At the September meeting, your all resident Sedona Lakes MUD Board of Directors approved a tax rate decrease for the 5th consecutive year. The Board approved a total tax rate of $1.135 per $100 of assessed valuation for the 2025 tax year. This rate is a reduction of 1 cent from the tax rate last year.

Technical details:

The total tax rate consists of three components: Maintenance and Operations Tax rate of $0.40 (1/2 cent reduction from prior year); Debt Service Tax rate of $0.485 (same as previous year); and Road Service Debt Service tax rate of $0.25 (1/2 cent reduction from prior year).

Homeowners’ tax bills may not reflect similar reductions if the Brazoria County Appraisal District increased the assessed valuation of their homes.

Residents will receive the Sedona Lakes MUD tax bill in the mail from the MUD’s Tax Assessor-Collector, Utility Tax Services. The tax bills should be going out at the end of October.

In addition, the Board authorized the issuance of bonds to reimburse Landeavor LLC, the former Sedona Lakes developer, for costs related to the construction of water, sewer, and drainage facilities that serve the MUD and authorized the use of operating funds to reimburse the developer for costs related to the construction of road facilities that serve the MUD. With these final payments, the Board believes the MUD has fulfilled its remaining outstanding reimbursement obligations to the developer.

With the latest snow forecast for Tuesday, Best Trash will be closed for regular operations tomorrow, January 21st.
The tentative schedule for the rest of the week is below:

• Monday:    Regular service day.
• Tuesday:    Closed.
• Wednesday: Delayed start.
• Thursday:   Delayed start.

Note: If the landfills close due to inclement weather, Best Trash cannot run routes on those day(s).

The guidelines are subject to change depending on the actual weather conditions.

If Best Trash is unable to run routes on your scheduled service day, your pick-up will be on the next scheduled service day.
If plants die due to the weather, they will be considered storm debris and handled accordingly.

The Sedona Lakes MUD #1 Board of Directors is excited to announce that after many months of planning, design is underway on a new park facility to be located at the end of Kestrel Ridge Court. Amenities will include off-street parking, playground area, dog park, 4 pickleball courts, a half-court basketball court and flexible play field. Construction is expected to begin in summer of 2025.

With freezing temperatures right around the corner, it’s a good time to refresh ourselves on precautionary measures for drops in temperature and cold weather.

The Four P’s to Prepare your Home this Winter:

• People
• Pets
• Pipes
• Plants

People

• Avoid going outside if it is not necessary. If you do, make sure you layer up from head to toe.
• To keep you and your family safe, it is imperative your home is warm.
• Make sure your heat is set to an appropriate temperature to make your entire home comfortable. Remember, heat rises so if you sleep upstairs, your room may be warmer than rooms downstairs.
• If you use a fireplace, make sure you have a screen to catch any embers that might escape or a rolling log.
• Never use your stove or oven to heat your home.
• If you smell smoke or see flames, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Pets

• While protecting your family, it is imperative to protect your pets as well.
• Pets, like humans, are vulnerable to cold temperatures. If not taken care of properly, they can succumb to frostbite and even hypothermia.
• If you have a dog that typically lives outdoors, consider letting them inside when temperatures drop to freezing. While their fur does help to keep them warm, it provides little help in freezing temperatures.
• If you absolutely cannot bring them inside, make sure they have a warm shelter, plenty of food and fresh water so it does not freeze.
• If your pet looks like it has any symptoms resembling frostbite or hypothermia, call your vet.

Pipes

• Turn off the sprinkler system shut-off valve. Most residential devices have two shut-off valves. These are typically covered in blue on the valve handles and located before and after the sprinkler system backflow device. A diagram is shown below.
• Release the water pressure from the bleeder valves. The bleeder valves are usually located under the top of the backflow device. If the water does not stop flowing you may have not shut the valves off completely.
• Leave the smaller bleeder valve open, this will let any remaining water in the line expand without breaking the device. Insulate your backflow device. Most hardware/home services stores carry backflow insulation supplies.
• Make sure to cover all your exposed pipes with a cover. You can also cover your pipes with towels, duct tape or another adhesive strip as long as they are wrapped tightly.
• You can also open up the cabinets to let warm air circulate throughout your home. Just make sure any harmful chemicals are out of reach for children and pets.

Plants

• When cold weather hits, it’s a good idea to bring in all of your outdoor plants.
• If you can’t bring in the plant, cover it with a blanket to make sure they do not die.

Other Tips

• Don’t forget to make sure your car is okay for the freezing temperatures. Check your anti-freeze and your batteries. Also make sure to check your tire pressure and the tread.
• Speaking of cars, make sure when you are on the road that you are mindful parts of the roads may be frozen, particularly bridges. Do not speed and never slam on the brakes.
• Make sure if you use a generator, it is outdoors. Do not use a generator inside, including in your garage.