOA‑maintained drainage features. “To give city council a breakdown,” Gomez said, “our drainage division fully loaded cost for one 8‑hour day: Labor is about $1,300; equipment is about $2,300; total cost is $3,633.” He added an estimated scope for Saddle Creek Ranch: “3 days to do underbrush clearing, 1 day of just clearing trees, and then 1 day just for mowing, which would be a total of $18,163.”

Council members debated options including: (a) one‑time remediation paid by HOAs or shared funding, (b) a city program modeled on the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program that would allow limited, prioritized public‑fund assistance for private‑owned open space, (c) pursuing grants, and (d) engaging a consultant to produce a drainage master plan and an inventory of HOA parcels. City staff said a consultant‑led inventory and master plan—needed to quantify backlog and budget requirements—would likely require outside funding and could cost in the mid five‑figures to low six‑figures depending on scope; staff said they had applied for drainage grants in the past without success.

After discussion the council voted to direct staff to: (1) develop an inventory approach and baseline assessment for HOA‑maintained drainage/open space; (2) return options for a limited city program that would allow HOAs to request assistance (including cost‑recovery models, scheduling, and limits tied to staff capacity); (3) research how other cities handle similar requests; and (4) identify potential funding paths, including grant pursuit and possible capital or program reallocations. Councilmember Cunningham made the motion; Councilmember Hicks seconded it; the motion passed and staff will return with proposed options and cost estimates.

Council members and neighborhood speakers repeatedly emphasized this is both a local safety issue and a planning/policy problem tied to subdivision approvals. Councilwoman Donetta Roberts warned about liabilities if the city were to do work on private parcels without clear cost‑recovery or engineering oversight. City staff and legal counsel reminded the council public funds cannot be gifted to private entities; any city assistance that does not cover full cost would require proper findings and a legal mechanism.

Staff said the next steps will include (a) scoping the inventory/master plan needed to quantify immediate backlog and ongoing maintenance needs, (b) researching grant opportunities and examples of other municipal programs that assist HOAs, and (c) developing one or more policy options for council consideration that identify funding, cost‑share expectations, and guardrails to limit city liability.

The council’s direction stops short of obligating general fund dollars; staff will return with concrete options, estimated costs and legal analysis before any commitment of city funds.