SUGAR LAND, Texas – T-minus 28 days until the communities of New Territory and Greatwood officially become part of the city of Sugar Land.
Starting Dec. 12, the city will provide municipal services to an additional 30,000 people, including police and fire protection.
“I think it should be fine. I don't see any issues with it. I'm fine with it,” said Priti Kadakia, a Sugar Land resident.
The city says the transition will be seamless, and according to Sugar Land’s mayor, residents won’t see a decrease in the level or quality of service nor will they be paying any additional taxes.
“When we started this process, that was the one thing we had to confirm all the way through, and staff did,” Mayor Joe Zimmerman said.
But during a recent City Council workshop, Councilmember Mary Joyce raised a red flag, telling her colleagues that the more she looked at the budget, the more questions she had and that the facts did not support the outcomes.
“As an elected member of the Sugar Land City Council, I feel it is my fiduciary responsibility to look out for our tax payers and residents. It appears the city is now redefining what they consider level of service," Joyce said. "A new Dispatch/Emergency Operations Center and Animal Services facility was presented as a NEED to maintain level of service upon annexation of Greatwood and New Territory adding 30,000 residents in every workshop leading up to City Council’s vote to annex. These projects were slated for completion in 2018/19. They have now been put off beyond 5 years.”
During her presentation, Joyce also said she reached out to three different independent experts in the field of debt service and budget and they confirmed that her concerns are legitimate.
“We take these questions very seriously,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman said he stands by the numbers the city has and looks forward to getting to the bottom of the concerns brought to the table by Joyce.
Zimmerman is going to suggest the city’s outside auditor look at her numbers at next Tuesday’s City Council meeting.