Resident speakers urge caution on proposed county rainwater rebate program

Public commenters urged the Blanco County Commissioners Court on June 23 to delay or oppose a proposed county rebate program that would subsidize residential rainwater-collection systems.

A resident who spoke during public comment said the one-page guidelines shared with the public do not guarantee funding and contain grammatical and substantive gaps, and argued it is unfair to financially reward some taxpayers who already collect rainwater without compensation. The speaker asked the court to remove the item from today’s agenda.

In response, a commissioner and staff clarified that an earlier draft limited any rebate to no more than the documented cost of installation and that proof of payment and receipts were the intended evidence of cost. The court discussed privacy concerns about filing receipts in public records and explored alternative designs, including a percentage-based rebate rather than a fixed dollar amount.

Speakers discussed cost estimates offered during the meeting: several participants cited typical tank and system costs in the ballpark of $30,000–$45,000 for large systems, and one speaker advised considering a percentage-based rebate tied to installation cost instead of a flat figure.

Commissioners also noted the state’s role and funding uncertainty; one commenter warned that state-level changes could affect property taxes and local spending decisions. County staff said they can refine the application to protect private financial details while verifying installation costs.

The court did not adopt a final policy at the June 23 meeting; commissioners asked staff to return with clarified application language, privacy protections for applicants and cost-estimate options to allow the body to consider a final program design.