Frequently Asked Questions

Here are questions the MUD Board has received recently from residents.

  1. What's the difference between the MUD and the homeowners association?
  2. Will Block House MUD be annexed?
  3. How will US 183A affect Block House Creek?
  4. What are the requirements for Recycling?




Q: What's the difference between the MUD and the homeowners association?

A: Block House Municipal Utility District is the grassroots government responsible for all of Block House Creek. A Municipal Utility District is a political subdivision of the State of Texas. It owns, operates and maintains the parks and pools in the district. Among other services, it provides community-wide garbage and recycling collection and enforces restrictive covenants -- legally enforceable promises that a property owner made when purchasing real estate.

Its legal authority to enforce covenants comes from the need to preserve property values in the district.

The Owners Association in Block House Creek was created as developer Milburn (later DR Horton) began bulding homes in large sections of the district. The association collects a monthly assessment from residents in sections it covers. It enforces restrictive covenants in those sections. Milburn established the covenants in the sections it developed. Please note that the Block House MUD's rules for restrictive covenants are different than those of the Owner's Association.

Older, pre-Milburn areas are also covered by restrictive covenants, but because they were developed at different times, by different developers, their covenants can vary considerably.

One common frustration is that the covenants can change from street to street. Residents justifiably find it hard to understand why a violation on one block is not a violation on another. There has been some discussion of trying to amalgamate the covenants so they are consistent district-wide. Unfortunately, when covenants are established, developers commonly make it difficult to amend covenants.

That's as it should be; when you invest in a home, you want to be able to rely on the consistency of the covenants' protection. The result in Block House Creek, though, is that it would be almost impossible to amend so many sets of covenants at once and very costly to try.

Q: Will Block House MUD be annexed?

A: Block House MUD is in Cedar ParkÕs extraterritorial jurisdiction or "ETJ." The ETJ is an area beyond the city limits in which the city can exercise some development control, on the theory that one day, the city will annex the area.

The City of Cedar Park has not indicated any desire to annex the MUD. Under a state law passed in 1999, the City must give three years advance notice of its intent to annex a property. And when it does provide that notice, it must also negotiate with the MUD board to assure that, when annexation does occur, services continue at their present levels.

There are some compelling reasons the City probably won't want to annex Block House MUD any time soon. The City would be required to assume the districtÕs debt, and it would be costly for the City to provide the higher level of services that Block House residents enjoy with an efficient grassroots government.

Some area MUDs, upon annexation, have negotiated "strategic partnership agreements" which allow the MUD, with voter approval, to convert to an in-city limited district that can continue to provide the parks and recreation services and restrictive covenant enforcement that the MUD residents came to expect.

Q: How will US 183A affect Block House Creek?

A: US 183A is a reliever route for crowded US 183. It's envisioned as a toll road, part of the Central Texas Tollway Project. The project would clip the southeast corner of the MUD. Access to the tollway would be via New Hope Road or County Road 271. For information, consult http://www.texastollways.com/tta/us183a.asp

Q: What are the requirements for Recycling?

A: What can be recycled?

  • Newspapers, and newspaper inserts.
  • Clear and brown glass containers, aluminium and steel cans.
  • Plastic soda bottles, clear beverage containers, milk jugs. (The containers must be marked with a recycling symbol and the number 1 or 2.

What can not be recycled?

  • Magazines, junk mail and phone books
  • Lightbulbs, aluminium foil, pie plates, food trays, window panes, dishes, Pyrex and green glass.
  • Any other type of plastic: Dishwasher detergent or detergent containers, juice containers or colored containers

How to prepare.

  • Paper: Place at the top f bin; they can be placed in a paper bag, but not in plastic.
  • Glass: Rinse thouroughly and remove all food residue.
  • Plastic: Rinse thouroughly. To make more room in your bin, please crush containers.

To ask a question, write lklar@austin.rr.com.