GLO Approves $66.4 Million in Regional Mitigation Projects
7/18/2024 – Today, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) approved another $66,402,284 in regional mitigation projects.
The money will go toward projects that improve roads, water detention, drainage and sewer systems. The projects are within the cities of Baytown, Brenham, Centerville, Charlotte, Corpus Christi, Houston, Jasper, Plantersville, Seadrift and Waelder.
However, money will also go toward projects in Fort Bend, Grimes, Harris and Matagorda counties.
Projects Prioritized Locally
“Through the Regional Mitigation Program, the GLO enabled local prioritization. That will have a tremendous impact across multiple regions,” according to GLO spokesperson Brittany Eck.
“The GLO works with Texas communities to strengthen and build infrastructure, so we can help protect and improve lives for local residents,” said Commissioner Buckingham.
“Many of these communities were recently impacted by Hurricane Beryl’s devastating winds and flood waters,” continued Buckingham.
“Getting and using federal grant funds can be very complicated. But the GLO works side by side with local leaders to push past the federal paperwork and get funds moving forward.”
Making Communities More Resilient
Buckingham emphasized that the funds should make Texas communities “more resilient against future disasters.”
The table below shows the list of approved grants.
For more detailed project descriptions, please click here.
The one project in Houston: a $10.8 million stormwater detention basin in Sunnyside, a small community near West U.
Money Prioritized by Councils of Governments
These funds come from $1,166,997,000 in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD designated the money local councils of governments (COGs) through the GLO.
The projects themselves do not have regional benefits. The term “regional mitigation projects” applies more to the type of organizations that sponsor the projects.
The Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC) is one such group. Each Council of Government with HUD-designated eligible counties developed a method of distribution (MOD) for allocation of funds to units of local governments. Each COG developed their MOD through extensive public participation.
HUD defines mitigation as activities that increase resilience to disasters and reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of loss of life, injury, damage to and loss of property, and suffering and hardship, by lessening the impact of future disasters.
HUD requires that at least 50% of total funds must be used for activities benefiting low-to moderate-income (LMI) persons. For more information, please visit recovery.texas.gov/mitigation.\
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/18/2024 based on a press release from the GLO
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