Having a good drainage system is generally not on the average person's priority list - at least until their house gets flooded.

Nueces County is the largest urbanized coastal county that does not have a taxing district for drainage projects.

' But Nueces County Judge Loyd Neal wants to change that.

Neal will attend the Thursday, Jan. 15, meeting of the Port Aransas City Council to attempt to persuade the city to sign on with a plan to organize a countywide drainage district (with taxing capability) to help pay for drainage projects in cities that lie within the county.

"For years Nueces County and Corpus Christi have tried to come up with a master drainage plan to understand how water flows from the northeast to the southwest part of the county," Neal said.

"Last year, about nine months ago, we contracted with Naismith Engineering to do a study that will be done in February or March to determine where the flood avenues are," he said.

The county's natural drainage flow is from the Nueces River, which feeds Corpus Christi Bay, and Oso, Petronila and San Fernando creeks.

"Based on preliminary information we have, there are two critical areas. One is the Calallen/Robstown area, and the other is between Oso and Petronila creeks down to the Chapman Ranch.

"We are looking at what needs to be done on a countywide basis. Since this is a legislative year, we have until March to file a local enabling bill to create legislation to allow Nueces County to go to the voters with a proposal to do a countywide master drainage plan," Neal said.

"San Patricio, Aransas, all coastal counties except Nueces have a plan. Naismith has a preliminary plan of here's what we need to be thinking about, but to do this we need a countywide election for a drainage district with statutory authority," he said.

Neal said San Patricio County has a 10-cent per $100 valuation property tax for its drainage district.

He said that if a district is established in Nueces County, that would mean that Port Aransas, Corpus Christi and other cities would be able to tap into county funds to pay for expensive drainage projects.

Currently, Port Aransas is completing drainage projects as it rebuilds streets.

"Port Aransas is outside the flood plain, but cities such as Port Aransas have individual drainage projects. It would be advantageous for them to support a countywide drainage plan," Neal said.

Based on a proposed 10-cent tax, the county could collect approximately $18 million annually, and divide those funds among the various cities in Nueces County.

"The county wants to be in a position to finalize a drainage plan, enable legislation, and over the next 12 months, develop how this could work and take it to the voters in the fall election," Neal said.

Nueces County Precinct 4 Commissioner Chuck Cazalas said he also will be present to talk to the Port Aransas City Council about supporting a countywide drainage plan.

"If this region has to grow it has to be a good drainage plan, because everything is flat, and it floods," Cazalas said.

The commissioner said the 10-cent tax is at this point merely a number chosen to demonstrate how a taxing district could work.

"Nothing has been set in concrete about any of that," Cazalas said.

"This is strictly for discussion. We believe this would be a major benefit, but if the constituents don't believe so, it will be just a good idea on the shelf," he said.

John Michael, an engineer with Naismith Engineering, said the county is responsible for drainage, but "unfortunately it does not have a revenue source to assist cities in drainage projects.

"No fee is collected, and drainage is probably the most expensive infrastructure the government has to deal with. Until people get flooded, it is not a priority," Michael said.

"Rain does not respect political boundaries. A lot of the engineering has been done, but the frustration is we don't want another study on a shelf with no revenue source," he said.