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Counties in Texas will receive nearly $500 million in federal relief funds to address flooding.
According to Houston Public Media, the Houston-Galveston Area Council on Feb. 15 approved the funds. The council is made up of a voluntary association of local governments from 13 Southeast Texas counties. Houston will only receive 2% of the funding.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and several city officials attended the H-GAC Board of Directors meeting to advocate on the city's behalf, per Houston Public Media.
Turner said the funds earmarked for the city aren't sufficient given what it has gone through during the last five years, according to Houston Public Media.
“If there’s something that I’m missing, then I would certainly appreciate someone telling me what I’m missing," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, per Houston Public Media.
H-GAC Director of Community and Environmental Planning Jeff Taebel told the city that Houston's share was determined by considering the proposed $750 million from the Texas General Land Office to be allocated to Harris County, according to Houston Public Media.
Though the plan has been paced by the H-GAC Board of Directors, it still needs approval from Austin and Washington, D.C, according to The Houston Chronicle.
“This is all coming from an amendment to the original state action plan that the General Land Office had received approval on,” Taebel said, according to Houston Public Media. “This is an area that the committee has been wrestling with.”
Members who represent Houston and surrounding areas made alternative suggestions that were denied, according to Houston Public Media. Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia requested that the vote be delayed until after the GLO released a revised flood mitigation funding plan.
According to Houston Public Media, Houston City Councilmember Sallie Alcorn suggested that a third of the funding go to Houston which would equal $148 million compared to $9.2 million that was approved.
The members who voted against the plan include Garcia, Alcorn, Deer Park Councilmember Bill Patterson, Houston City Councilmember Ed Pollard, La Porte Councilmember Chuck Engelken Jr., Pasadena Councilmember Cary Bass and Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman, according to the Houston Public Media.