Sanitary sewer

Voters in seven states, including Florida, Wyoming and Oklahoma, will decide Election Day ballot measures to cap, shrink or phase out property taxes, marking the largest such revolt since the 1970s. Florida's measure would raise homestead exemptions and open a path to eliminating nonschool property taxes; Wyoming's would cut assessed home values by half.

Critics point to California's 1978 Proposition 13 as a cautionary precedent: it slashed local property tax revenue, led to higher impact fees and other taxes, and is linked to worsening housing shortages and rising home-price-to-income ratios. Economists across the political spectrum, including Milton Friedman and Joseph Stiglitz, have defended property taxes as efficient and hard to avoid, complicating the push for sweeping cuts.

The coastal community of Matagorda, Texas, has been without a post office since early 2019, when the lease on its original building expired. Residents have had to drive about half an hour round trip to the Wadsworth post office roughly 10 miles away to receive mail, documents, and medication, a burden some say they cannot easily afford.

After local resident Bill Gerstenberger raised the issue earlier this year, USPS said in January that a replacement facility would open within "several weeks." Ten months later, the building remained closed amid repeated delays tied to utility hookups, equipment installation, and staffing to deliver equipment. USPS has now told reporters that full operations at the Matagorda Post Office are expected to resume as early as this week, barring unforeseen issues, calling the project a "top priority." Residents remain skeptical after years of unmet promises, with some saying the delays reflect broader neglect from county, state, and federal officials toward the small community of a few hundred people.

A city-commissioned feasibility study finds that South Apopka, an unincorporated, majority-Black Orange County community excluded from Apopka's boundaries by a 1937 ordinance, could legally be annexed into the City of Apopka. The study covers about 1.93 square miles and roughly 4,063 residents, and concludes the area meets state criteria for being compact, contiguous and urbanized. However, it projects new property-tax revenue of about $1.31 million annually against roughly $6.87 million in added service costs, a preliminary $5.5 million shortfall that excludes utility fees, state revenue sharing and other potential income sources.

Major projected costs include 18 additional police officers, a new $17 million police substation, a new fire station, 25 additional fire personnel, and decades-long sewer infrastructure expansion. Annexation would require an ordinance, public hearings and a referendum of area voters, with no immediate change expected. City commissioners discussed sending the study to Orange County and beginning the ordinance process, with a public vote possibly in 2027 or 2028.

Former state Rep. Kamia Brown and incumbent Commissioner Mike Crabb are headed to a November runoff for Orange County (Fla.) Commission District 2, under newly redrawn boundaries covering Apopka, Clarcona, Lockhart and Ocoee. The League of Women Voters of Orange County hosted a forum where both candidates agreed on protecting the Wekiva River basin, with Crabb citing septic and sewer infrastructure fixes and Brown calling water quality a public health priority.

The candidates diverged on other issues: Crabb emphasized faster traffic-technology upgrades, while Brown focused on transit education and locating affordable housing near public transportation.

A key flashpoint is Florida's Amendment 3, which would raise the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 and lower the non-homestead assessment cap, requiring 60% voter approval. County officials estimate potential revenue losses of about $165 million in 2027 and $275 million in 2028. Brown called the measure a "tax shift" rather than relief, favoring more time for state action, while Crabb voiced concern over the scale of cuts but said it's premature to decide specifics, noting heavy MSTU reliance for fire services.

S&P Global has revised its outlook on Houston's Combined Utility System (CUS) from stable to negative, while affirming its AA+ credit rating. The change follows a city decision to shift the Waste and Recycling budget from the general fund into CUS, a move that stabilized Houston's general fund outlook but added financial strain to the utility system. S&P said it will watch how the city plans to raise revenue to cover the added costs.

Houston has already introduced a $5 monthly waste and recycling fee on water bills, which could climb to $25 per month over six years, drawing resident criticism. S&P expects water and sewer rates to rise further as the city pursues a large capital plan requiring significant debt or cash funding. A downgrade isn't imminent, but officials warn one could raise borrowing costs. Mayor John Whitmire said the city plans to meet with S&P again in January to address the utility fund's finances.