A municipal utility district (“MUD”) is a governmental entity that is created by and operates under the Texas Constitution and Chapters 49 and 54 of the Texas Water Code. A MUD provides water, sanitary sewer and/or drainage services to customers located within the boundaries of the MUD. In addition to those services, MUDs may also provide public safety, garbage/recycling collection and disposal, fire-fighting, roads and recreational facilities to the communities that are within the MUD. Trail of the Lakes Municipal Utility District (the “District”) is a MUD.
The governing body for a MUD is a five (5)-member board of directors that serve staggered four (4)-year terms. Board members, or directors, are elected by qualified registered voters of the District. The Board is made up of a president, vice president, secretary and other officers deemed necessary. The Board of Directors (the “Board” or “Directors”) of the District can be found on the Board of Directors page.
A MUD board is comprised of persons who are elected officials of a governmental entity, just like a mayor, congressman or president. MUD boards members are elected by qualified resident voters i.e. registered voters that reside within the boundaries of the MUD). Homeowners associations (“HOA”) are corporations formed by real estate developers to market, manage and sell homes, and set and enforce rules and regulations for the community or subdivision. While HOA boards are elected, they are elected by the property owners within the community or subdivision and their votes are usually weighted by the number of properties each owns.
To see a boundary map of the District, visit the Map page. In addition to various commercial properties and a school, subdivisions located within in the boundaries of the District include the following:
- Atascocita Forest;
- The Park at Atascocita Forest;
- The Forest;
- Clayton’s Park; and
- Clayton’s Park East subdivisions.
The District currently utilizes groundwater that is pumped from various wells within the District, into the District’s water system and then to the privates properties located in the District. The wastewater from your residence enters into the District’s wastewater collection system and is sent to the District’s wastewater treatment plant for processing.
A MUD finances all capital improvements (plants, lift stations, water and wastewater lines, etc.) through bonds or other debt obligations that are paid for out of debt service taxes (and sometimes water and sewer revenues). MUDs pay for the operations and repairs and maintenance of its facilities (chemicals, electricity, repairs, consultant fees, mowing, etc.) through water and wastewater revenue (primarily water and wastewater rates and fees) and, when available, an operations and maintenance tax. A MUD also may finance certain recreational facilities, such as parks and trails, through park bonds. If a MUD is not authorized by its voters to implement an operations and maintenance tax, funding comes solely from water and wastewater revenue.
The purpose of operations and maintenance tax is to provide an additional source of revenue to operate and maintain a MUD and its facilities so that there is a more even distribution of available sources of revenue—operations and maintenance taxes and water and wastewater rates. Implementation of an operations and maintenance tax distributes the lion’s share of the operations and maintenance costs to the larger property owners with higher property values within a MUD, who usually place the most burden on the water and wastewater facilities—commercial properties, developers, landlords that own many properties, etc., and reduces the burden on residential property owners. As development in a MUD increases, taxable values and revenues increase thereby spreading the tax burden to a larger number of property owners. Additionally, implementation of operations and maintenance taxes generally slow the timing of increases to MUD water and wastewater rates.
This portion of your bill is comprised of water and wastewater charges. Water charges are based upon your monthly consumption of water as measured by your individual water meter. Wastewater charges are a flat rate and also include a component for solid waste (garbage)/recycling collection (see No. 9 below).
Fees you will find on your monthly bill include:
- West Harris Country Regional Water Authority (“WHCRWA”) groundwater reduction plan pumpage fees (a pass-through flat rate per 1,000 gallons based upon your consumption of water as measured by your individual water meter). For more information about the WHCRWA, visit its website at whcrwa.com; and
- Security fees (a pass-through fee so the District may pay its monthly charge to Harris County for its contract for law enforcement services by Harris County Constable’s Office, Precinct No. 4 (the “Constables”).
There are several ways you may contact or address the Directors:
- You may email the Directors directly. Their email addresses can be found on the Board of Directors page.
- You may attend and speak during the public comment portion of the District’s Board meetings which are regularly held on the last Monday of every month at 12:00 p.m., at the offices of Coats Rose, 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046.
- You may write a letter addressed to the Board to be reviewed and considered at the Board meetings. Letters may be sent to Trail of the Lakes Municipal Utility District, c/o Coats Rose, 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046.
The Board meets on the last Monday of every month. Occasionally, a special meeting may be necessary. You may find agendas posted on the Atascocita Forest swimming pool bulletin board located at 17415 Woodland Hills, Humble, Texas 77346; at the Harris County Courthouse; and on the District’s website under the Board Meetings page.
The Board does not regularly meet in the District because the Board has been unable to determine a location within the District that will accommodate the number of individuals who regularly attend the Board meetings that is open to the public. Renting a facility monthly is costly to the District. Board meetings are held at the offices of Coats Rose, 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046, the District’s attorney. The District’s attorney does not charge the District a fee for holding its meetings at its offices and such location is conveniently located for easy access to the District’s consultants who regularly attend the Board meetings. The Directors regularly discuss potential resolutions to the District meeting space issue and the Board’s goal is to find a location that is cost-effective for the District.
The District has a text notification system to provide users with alerts to District-related information. Please click on Emergency Notification to sign up for such text notifications for your subdivision.
Other services the District provides are solid waste (garbage)/recycling collection and security.
Additionally, the District will soon be offering recreational amenities that include parks and trails. More information regarding the parks and trails can be found under the District Services link.
The District entered into a contract with Harris County so that law enforcement/patrol services to the District and its facilities would be increased and improved. The Constables, under the contract, offers bike patrol, vacation watch, response to home alarm systems and also handles matters relating to computer crimes. The District currently contracts six (6) deputies to cover all four (4) subdivisions, the District’s facilities and the commercial areas located throughout the District. Questions or concerns regarding District security matters should be sent to Directors Kim Pendleton and Troy King.
No, the District does not maintain any social media accounts, (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn). Any social media accounts, pages or groups utilizing the District’s name (Trail of the Lakes Municipal Utility District, Trail of the Lakes MUD, or TOTLMUD) are not affiliated with or endorsed by anyone associated with the District and should not be referenced for information related to the District. The District’s website is active and updated regularly as information becomes available. We invite you to check back here for any updates regarding District-related matters.