“There’s been a lot of talk about fixing flooding. Talk is cheap; solutions are not,” said Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack at the West Houston Association’s County Issues Forum on May 1st.
“We just got billions of dollars in funding from Washington earlier this year to help with recovery and flood control. That’s great,” said Radack to a crowd of approximately 175 people.
“The problem with the federal funds is that you can’t spend any of them unless you have a local match. Harris County or the State of Texas or both needs to put up about one dollar for every three or four dollars that the feds give us. That’s why the [Commissioner’s Court is] asking voters for about $2.5 billion in County bond money,” explained Radack, who will mark his 30th year as county commissioner later this year.
The Commissioner called on the audience to support the requested bond election, scheduled for August 25th. “A lot of folks will write checks, but we need you to vote too. And we need you to vote more than once. What I mean is get your friends and family to vote, and host a victory barbecue a block or two from your polling station.”
“We’re going to need a lot of help to find solutions to flooding, including from the State,” said Radack. The Commissioner affirmed that whether State leaders wanted to dip into the Rainy Day Fund or provide a rebate of Houston-area sales tax, he welcomed the assistance.
Thank you to all who attended our County Issues Forum. Visit the newest Past Events page to get a better look back at it.