Government
BY SARAH BRAGER
Flood Control faces tight timeline for CDBG projects In an April 16 update to Commissioners Court, Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Tina Petersen shared the status of local ood projects funded with Community Devel- opment Block Grants for disaster recovery and mitigation, also known as CDBGDR and CDBGMIT programs. What you need to know HCFCD must spend all CDBGDR funding by February 2027 and CDBGMIT funding by March 2028 as required by the Texas General Land Oce. However, about half of the CDBG projects are still in the design phase as of April 1, per the report. Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia acknowl- edged during the April 16 discussion the back-and- forth with the Texas GLO took time away from Harris County in terms of its ability to meet the state’s deadlines. He also said many of the projects were initially “not well thought through” when it came to environmental impacts, right-of-way acquisitions and other logistics. “Yes we are all holding our breath, but there is a history for why this is as tight as it is,” Garcia said.
Cy-Fair FD breaks ground on Station 15 The Cy-Fair Fire Department on April 7 broke ground on a new station near FM 529 and the Grand Parkway, the rst of eight planned re stations as part of CFFD’s long- term expansion. Two-minute impact Station 15 construction is slated to wrap up by the second quarter of 2027, CFFD ocials said. CFFD Chief Amy Ramon said plans for Station 15 have been in the works for more than 10 years. “We feel like we’re going to be extremely successful with this building and planning this station and putting it to use,” Ramon said at the April 7 groundbreaking.
Harris County CDBG funding breakdown
Community Development Block Grants are for disaster recovery and mitigation.
CDBG-DR CDBG-MIT
$322M
$750M
Total grant funding
Feb. 28, 2027 March 31, 2028
Current program deadline HCFCD projects funded
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By May 1, the Harris County Flood Control District must submit a report including:
Estimated design completion dates Estimated construction start dates and actual start, if applicable Total construction duration in calendar days Total budget for the projects Total project bid amounts Amount spent to date Any project delays
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICTCOMMUNITY IMPACT
MARVIDA TERRACE DR.
While HCFCD has progressed since its last update in March, ocials expressed dissatisfaction with the information provided. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey called for HCFCD to provide monthly reports with more specic details starting in May.
FREEMAN RD.
529
SETTLERS VILLAGE DR.
N
Abbie Kamin appointed Harris County attorney Houston City Council member Abbie Kamin will serve as Harris County attorney eective June 15 after Commissioners Court approved her appoint- ment April 16 in a 3-2 vote. “I commit to each of you, to every department, to every employee and, above all, to the residents of Harris County, that I will work hard every single day to defend and protect our county and communi- ties,” Kamin said during the meeting. What happened Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and County Judge Lina Hidalgo voted against the decision, disagreeing with appointing Kamin, who is the Democratic nominee on the Nov. 3 ballot, ahead of results from the November election. Kamin still faces Republican candidate Jacqueline Lucci Smith in November, the sole Republican to enter the race for Menefee’s seat. In an April 15
10% homestead exemption kept
Dates to know
• March 3: Kamin secures Democratic nomination for county attorney • May 16: Runoff election for Houston City Council District C • Nov. 3: Election Day • Dec. 31: End of Fombonne’s unexpired term 2026 • Jan. 1: Winner of Nov. 3 election takes ofice 2027 • Dec. 31: End of Menefee’s unexpired term 2028
The Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9 board of commissioners approved maintaining the district’s home- stead exemption for another year April 16. What happened Harris County ESD 9 oers a 10% home- stead exemption to all residents within the district, which allows homeowners to reduce the total amount of taxable property value by 10%, resulting in a lower tax bill from the district. Homestead exemptions are typically oered by individual taxing entities such as school districts, municipal utility districts and ESDs as a way of reducing the total property tax bill for residents within an area. The board also kept the district’s over-65 property tax exemption at $300,000.
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
social media post, Smith condemned the court’s move to appoint Kamin to the position, calling the decision “backroom political maneuvering.” Kamin replaces County Attorney Jonathan Fombonne, who said he will serve in the position until she takes over in June. Commissioners named Fombonne the county attorney Jan. 8 after now-U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, DHouston, resigned to run for Congress.
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CYPRESS EDITION
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