Harris County Commissioners to decide on which flooding projects to continue

Harris County Commissioners to decide on which flooding projects to continue

Harris County Commissioners are expected to have a heated meeting on Thursday about the leftover money that was granted for flood projects. FOX 26's Greg Groogan explains.

HARRIS COUNTY - A major battle brewing over flood prevention dollars and unfinished projects is almost certain to unfold Thursday at Harris County Commissioners Court.

The controversy stems from unkept flood control promises made to the public and which portions of Harris County will be shortchanged protection as a result of partisan politics.

Harris County flood prevention project

The backstory:

 Back in 2018, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey's devastation, voters approved a $2.5 billion bond issue for dozens of designated flood prevention projects.

 In the seven years since, Harris County has run out of money to complete all the projects pledged.

That leaves Commissioners in the position of deciding which projects will be finished and which will be abandoned, a process that's certain to involve conflict, because Commissioner Rodney Ellis has already managed to direct nearly double the dollars to Precinct 1 than have been allocated to any of the other three precincts.

‘Not about equity'

The other side:

 Bob Rehak, publisher of "Reduce Flooding Now!," says Ellis has succeeded in grabbing the most resources by claiming to rectify past "racial disparities."

"You are not allocating money based on flood risk or damage. You are allocating money on the basis of race," said Rehak. "If you are Black or Hispanic and you have the worst flooding in the county, you should get fixed first, but that wasn't the case in Harvey. And what we are seeing is money going to those neighborhoods, and white neighborhoods are being ignored," said Rehak.

 Rehak's neighborhood in Kingwood was under 22 feet of water during Harvey and yet hasn't received a single dollar in new flood control infrastructure.

 "This is really not about equity. It's about politics. It's a money grab," said Rehak.

What they're saying:

 Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey tells FOX 26 that if the cancellation of flood projects is not "fairly divided" between the four precincts, he will ask Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham to intervene and, if necessary, withhold up to $1 billion in federal grants from Harris County until the issue is resolved.

 "I'm crossing the Rubicon on this issue," said Ramsey.

 Commissioner Buckingham also spoke with FOX 26.

""My mission at the Texas GLO is to serve those we are supposed to serve and do it well. Since becoming Commissioner in 2023, I have put aside politics aside and done what is right for Harris County. Floodwaters do not respect political boundaries, and neither should prioritization of resilience efforts. I encourage the Harris County Commissioners’ Court to put aside partisan politics and focus on maximizing effectiveness of the funds available as well as putting them to work as quickly as possible," said Buckingham.