Street Maintenance Fees
Over the last five years, the Waco City Council has focused on repair of Waco's streets.
- Funding for streets has increased from $3 million to between $25 to $30 million per year.
- Demand for repairs continued to exceed available available revenue.
- Typically, street repairs are funded via property taxes, which are based on property values.
- Note: Property values do not relate to the amount of traffic generated by the property.
About the Streets Maintenance Fee:
- Designed to charge properties for street maintenance according to the amount of traffic they generate.
- Traffic that uses city streets, creates wear and tear that must be repaired and maintained.
- This pay-for-use approach is similar to how the city charges for water treatment/distribution and drainage maintenance.
- A more equitable way to approach fairness of cost, it will provide much needed funds.
What is the streets maintenance fee?
A separate monthly fee supporting street and traffic signal maintenance in Waco.
- Will pay for materials, engineering and staff to maintain transportation systems.
- Allows tax revenue to be available for expansion and improvements.
- Will be reviewed after five years of continuous operation.
Please note, city council may advise funding street maintenance through other revenues as well.
Why do we need it?
Population growth, additional businesses and visitors have contributed to demand on our streets.
- Allows for assigning tax dollars to the Street Capacity Program rather than streets maintenance.
- Allows for continued future growth in Waco.
- Allows for funding of the Street Maintenance and Traffic Divisions of Public Works.
- In addition, it gives the City additional funding for unplanned maintenance as needed.
How much will I pay?
Single-family residences will pay $10 per month.
Multi-family housing, commercial and other properties will pay based on their estimated street usage.
- Calculating the estimated street use rather than using property taxes is a more equitable way to determine the fee for different property types.
- Fees are calculated based on the size and use of the property.
- Number of vehicles, units, parking spaces and employees are factors in the estimated demand on the transportation system.
Where will I see it?
The fee is included in your monthly Waco water bill. It will be clearly labeled as a line item.