Wichita Falls City Council tables lake lot lease hike after public outcry

Wichita Falls city councilors on Tuesday tabled a proposed increase in lake lot leases at lakes Arrowhead and Kickapoo until May 7 after several residents complained about the hikes.

The city owns the land around the lakes and has leased lots for homes for decades. City staff proposed raising the leases at Lake Arrowhead by 30 percent and at Lake Kickapoo by 10 percent.

Generally, lots at both lakes have leased for $1,000 annually since 2019, but older leases were grandfathered in at lower rates.

Annual revenue to the city is about $440,000 from Lake Arrowhead and about $195,000 from Lake Kickapoo, but Pat Hoffman, the city’s property manager, said there are some variables in the amount.

Because the properties are in Archer and Clay counties, residents pay taxes to those entities and not to Wichita Falls.

Hoffman said the city acts as a landlord on the properties and does not offer services such as trash pickup or police protection.

She said the money raised from the leases pays a code officer and clerical salaries.

The city also mows ditches.

Public Works Director Russell Schreiber said the city spends about $50,000 to maintain the roads around Lake Arrowhead.

One Lake Arrowhead resident said the proposed hike was unreasonable and the city would “get a windfall.”

Another said she had assumed a lease for $53 a year and currently must pay $1,000 annually.

“I feel like you kind of pick and choose on what’s good for you or what’s not good for you,” she said.

Another leaseholder complained lake residents “have seen absolutely zero benefit from any increase,” and they have no voice impacting rules that apply to them.

A resident who said her lot consists of just 8,000 square feet said an increase to $1,300 annually was “mind-blowing.”

Councilor Michael Smith said he wants to know specifically how the city is spending the money it gets from the leases and suggested Clay and Archer counties should keep the roads at the lakes to at least a minimum standard.

He and Councilor Tom Taylor proposed tabling the rate increases until more information could be gathered and a committee of interested parties could be formed. The council voted unanimously in favor of the delay.

In other business, councilors:

• Awarded a bid to Bowles Construction Company for about $1.88 million for the 2024 Water Budget Utility Improvement Project & Large Valve Replacement.

• Approved an agreement with Garver LLC for developing a pavement management program update for Wichita Falls Regional Airport.

• Authorized an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for an assistance to firefighters grant to support emergency medical training at a cost of $577,200.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: WF City Council tables lake lot lease hike after public outcry