The West Houston Association had the honor of hosting three prominent County judges at our Annual Tri-County Judges Forum. Judges Ed Emmett of Harris county, Judge Bob Hebert of Fort Bend county and Judge Trey Duhon of Waller county joined our members for lunch on October 25th at the Embassy Suites – Energy Corridor. The Judges spoke on specific county issues and upcoming priorities for this region.
Judge Emmett began his statements by celebrating the efforts of this association in the passing of the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) Bond Package in August. The bond package will provide Harris County with the funds necessary to start much needed flood control projects in the county. A project along Sims Bayou had been recently completed and was the only watershed that did not flood during Hurricane Harvey. The bond funds will allow HCFCD to focus on other areas such as Cypress Creek where the population has grown and adequate funds were not accessible to accommodate the projects needed.
Judge Hebert spoke about the 68,000 homes that flooded in Fort Bend County during Harvey and how the county is prioritizing studies to pinpoint county projects needed to address flood control. The levy and drainage systems in Fort Bend County did their jobs during the storm and the county plans to continue building roads to improve mobility.
Judge Duhon informed the audience that the Waller County Comprehensive Plan, first of its kind in the State of Texas, was recently published and outlines the future vision for Waller County. The county is growing quickly and is sometimes even referred to as the new westside of Houston. So the Judge made a point that leadership in Waller is focused on a mobility study, to be published sometime next year, that will take in to account their growing population.
The three Judges showed consensus that, taking in to account the upcoming 2019 legislative session, the proposed revenue cap of 2.5% will hurt the local government and restrict the ability to create infrastructure needed to maintain and protect this region. The Judges also spoke on addressing flood control needs by establishing a drainage district for Waller County.
We at WHA would like to say thank you to the County Judges and to our sponsors who made this event possible! We plan to continue the tradition of holding informative, entertaining events for our membership and appreciate the participation of all involved.