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REMINDER: Lake Houston Dam Spillway Improvement Project Community Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 30, 2021


Contact: Jessica Beemer

(832) 393-3008

districte@houstontx.gov

Lake Houston Dam Spillway Improvement Project Community Meeting

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin would like to invite the Lake Houston community to a public meeting on Thursday, July 8, 2021, at the Kingwood Community Center (4102 Rustic Woods) to provide updates on the Lake Houston Spillway Improvement Project. The program to discuss the Lake Houston Dam Spillway Improvement Project will start at 6:00 p.m. and the event will conclude at 7:45 p.m. This project is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. There will be a very brief update on Lake Houston Dredging operations provided by Chief Recovery Officer, Stephen Costello, at 5:45 p.m. before the Spillway Improvement Project program begins.
The Lake Houston Dam Spillway project, located on Lake Houston along the San Jacinto River, will increase the outflow capacity of the Lake Houston Dam. The project proposes installing new crest gates in the existing uncontrolled spillway. This will allow for a rapid decrease of water levels in Lake Houston in advance of storm events to prevent or reduce upstream flooding, protecting about 35,000 residents and 5,000 structures. The FEMA grant provides $4.3 million for the initial phase and positions the city to receive $42.7 million for construction.

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin, Houston Public Works, and Coastal Water Authority have been working together under the direction of Chief Recovery Officer Stephen Costello to plan this public forum to discuss the progress of the project. A brief presentation will be made by Chief Recovery Officer Costello on Lake Houston Dredging Operations followed by the main presentation by Black and Veatch, the project engineers for the Lake Houston Dam Spillway improvement Project. The main presentation will be followed by a short time for questions and answers, which will then transition into a breakout session. The breakout session will allow the community to engage with project management staff and engineers in small groups to ask more detailed questions.

The District E Office will notify residents of any updates utilizing the office newsletter and social media platforms. If you do not already, please follow @cmdavemartin on Twitter and like Mayor Pro Tem Martin’s Facebook Page. Additionally, if you would like to be added to our press release and newsletter distribution list please email the District E office with your information.

For more information, please contact the District E office at (832) 393-3008 or via email at districte@houstontx.gov.

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Message from Commissioner Cagle

Dear Friends: I want to make you aware of two important issues developing at Harris County Commissioners Court this Tuesday, June 29. 

The County Judge submitted an agenda item today “requesting to create a County Administrator position and realign county department operations under a streamlined organizational and reporting structure.”
View agenda item 454 letter and backup here. 

To further explain, each Texas county has four commissioners and a county judge who serve on a commissioners court. Harris County is divided into four precincts, and the voters of each precinct elect a commissioner to serve a four -year term. The voters of Harris County also elect a county judge to a four-year term. With this new structure, services now provided by each precinct, and directly responsible to the voters, could become centralized and managed similar to the City of Houston. 

The appointment of a County Administrator by three members of Commissioners Court could effectively remove the responsibility from your elected officials and strip residents of their ability to have local representation. 

These recommendations stem from a study conducted by an out-of-state consultant, PFM Consulting Group, Inc. This consulting firm, run by an executive who advocates for defunding of law enforcement (Read more here), has been paid more than $5 million to study Harris County. The firm is critical of the ability of local elected officials and law enforcement to serve constituents. PFM also favors eliminating the county’s rollover program – an initiative that encourages fiscal responsibility.

I also have an item on the agenda (Item 442), requesting the court restore the rollover for law enforcement agencies that was taken away by Commissioners Court in a divided vote, in light of state legislative action banning defunding of police. 

As I have said before in Commissioners Court, there are three B’s surrounding these issues: BUREAUCRACY, BASICS, and BALLOT BOX.  BUREAUCRACY does not add to efficiency; it is best practices for Harris County to focus on the BASICS; and the BALLOT BOX holds us accountable to these responsibilities.

If you have an opinion on these matters, or other matters that may appear before the Court, I encourage you to make your voice heard. Call my office at 832-927-4444 or email CommissionerCagle@hcp4.net. Sign up here to make your voice heard in Commissioners Court.          

If you wish to express your opinion on these issues, you may also contact your county elected officials: County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who also represents you in these matters.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis
Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia
Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, P.E. 

Sincerely, 
Commissioner R. Jack Cagle

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Message from Commissioner Cagle

Dear Friends:

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) made the shocking decision this week to reject requests by Harris County and the City of Houston for approximately $900 million each in federal flood mitigation funding tied to Hurricane Harvey.

The GLO decision mocks common sense. I believe those flood relief funds should go to those of us who bore the brunt of the second-most costly storm in our nation’s history. Hurricane Harvey caused more damage in the Harris County region than in any other part of Texas. Dozens of our neighbors were killed, and many thousands of our friends and family lost their homes and businesses. It affected all of us, and we all continue the work toward recovery.

And yet we received NOTHING.

This absurd decision by the GLO prompted me to reach out personally to Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, the elected official who oversees the GLO. Mr. Bush told me that recent changes in the application process and interpretation of criteria for awarding these funds forced the agency’s hand. I made it very clear to Mr. Bush that this decision created a gross injustice to my constituents and to our region as a whole. In response, Mr. Bush said that he could do nothing about this first batch of funds, but he promised he would not oppose Harris County and the City Of Houston receiving a direct allocation of other federal payments already headed to Texas.

Rest assured, I will continue to work with other city and county officials to recoup our region’s appropriate share of needed federal funds, and I will hold Mr. Bush to his commitment regarding future funding as well.

Sincerely,

Commissioner R. Jack Cagle