A hearing for Collin County Municipal Utility District No. 1 (MUD), off SH 289 between Prosper and Celina, has been scheduled with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. When we started this hearing process the conventional thinking was that there was no possibility of preventing the MUD from being approved and that these types of Districts were slam-dunks with the state due to their popularity in the Houston area.

However, the Executive Director (ED) of TCEQ and their Office of Public Interest Council (OPIC) have heard enough concern expressed from Collin County cities and citizens that they are recommending that this MUD not be approved next week but that it be sent to the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) for further review.
This means that in six months SOAH would hold a hearing in Collin County concerning the MUD. This would be a court procedure between the developers and the city of Celina and Collin County. We are hoping that in the six-month period all parties can go to mediation in which a win-win solution, especially for the taxpayers, can be agreed upon.

The reason that the ED and OPIC of TCEQ (a lot of acronyms, I know) expressed their recommendation was due to the density of the development and the fact that the Collin County Commissioners Court commissioned a study which showed that this particular MUD would cost taxpayers up to $10 million over the next 20 years.

One should remember this is only MUD No. 1. In Collin County we have three more knocking on the door with others rumored for the future. In the long run this could be a huge drain on Collin County taxpayers while individual developers profit.

So, overall, this is a cautiously optimistic victory for county taxpayers that the state is considering taking a closer look at this project. Do keep in mind that the TCEQ commissioners can accept the recommendations of their ED and OPIC or they could also reject those recommendations and approve the MUD as well. However, it is encouraging that the TCEQ staff has recommended that this project not be approved at this time and given some closer scrutiny.

Representatives from Collin County, Celina and other cities were in Austin on Wednesday, December 17 at the TCEQ headquarters making our case. I would like to thank all the individuals, cities and chambers of commerce who have expressed their concern and supported us on this issue.

While it is still six years until the next official census, and we are already in 2004, the Census Bureau has recently released a statistical update for Collin County ending December, 2002. 

Population:  In 2002, Collin County had a household population of 563,000 which consisted of 280,000 (49.7%) females and 283,000 (50.3%) males.  The median age was 33.5 years.  Five percent were 65 and over; 22 percent were between the ages 45 and 64; 37 percent between 25 and 44; 7 percent between 18 and 25; and 29 percent were under age 18.   Also, 14 percent of  people living in Collin County in 2002 were foreign born.  Eighty-six percent were native to the United States, while 52 percent of those were born in Texas.

Households and Families:  In 2002, there were 207,000 households in Collin County and the average size was 2.72 people.  Families made up 70 percent of the households and non-family households comprised the remaining 30 percent.  Most of the non-family households were people living alone but some were also comprised of people living together in which no one was related to the householder.

Education:  In 2002, 91 percent of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 48 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher.  Among people 16 to 19 years old, 10 percent were dropouts.  The total school enrollment in Collin County was 155,000.  Pre-primary enrollment was 20,000 and elementary and high school enrollment was 102,000 students.  Total college enrollment was 33,000.

Occupations:  Among the most common occupations for Collin County residents in 2002 were 50 percent management/professional; 29 percent sales and office; 9 percent service occupations; 7 percent construction/maintenance; and 5 percent production and transportation.  Eighty-three percent of the people employed were private wage and salary earners; 9 percent were federal, state, or local government workers; and 8 percent were self-employed. 

Also in 2002, over 85 percent of Collin County workers drove to work alone, 8 percent carpooled, 1 percent took public transportation, and 2 percent used other means while the remaining 3 percent worked at home.  Among those who commuted to work, it took them an average of 26 minutes one-way.

Income:  The median income of households in Collin County, in 2002, was $70,292.  However, 5 percent of people (28,000) lived in poverty which is defined as a family of four making less than $18,400 a year.  Five percent of all children under 18 were below the federal poverty level, compared with 6 percent of those 65 and over.  Three percent of all families and 19 percent of families headed by single females had incomes below the poverty level.  Overall, six percent of all households in Collin County received means-tested public assistance or non-cash benefits.

Housing:  In 2002, Collin County had a total of 218,000 housing units of which 5.2 percent were vacant.  Of the total housing units, 69 percent were single-unit structures, 28 percent were multi-family housing and 3 percent were mobile homes.  Fifty-two percent of all housing units were built after 1990.

As Collin County continues to grow, these numbers reflect both how we live and our challenges for the future.  For example, with an aggressive growth rate coupled with 85 percent of residents commuting alone, roads and air quality will continue to be issues.  Also, while it is amazing that over half of Collin County's 218,000 housing units were constructed between 1990-2002, this trend will most likely accelerate if MUDS and other special developer districts take hold in Collin County which, in turn, will bring about even more challenges for our schools, parks, and roads.

For more information concerning MUD or other issues, please check my website at
www.joejaynes.com.