Wylie creates municipal drainage utility, sets $5 monthly fee for homes

Wylie — The Wylie City Council on Sept. 23 adopted ordinances to create a municipal drainage utility and to add drainage fees to the city fee schedule, establishing a dedicated funding stream for stormwater repairs and maintenance.

City staff said the utility will bill a flat $5 per month for single‑family homes and charge nonresidential properties based on equivalent residential units (ERUs), defined locally as 3,500 square feet of impervious surface. Council approved both measures, with amendments, by 6‑0 votes.

The ordinances formalize stormwater drainage as a public utility under the Texas Municipal Drainage System Act and add a separate line item on utility bills labeled for stormwater. "All revenue that's collected through this will be restricted for, is restricted by law, for drainage related, service improvements," said Tommy Weir, the staff presenter. The city plans to begin collecting the fee Jan. 1, 2026.

Why it matters: City officials told the council the drainage system includes aging pipes, culverts and open ditches across Wylie and that existing maintenance funding — roughly $225,000 a year — is insufficient for the backlog of repairs. Staff estimated the needed set of projects across the city could approach $50 million over multiple decades; adopting the utility dedicates fee revenue specifically for stormwater work rather than general fund spending.

What the council approved and how it will be used

The council adopted ordinance 2025‑35 to add Article 6 (Municipal Drainage Utility System) to Chapter 114 of the city code and ordinance 2025‑36 to add drainage utility fees to the comprehensive fee schedule. Council amended ordinance language to replace references to "city engineer" with "public works director" and amended the fee ordinance to add exemptions for religious institutions, city‑owned property and county‑owned property in addition to state‑mandated exemptions cited in the Local Government Code. Both measures passed 6‑0.

Staff outlined a multi‑year, phased program for repairs and maintenance. For fiscal year 2026 staff plans to treat that year as a building year for the new fund. Beginning in FY 2027, the city plans ditch cleaning (South Jackson, Callaway, College Street, Citizens Ave.), bridge apron repairs (Peachtree Drive, Peachwood Drive), outfall work and a citywide camera inspection program. Later years would address culvert replacements, flume rehabilitation and additional ditch and inlet repairs. Weir said the city will consider equipment purchases such as a vacuum truck, chipper and, potentially, a street sweeper (estimated purchase ~$375,000) to reduce contracted costs over time.

Scope, technical details and numbers

- Stormwater network described by staff: approximately 161 miles of stormwater pipe and headwalls and about 45 miles of open drainage. - Current annual stormwater operating budget: $225,000 (staff said that amount "does not go very far" in current construction costs). - Projected citywide backlog/estimated need: "approached $50,000,000 plus," according to council discussion. - Residential fee: $5 per month ($60 per year) for single‑family properties. - Nonresidential fee: $5 per ERU; city ERU = 3,500 sq ft of impervious area. - Collection start date if ordinance enforced: Jan. 1, 2026. - Ordinance criminal penalty language: a fine not to exceed $500 (as printed in the ordinances).

Public comment and prioritization

One resident asked how the city will prioritize specific neighborhoods with urgent drainage needs. Jackie Tobar, a Wylie resident, said, "I would love to know how they're deciding who has priority to get the drainage stuff done" and urged the council to prioritize residential areas where flooding affects homes. Weir replied that current priorities have been driven by the city's call log but said results of a citywide camera inspection could change the order of work: "as we start cameraing our our system, that might change some of our priorities that we currently have today."

Council questions and budget note

Council members asked for clarification about maps, color legends and contractor vs. in‑house costs; Weir explained blue represented in‑house cost estimates and orange showed contractor estimates. When asked about annual revenue estimates, Weir stated, "So, annually, we we anticipate just over a million dollars that the city" would receive from the fee structure. Council discussed the possibility of using utility revenue to support debt financing for large capital projects in the future.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve the municipal drainage utility ordinance (Ordinance No. 2025‑35), as amended to replace "city engineer" with "public works director," authorize staff to make the changes and authorize the mayor to execute the ordinance — Mover: Councilman Dave Strang; Second: Councilman David R. Duke; Vote: 6‑0; Outcome: approved.

- Motion to approve the drainage fee ordinance (Ordinance No. 2025‑36), as amended to add exemptions for religious institutions, city‑owned property and county‑owned property, authorize staff to make the changes and authorize the mayor to execute the ordinance — Mover: Councilman Scott Williams; Second: Councilman Dave Strang; Vote: 6‑0; Outcome: approved.

What happens next

Staff said FY 2026 would be used to establish administrative processes and reserve funds; projects would begin in FY 2027. As staff performs camera inspections and prioritizes based on conditions and citizen reports, project order may change. The city emphasized collected revenue is restricted by state law to drainage‑related services and improvements.

Sources and attribution

Quotes are from the official meeting record: Tommy Weir (staff presenter), Mayor Matthew Porter; Councilmen Dave Strang, Todd Pickens, Scott Williams and David R. Duke; and resident Jackie Tobar. The council meeting packet, the published ordinances and state citations read into the record (Texas Local Government Code sections 552.053 and 580.003) were discussed on the record.