WASHINGTON CO. SEEKING OVER $1 MILLION TO ADDRESS FLOODING ON SOUTH MEYERSVILLE ROAD
Washington County is getting closer to securing over $1 million in Hurricane Harvey mitigation funds to address flooding on a section of county road.
On Tuesday, Washington County Commissioners accepted a funding acknowledgement letter from the Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG), notifying the county that it is eligible for a potential allocation of $1,119,800. If the funding is awarded, it will go towards flood mitigation on South Meyersville Road, between Highway 105 and FM 1155.
The money is part of $25,041,000 allocated by the Texas General Land Office (GLO) to the BVCOG as part of the Regional Mitigation Program. The BVCOG will vote next week on a Method of Distribution (MOD) through which the funds will be distributed to its seven counties and associated municipalities.
This MOD was discussed at length during Tuesday’s meeting, as the county is working to make sure it receives the full amount it is eligible for. County Judge John Durrenberger explained that originally, $10 million was to be awarded to four counties in the BVCOG, including Washington, Burleson, Grimes and Madison counties. Since then, an extra $15 million became available, but the funding was opened up to all seven counties in the BVCOG and their municipalities, meaning Washington County and the cities of Brenham and Burton would receive less.
Commissioner Kirk Hanath stated that Washington County challenged this, arguing the initial $10 million should be distributed to the first four counties before allocating the additional $15 million. This change would mean the difference in the county receiving the full $1,119,800 or closer to $739,000, as well as roughly $300,000 more for Brenham and $93,000 more for Burton. The county’s stance will be considered when the BVCOG votes on the MOD.
Durrenberger noted that the South Meyersville Road project meets the required threshold of benefitting low- to moderate-income (LMI) residents, and that other counties might not be able to meet that requirement with the projects they are seeking funding for. That could lead to more money becoming available for Washington County.
Hanath said there is still work to be done, and that this is “not a victory lap.” Commissioner Candice Bullock said this project has been a priority to take care of for a while. Commissioner Don Koester said if the funding is received, this project would “be good for Precinct 1 and 2.”