Brazos River Update: Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Today the Brazos River reached a crest of 34.7’ in Richmond, Texas and water levels will remain elevated throughout the week. The flood gates in the levee will be partially submerged for a few more days but if heavy rainfall occurs over the next week the LID 2 drainage system can still operate normally with gravity flow out of the flood gates. Maintenance pumping will also be performed throughout the week to remove as much water as possible from the drainage channels. The LID 2 pump stations have been tested, and operators are on stand-by to take further action if the forecast changes.

During any heavy rain event there may be street ponding or flooding if the storm drains are overwhelmed and backed up.  As rainfall decreases, the storm sewers will catch up and any water in the streets will recede.  Never drive into high water.

Brazos River at Richmond, TX

National Weather Service

FBCLID 2 Flood Insurance Discount

As of April 1, 2025, residents of Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District No. 2 (FBCLID 2) are eligible to receive up to a 20% discount on flood insurance policies issued by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) implemented Risk Rating 2.0 (RR2.0) and changed how NFIP flood insurance rates are calculated for your home and property. However, when FEMA implemented RR2.0, FBCLID 2 residents were not receiving the same flood insurance discounts that were applied in other parts of Sugar Land. The City of Sugar Land participates in the NFIP Community Rating System (CRS) and currently holds a rating of Class 6, with a discount of up to 20%. After several years of coordination with FEMA, the State of Texas, and the City of Sugar Land, FBCLID 2 residents will finally benefit from this NFIP discount program.

Please note that the CRS discount only impacts policies that started on or after April 1, 2025, and policies started prior to April 1 will include the CRS Discount at renewal. When renewing your flood insurance policy, please check the “NFIP Community Number”; in Sugar Land and FBCLID 2, it should read “480234”. Should your policy indicate something other than the “Class 6” rating, and your property is within the Sugar Land city limits, please call your insurance agent in order to correct the error. The formal NFIP notification from FEMA is posted for reference.

The CRS discount will only apply to NFIP policies that have reached their “Full Risk Premium”. RR2.0 dramatically increased insurance rates for some properties, so FEMA limited the premium increase to 18% per year. Please be aware that some properties in FBCLID 2 have not reached their “Full Risk Premium” and are currently receiving an “Annual Increase Cap Discount”. The CRS discount will be applied in the future to the “Full Risk Premium”.

2024 Tax Update: FBCLID 2 continues to lower tax rate

On September 18, 2024, the FBCLID2 Board of Directors unanimously voted to reduce the 2024 tax rate to $0.118 (per $100 of assessed value). This represents a 5.6%, reduction compared to the 2023 tax rate. The FBCLID 2 Board also adopted a budget for the next fiscal year that reduces overall expenses by 2.5%. While FBCLID 2 tax rates have dropped, the impact on each homeowner’s tax bill will depend on the assessed value of each individual property.

Since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the District has invested more than $85 million to enhance drainage and flood protection for all residents. The commitment to modernize all critical facilities has not only helped maintain home values in FBCLID2, but also helped increase the taxable value of all property by more than $1.5 billion since Hurricane Harvey, an overall increase of 30%. As pictured below, FBCLID2 has almost returned to the 2016 tax rate that was levied prior to the Hurricane Harvey Capital Improvement Program.

Fort Bend County Tax Assessor/Collector

As a reminder, FBCLID 2 taxpayers now receive a consolidated tax statement from the Fort Bend County Tax Assessor/Collector. FBCLID 2 residents should not expect to receive a separate FBCLID 2 tax statement. Tax statements are available online in the following location: https://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/tax-assessor-collector/property-taxes