Technicality requires redo of previous vote
By David Taylor
Managing Editor
Last November, voters in the Crosby Municipal Utility District approved $20 million in water, sewer, and drainage tax bonds, but a technical error in the notice of the election has caused the election to get tossed by the state.
“It was nothing Crosby MUD did or any fault of the voters, it was a technical error that should have been caught by the attorney’s office,” said Steve Schreiber, board president of Crosby MUD.
Schreiber said the attorney’s office would pay for the cost of the new election which will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2024.
“It was stunning for us,” he said.
“We were thinking everything is fine and dandy and were considering the order in which we were going to spend the funds, and in late January,” he estimated, “we received notice that the election had been tossed.”
Instead of spending the much-needed funds to prepare them for the coming growth and maintenance of the aging infrastructure, they are focused on the new election that occurs in four weeks.
“The May election is to simply reapprove the same bonds that were approved by the voters in November 2023,” a statement from the board read.
Schreiber said the financial situation with the MUD hadn’t changed—the bond must be passed to avoid revenue financing that would result in rate hikes that could reach as high as $50 per month for water and sewer per customer.
“It’s something we don’t want to do, but we will have no choice if the bond fails,” he said.
He emphasized that passage of the bond would result in a zero-tax increase.
“It’s just that simple. If the reauthorization election passes, the bonds will be issued over time and won’t affect customer’s rates,” he said.
Schreiber encouraged voters to return to the one poll required to host the election which would be at the district’s office at 103 W. Wahl Street in Crosby on Saturday, May 4, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Early voting by personal appearance is also at the district office at 103 W. Wahl Street in Crosby on April 22, 2024, through April 26, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and on April 29 and April 30, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For questions regarding the election, please call the MUD office at 281-328-4242.