Berkshire Katy Drainage District urges Brookshire voters to approve three ballot propositions to fund drainage projects

Jacqueline Bailey, policy advisor for the Berkshire Katy Drainage District and spokesperson for the Friends of Berkshire Katy Drainage Infrastructure PAC, told the Brookshire City Council on Oct. 2 that the district will ask voters to approve three ballot propositions on Nov. 4 to pay for drainage improvements.

The measures — labeled Propositions A, B and C on the Nov. 4 ballot — would fund a capital improvement program the district says is needed to expand, deepen and maintain larger drainage channels and create regional detention basins to reduce flooding across the district. “Propositions A, B and C on the ballot are measures that are being proposed,” Bailey said, adding voters’ support would help the Berkshire Katy Drainage District continue “to keep up with these proactive measures.”

Why it matters: the district, established in 1961, covers roughly 49,000 acres in southeastern Waller County and maintains about 70 miles of drainage easements, Bailey said. District crews inspect and maintain channels and easements, and staff describe current pressures from development and several recent major rain events. Bailey and Michael McCarthy, who presented engineering details, said the district has limited funding today and cannot meet all needed large-scale projects without a dedicated revenue source.

What the district proposes: McCarthy, describing technical aspects of the plan, said the district focuses on larger drainage channels — not roadside ditches — that convey floodwaters from neighborhoods through the district toward Katy and neighboring counties. He described routine maintenance tasks (clearing trash and silt) and larger capital projects that would widen or deepen channels and construct regional detention basins so water that overtops channels can be held back before reaching homes and streets. “We only focus on drainage measures,” McCarthy said.

Bailey and McCarthy described how the district’s 30,000-foot view master drainage plan, prepared over the last two years, maps watersheds and prioritizes projects. The presentation identified major creeks (including Berkshire Creek, Kelner Creek and Bessie's Creek), examples of constrained channels (one near Newman and Solnick Road that can reach about 10 feet deep in heavy storms), and target areas for easement acquisition where the district lacks sufficient corridor width.

Costs and local impacts: the presenters offered a district-wide affordability estimate based on property values. They reported an average home value across the district of about $460,194, and an average Brookshire homestead value of roughly $200,202. Using those figures, the district estimated the cost to a typical Brookshire homestead at about $187 per year if the ballot measures pass — an amount the presentation characterized as small compared with potential flood damages. Bailey said early voting begins Oct. 20 and ends Oct. 31; Election Day is Nov. 4.

Council business and vote at the meeting: the council approved minutes from its Sept. 18, 2025 meeting before the presentation. A council member moved to approve the minutes and the motion passed. (See “Votes at a glance” below.)

What’s next: Bailey asked Brookshire voters to support Propositions A, B and C on Nov. 4 so the district can begin phasing capital projects, pursue easement acquisitions, and move toward the regional detention and channel improvements described in the master plan.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve minutes of the Sept. 18, 2025 regular city council meeting — passed. Motion text recorded as “to approve the minutes of the regular city council meeting that was held on September 18, 2025.” Mover and second not specified in the transcript. Record: “Aye.”