Frequently Asked Questions

The sales and use tax for street maintenance is a dedicated city sales and use tax, the revenue of which may be spent only on the maintenance and repair of existing municipal streets and sidewalks. 

The funds collected provide cost-effective rehabilitation and preventive maintenance of municipal streets and sidewalks within the city. The goal is to improve mobility infrastructure and maintain roadways to prevent deterioration and costly rebuilds.

The city maintains approximately 186.1 miles of municipal streets.

On May 7, 2016, in a special election, the citizens of the City of Friendswood voted for the imposition of a street maintenance sales and use tax at the rate of three-eighths (3/8) of one percent (1%). This tax must be reauthorized every four years by voters, or it will expire.  The street maintenance sales and use tax was reauthorized by voters on November 3, 2020, and will expire on November 3, 2024, unless reauthorized by the voters.

No, the street maintenance tax is a sales and use tax, not a property tax.  It is levied on qualifying purchases within the city limits.  Therefore, visitors, who do not pay property taxes to the city but utilize city streets, contribute to their maintenance and repair costs when they make taxable purchases within the city.

The City of Friendswood's reauthorization election for the street maintenance sales and use tax is scheduled for May 4, 2024.   For more information on the election, voting locations, and hours visit www.ci.friendswood.tx.us.

Voters will be able to vote “FOR” or “AGAINST” the following proposition:

THE REAUTHORIZATION OF THE LOCAL SALES AND USE TAX IN THE CITY OF FRIENDSWOOD AT THE RATE OF THREE-EIGHTHS OF ONE PERCENT TO CONTINUE PROVIDING REVENUE FOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF MUNICIPAL STREETS. THE TAX EXPIRES ON THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DATE OF THIS ELECTION UNLESS THE IMPOSITION OF THE TAX IS REAUTHORIZED.

No, only registered voters of the City of Friendswood can vote on the reauthorization of the street maintenance sales and use tax.  For this May 4, 2024, election, residents must register to vote no later than April 4, 2024.

In the past seven years, the city’s street maintenance sales and use tax revenue has averaged approximately $149,506 per month or approximately $1.8M a year in revenue for use on city streets and sidewalks. 

Some of the street maintenance and repair projects supported by the street maintenance sales and use tax include:

• Blackhawk Boulevard Phase 2-B, 
• Blackhawk Boulevard Phase 2-C, 
• Cowards Creek Drive, 
• Garden Drive, 
• Murphy Lane, 
• Greenbriar Drive, 
• Bay Area Boulevard, 
• River Side Court, 
• Whittier Oaks Drive, 
• Pennystone Way, and 
• many others.

The city uses a pavement condition index ("PCI") to inventory conditions of all city streets.   All streets will be prioritized so that the worst-scoring streets are targeted for maintenance or repair first. 

If the reauthorization of the street maintenance sales and use tax is disapproved, the city may not be able to maintain or repair municipal streets and sidewalks in the same manner as it has in the past because this funding source would no longer be available.   To raise the same amount of revenues that the city has collected over the past four years ( ̴$2.1M annually) from property taxes instead of these sales and use taxes, a homeowner, whose net taxable property value (after applicable exemptions) is $300,000, will have to pay approximately $126 more in property taxes annually.

Access the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Tax Guide on Street Maintenance Sales Tax.