Schertz council to weigh drainage fee increase and water agreements Oct. 13

Residents could pay $3 more per month for drainage under a proposal council will consider Oct. 13. The meeting also covers water-service agreements, a permit hearing and senior-center survey results.

By Comal.News Government Desk · Source-linked local reporting

Published October 7, 2026 at 12:52 AM CDT3 min read

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A blue drainage channel curves through pale grass toward a low brick building with a teal roof and surrounding trees. — Illustration: A drainage channel winds through a grassy landscape toward a municipal-style building; it does not depict the council meeting.Original editorial illustration; not a photograph and does not depict the reported event or an exact property.Comal.News Visual Desk · Original illustration · Source ↗ · Comal.News original illustration ↗

Schertz City Council is scheduled to consider raising the monthly drainage fee from $8 to $11 per home equivalent at its Oct. 13 meeting.

The current monthly drainage fee is $8 per home equivalent. Under proposed Ordinance 26-M-032, the increase would be $3 a month for one home equivalent, affecting the drainage portion of a customer's bill. Council will consider the proposed FY2026–27 fee schedule as item 9; the figures are a proposal, not a new charge already in effect.

City staff estimates the $3 monthly increase would generate about $800,000 in additional revenue for debt payments on $8,375,000 in drainage projects. The finance memorandum identifies work including FM 78 South Channel silt removal and improvements at Wendy Swan, Kramer Farm, Woodbridge, Portage Lane, Morning Drive and Oak Forest. Those project references explain staff's stated purpose; they do not establish that each project will be approved at this meeting.

The proposed fee change would take effect Nov. 1, 2026, or on the next bill after that date, if council adopts Ordinance 26-M-032. The same item proposes raising the refundable hydrant-meter rental deposit from $200 to $900 and increasing a replacement fee whose proposed new amount is not specified in the retained finance memorandum. Staff also proposes changing police-fee category labels without changing their amounts. Residents comparing bills should distinguish the proposed drainage increase from those other fee-schedule edits.

Water, infrastructure and other purchases

Consent items 2 through 8 include a proposed IH-10 water-main replacement contract, a playscape-shade purchase, a North Area Sewer Service Study task order, a Main Street grant for 519 Main, management-services agreements for the Schertz Seguin and Cibolo Valley local government corporations, and a water and wastewater easement release. These are separate proposed actions within the consent portion of the agenda; their placement there does not establish that council has approved them. Residents interested in water service or the location-specific work can use the numbered items in the official agenda to find the corresponding records.

Item 10 proposes a Motorola/BRINC pilot drone-as-first-responder program quote. The posted agenda also schedules an item 11 public hearing on a specific-use permit for automobile repair. Council may hear testimony and consider that permit at the meeting; the agenda alone does not resolve the application.

Senior services, streets and water goals

A presentation is scheduled on the Schertz Area Senior Center's annual membership survey results. Workshop item 12 is a streets update, and workshop item 13 concerns Cibolo Valley Local Government Corporation water-rights goals. Those discussions may help residents understand service priorities, but the listed presentation and workshops are not themselves recorded decisions.

The agenda also lists approval of earlier minutes as consent item 1, reports on projects in progress as information item 20, and council requests before adjournment. The Sept. 15 council agenda scheduled budget and tax hearings and a water-supply workshop; it provides recent meeting context, but it does not establish the outcome of those earlier matters or decide any Oct. 13 item.

How to attend and what to check afterward

The Schertz City Council regular meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 13, 2026, in the Council Chambers at the Hal Baldwin Municipal Complex, 1400 Schertz Parkway, Building #4, Schertz. The agenda provides a Hearing of Residents period with up to three minutes per speaker. It also lists closed-session notices concerning litigation, Project Cool Cat economic-development discussions and the city manager's evaluation, followed by possible public action items 17 through 19. A closed-session notice is not a public decision; any later action must be checked against the meeting record.

The next verification point is the Oct. 13 meeting record: check the official agenda by item number now, then the posted minutes or other verified outcome record for the fee vote, consent items, permit hearing and any public action after closed session. The item 9 finance memorandum gives the proposed drainage figures to compare with whatever council ultimately adopts.

From the source record

Proposed monthly drainage fee · dollars per home equivalent

Current$8

Proposed$11

Proposal for council consideration Oct. 13; no decision is reported here.

City staff's proposed Ordinance 26-M-032 would raise the monthly drainage fee by $3 per home equivalent.Source: Schertz City Council item 9 finance memorandum.