Copperfield Joint Operations Board (CJOB) officials, the board that manages the sewerage treatment plant, increased their residential sewer rate by $1.00. This increase will be passed on to our residential customers. The new monthly sewer rate will be increased from $14.00 to $15.00.
Officials of the WHCRWA will increase their rates on January 1st. This fee is passed through to all MUD 208 customers. The WHCRWA rate passed through to residential customers will be $3.75 per 1,000 gallons of usage and is specifically itemized in your monthly water bill. This rate increase will show up for your February water usage (~March 1st bill). The money collected is paid to the WHCRWA and is not part of our MUD’s operational budget. Please remember that the WHCRWA is not part of the Harris County government and gets none of its funds from Harris County property tax, nor does it have any taxing authority. All of its funding for the entire project is derived from the fee on water usage.
There are no new alerts for the District.
The Board of Directors of Harris County MUD 208 (the district) voted to decrease the 2020 MUD Property Tax Rate to $0.40 per $100 valuation. The total tax rate consists of $0.085 per $100 valuation to pay the District’s debt service and $0.315 per $100 valuation to fund maintenance and operation expenditures for the next year. Please keep in mind this rate is for the district only. Other entities, including the county, school district, hospital district, etc., set their own rates.
The Board of Directors also authorized Bob Leared Interests, the tax assessor-collector for the district, to mail duplicate tax statements in January 2021. These statements will be mailed to homeowners whose original tax statement was requested by and mailed to a mortgage company AND remains unpaid at the time of the January mailing. If you receive a DUPLICATE TAX STATEMENT, this is your reminder to contact your mortgage company to ensure their timely payment of your MUD taxes by January 31, 2021. If you receive a statement, but escrow your taxes, it is your responsibility to forward the tax statement on to your mortgage company.
You can view, pay, and print receipts for your MUD tax account online at www.bli-tax.com or through the Bob Leared Interests link on our website, www.harriscountymud208.com There is an additional processing fee when making online payments. In addition to paying through the website, you can pay the district taxes by phone, by calling OPAY Customer Service at (800)487-4567 between the hours of 7:00 am and 7:00 pm CST. You must tell the representative you need to pay your TEXAS taxes. You will need your account number which begins with “229”. There is an additional processing fee when making payments by phone.
If you have not received your 2020 Harris County MUD 208 tax statement by the end of November, and you are unable to locate your account online at www.bli-tax.com, please contact the tax assessor-collector at 713-932-9011 to discuss your tax account.
BOB LEARED IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH DOXO.COM
Fall is back and with it, the crisp cool air in the morning! One thing we all need to remember as Houston’s temperatures begin to drop and we enjoy the beautiful weather outside, is to adjust our sprinkler systems. We have noticed in the past, that some residents choose to leave their sprinkler systems on during the winter. Remember leaving them on can cause the grass to become shallow and unhealthy. The basic rule of thumb is to turn off your sprinklers during the winter months.
H.C. M.U.D #208 recommends our residents
TURN OFF the sprinkler system and winterize the pipes
when it’s time to set our clocks for daylight savings time.
Don’t forget about your sprinkler system! Sprinkler systems need to be winterized as well, since the PVC pipes are so close to the top of the ground, making them susceptible to a hard freeze. This will include at a minimum, your back flow preventer and depending upon the systems, some valves and pipes. Your back flow preventer is a brass device that sticks up out of the ground about a foot or two. Proper insulation of the back flow preventer and its piping protects it against leaks. If your system has a drain valve, you might also consider draining the system before a hard freeze is expected in the area. Water standing in the pipes can freeze, which could lead to unwanted leaks.
Only you have control over your sprinkler system!
When the clocks “Fall Back” don’t let your irrigation get off track!
Turn your sprinklers OFF for the winter!
EVERY DRIP COUNTS!
With many following the recommendations of health officials to clean and sterilize frequently touched surfaces in the home such as counter tops, faucets and door knobs, there has been a surge in backed-up sewer lines as people discard used disinfectant wipes, baby wipes, napkins, paper towels and other paper products into the toilet. Unfortunately, these items are not designed to and do NOT disintegrate like toilet paper. The result is clogged sewer lines and backed up, overflowing toilets. To avoid back-ups and overflows, ONLY FLUSH TOILET PAPER.
Consumer Reports notes that companies currently advertise their wipes with terms like “safe for sewers and septic”, or promise that the product will “break up like toilet paper”. But this is simply not the case, “Flushable wipes are a consumer’s dream come true but every plumber’s nightmare,” Did you know it only takes a few of those wipes to get hung up in your sewer line before you have to call the plumber and pay hundreds of dollars to have your pipes snaked.
The question comes down to how quickly a “flushable” product breaks down in water. Consumer Reports tested many of the leading brands of toilet paper and “flushable” wipes and concluded that all of the wipes completely failed the disintegration test, while even the strongest, thickest toilet papers squeaked by with a low passing grade.
So, it’s pretty simple, just keep inappropriate items (disinfectant wipes, baby wipes, napkins, paper towels, etc.) out of your toilet and out of the sewer system. This not only can save you hundreds of dollars, but keeping wipes out of the main sewer lines could save your utility district thousands of dollars.
For the sake of your plumbing, dispose of wipes in the trash can. Remember keep those wipes out of the pipes, don’t believe the hype! Flush only the 3 P’s Pee, Poo and toilet Paper.