Travis County to waive $56,000 in flood-related permit fees

Nov. 09--When an overflowing Llano River emptied into the Highland Lakes last month, Mark Hill's Graveyard Point house near Lake Travis was one of the first to flood.

"I love it here 99.9 percent of the time," said Hill, who on Thursday was ripping out wallboard at the lakefront home where he's lived for the past five years.

The first floor had flooded before, Hill said, but this time, as the lake rose to near-historic levels, the water made it well into the second floor of his home. The water line is still visible, tracing the outside of the house.

Without flood insurance, Hill will have to pay for repair costs out of his own pocket, he said. It's enough to make him debate leaving the flood-prone neighborhood altogether.

There will be some form of relief for homeowners like Hill. Travis County commissioners voted this week to waive about $56,000 worth of development fees for the repair of almost 500 structures damaged by last month's floods.

"It's a nice gesture, I guess," Hill said, "but it doesn't come close to touching all the other costs I will have to pay."

Giving residents a break on fees after natural disasters is something the county has traditionally done. The county will require applicants like Hill to sign a statement saying their insurance didn't cover permit fees. Each repair permit costs $115.

"Although it's unfortunate, we have these happen with regularity," County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said at Tuesday's Commissioners Court meeting. "The silver lining, I suppose, is that we have developed a muscle and a history for how to deal with this stuff."

The county also waived fees after the 2011 wildfire in western Travis County and the 2016 springtime flood that swamped Graveyard Point.

"Everybody's going to be able to repair their structure; it's just a matter of whether or not they're going to have to elevate them first," said Stacey Scheffel, the county's flood plain administrator.

If more than 50 percent of the pre-flood value of a structure is declared lost, the rebuilt structure will need to be elevated, according to federal standards, Scheffel said.

Commissioners on Tuesday also voted to provide assistance with debris cleanup in residential areas affected by the floods. County staffers did not yet have a cost estimate for the cleanup.

Cleanup involves directing the county's solid waste disposal contractors to place dumpsters in affected areas for residents' use and contracting with vendors for special debris pick-ups.

Assistant Public Works Director David Hunter said county road crews have been helping to clear residential debris throughout affected areas, including one of the worst hit, Graveyard Point.

"The crews are continuously making sweeps of various areas and will continue to do so," Hunter said.

The county came with cranes to Graveyard Point on Thursday morning to remove the trash and debris that was piling up on the roads. A musty smell from rain-soaked wood and mildew still wafted through the neighborhood.

"They really want all of these condemned," Hill said, looking toward his neighbors' ravaged homes. "If LCRA (the Lower Colorado River Authority) had their way and Travis County did, they would tear every house down and make a park out here."

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