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A new community engagement group out of Fort Bend County is hoping to connect residents with local officials and government services, according to an announcement last week.
“Today, we announced the creation of the Fort Bend County Community Engagement Committee,” Fort Bend County Judge KP George wrote in a tweet Dec. 1. “The Committee will serve as a community-driven advisory group tasked with developing strategies and initiatives to more meaningfully engage with Fort Bend’s diverse communities.”
The 24-member body will comprise members from several different backgrounds and will act as a liaison between George's office and the community at large, a report by the Houston Chronicle states.
George said it is important to engage these citizens that pay taxes and call Fort Bend County home.
“It is our job to make sure we are reaching out to them, understanding their needs and making them feel at home,” George told the Houston Chronicle.
According to the report, the committee hopes to provide information on the many services and programs the general public doesn’t know about.
“We are going to kind of be the eyes and ears,” Farha Ahmed, a Sugar Land attorney selected for the committee, told the Houston Chronicle.
The advisory board will allow members of the community to connect with government officials to discuss concerns, ideas and county services or programs, including rental assistance and small business grants, the report states.
A variety of different faiths, races, ethnicities and industries are set to be represented on the Fort Bend County Community Engagement Committee, representing the Hispanic, Black and Asian-American populations, the report states. Each member was selected based on his or her priority community work.
In the last decade, Fort Bend County has experienced a 40% boost in its population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It is also one of the most diverse in the state.