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Council approves wide-ranging code amendments to align flood, subdivision and utility rules with federal and design standards
Summary
Council approved amendments to multiple chapters of Waco’s code to align floodplain rules with NFIP/FEMA guidance, update subdivision procedures, and align utility meter testing with AWWA standards.
The Waco City Council on June 3 approved an ordinance amending portions of the City Code covering flood prevention, streets and sidewalks, right-of-way management, traffic and utilities and the subdivision appendix to conform to federal programs and adopted local design standards.
City staff told the council the package updates chapter 11 (flood prevention and protection) to align with National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA policy recommendations, adds or clarifies variance requirements, permits certain accessory structures without a floodplain variance and adjusts building-height and freeboard rules to match previously adopted stormwater design criteria. The revisions also update meter testing specifications in chapter 26 to American Water Works Association standards and revise Appendix B (subdivisions) to streamline definitions, preliminary plat administrative approvals for minor corrections, and performance guarantee rules.
Assistant Director (staff) said the Planning Commission recommended approval by an 8–0 vote on May 27. Staff described a performance-guarantee change that would require a guarantee equal to 25% of the engineer’s estimated cost when a developer elects to bond improvements rather than construct them before plat recordation. "The value of the 25% cost, requiring a performance guarantee is more of our optional process for bonding a subdivision," staff said, explaining the city needs adequate protection if improvements are not completed.
Council members had no substantive questions at the meeting and no public speakers addressed the item. On a roll-call vote the ordinance passed with Council Members Fairfield, Lozano, Porter Root, Ewing, Chase and Holmes voting yes.
Staff said other changes remove design requirements duplicated in recently adopted street, stormwater and water/wastewater design criteria and update titles and references to reflect a departmental reorganization. The amendments are intended to improve administrative efficiency (for example, allowing administrative approval of certain preliminary plat corrections) and to ensure consistency between the city's code and technical design standards the council adopted earlier in the year.
