Bay Area Edition | October 2022

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Figuring out the nancial impact

The county’s debt service payments on bonds rose after the 2015 bond passed, but it has dropped since 2018. The tax rate stayed at and has since declined. Bonds are sold incrementally over time and paid o through property taxes.

CONDITIONS IN HARRIS COUNTY

Identifying the need Daniel Ramos, executive director of the Harris County Oce of Management and Budget, described the bond as a “meat-and- potatoes” bond that would improve aging roads and drainage structures, add park space and invest in public safety facilities.

Tax rate (per $100 valuation)

$0.70 $0.65 $0.60 $0.55 $0.50 $0.45 $0.40 $0

+$0.012 if bond passes

$0.62998

County places $1.2B bond on Nov. 8 ballot

Voters approve $848M Harris County bond

ROADS

DRA I NAGE

structures outside the 100-year ood plain ooded during Hurricane Harvey 105,000

588 260

miles of roads considered in poor to failed condition

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022* 2023** Tax year 2016 2017 2020 2021

miles of roads with congested conditions

430

39%

trac-related fatalities per year on average

of roads have sidewalks

*PROPOSED RATE YET TO BE APPROVED **PROJECTED RATE SHOWN ASSUMES NO CHANGE ASIDE FROM BOND IMPACT

Annual cost to average homeowner if bond passes $32

For Precinct 2, that could include roads and related drainage projects in Webster, Friendswood, Seabrook and beyond, Garcia said. A minimum of $220 million would be allocated to each precinct under this policy, and the remainder would either be allocated to each precinct based on need at a later date or managed cen- trally by the county engineer’s oce, Ramos said. “Any way you slice and dice, the precinct commissioners will have to make decisions of how to prioritize,” Rahman said. Another $200 million for neigh- borhood drainage would help get the county’s current $600 million-plus drainage program across the nish line, Rahman said, with 80%-90% of the projects to reduce ooding risk for around 4,000 structures set to be completed by 2024. “The structures, the pipes, the inlets you have [for] the ditches in your neighborhood [do] not have the capac- ity to handle more than 2-3 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour [period],” he said. Additionally, $100 million for road rehabilitation would go toward repair- ing roads in poor to fair condition; roads need attention before they dete- riorate so much to require rebuilding, Rahman said. Of the remaining money, $200 million would go to partnership funding with local entities; $50 mil- lion would fund multimodal transit, such as sidewalks; and $50 million would fund Vision Zero—a program to reduce trac-related fatalities by

re-engineering high-injury corridors. Parks and public safety The $200 million for parks and trails planned in the bond would be more than the $95 million and $60 million for parks in the 2007 and 2015 bonds, respectively, combined. In Precinct 2, Garcia said the funds may go toward making improvements to Clear Lake, Sylvan Beach and Friend- swood parks. Ramos said the commissioners have already spent their allocated money for parks and will be unable to fund any projects next year if the bond does not pass unless they pull from their general funds. He added the park funds could also help address unequal access to parks. “Any time there is potential of more funding for parks and green space, we are in support,” said Beth White, pres- ident and CEO of the Houston Parks Board, in a statement. “We look for- ward to learning more about how the county bond might continue ... con- necting people to parks.” Meanwhile, the $100 million for public safety facilities could fund capital improvement projects. The Harris County Sheri’s Oce pro- posed four at an Aug. 2 Commis- sioners Court meeting, including a facility to train rst responders on ood and swift-water rescue opera- tions and another facility to simulate active shooter scenarios. Sheri’s oce spokesperson Jason Spencer said there has been ongo- ing dialogue for years with county

PARKS

PUBLIC SAFETY 4 new public

• District 6

4.9 acres of parks per 1,000 people in Harris County 9.9 acres of parks per 1,000 people recommended by National Recreation and Parks Association

safety facilities recommended by the Harris County Sheri’s Oce could be funded by bond:

substation • 3 training facilities: • Flood and swift- water rescues • Driving • Simulating active- shooter scenarios

SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGETCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

Commissioners placed the bond on the ballot Aug. 19 with Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle opposed. But Daniel Ramos, exec- utive director of the Harris County Oce of Management and Budget, said he believes the county needs to issue a bond because the 2015 bond will be almost fully expended by the end of 2023. “Folks are driving on unsafe … [and] poor-quality roads today. Our public safety personnel are in sub- standard facilities today. We have folks that we can take out of the ood plain today. And all of that requires funding,” Ramos said. “At the end of next year, we’re not going to have another funding source to continue to do projects.” The county has not published a list of projects that would use bond fund- ing—something Ramsey has voiced in his opposition to the bond. “I’m not saying you have to have 99% specic projects,” Ramsey said at an Aug. 2 meeting. “But ... to say, ‘Let me have a blank check on roads, ...

parks [and] public safety?’ When that’s out there, there’s not specics that you can communicate with people.” The county did not publish a list for the 2015 bond, according to prior Community Impact reporting. Grant Martin—a political consultant who ran 2012 and 2017 bond campaigns for the city of Houston—said it is not typical to have set project lists for bonds. “You don’t want to be in a posi- tion where the voters have approved money for [a project that] is impossi- ble to complete,” said Martin, who has also run campaigns for Precinct 1 Com- missioner Rodney Ellis and Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who rep- resents the Clear Lake area. However, county ocials have pre- sented some information on how the proposition funds could be spent. Road work Out of $900 million in mobility bonds, $300 million would go to gen- eral road bonds. Harris County Engi- neer Milton Rahman said individual precincts can use this funding for any applicable capital road projects.

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