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Midland council backs new stormwater charge but orders audit and review after massive public opposition
Summary
Faced with heated public testimony that the proposed charge amounts to a "rain tax," the council approved a plan tied to school‑related roadway work but directed a drainage‑enterprise audit and a formal council review in 12–18 months to seek offsets or rate reductions.
The council heard an hours‑long public hearing on an ordinance to create a municipal stormwater/drainage charge intended to fund accelerated right‑of‑way and drainage improvements tied to two Midland ISD school projects. City staff said the work is contractually linked to MISD and that after credits and internal allocations the outstanding need is "a little over $13,000,000" to complete right‑of‑way improvements and related drainage work.
Isaac Garnett of Community Development and public‑works staff walked the council through a spending and funding breakdown: the original infrastructure need was roughly $28,000,000; MISD agreed to contribute more than was required by code (about $9,000,000); the city applied $1,500,000 from the water fund and absorbed $3,000,000 in permit fees, bringing the remaining amount to approximately $13,000,000 that needs an ongoing revenue source to finance pay‑as‑you‑go work and planned payments in 2027–2029.
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