Community Impact reports that in order to aid them in winning grant money to acquire and demolish around 50 homes that are prone to flooding, Montgomery County wants to hire a consulting firm.
In order to talk about hiring Hagerty Consulting, Incorporated, to help the county put together submitting a grant application to the Texas Water Development Board for money to purchase properties that are at risk to be flooded, county commissioner will meet on November 5th.
According to Hagerty’s proposal, the county is looking to buy fifty properties.
Regarding completing the application, Hagerty will consult with the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The cost of the consultant is $59,000.
The grants that come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be administered by the Texas Water Devlopment Board. The designation for flood damage as “severe repetitive properties” comes from FEMA.
According to the water board, over $600 million in this cycle of funding is believed to be available from FEMA.
According to the documents, the FEMA deadline for the grants is February 26th. Applications will only be considered for residential structures.
In county and city efforts, restoration of the courthouse in downtown Conroe is being looked at. Original construction of the building dates back to 1936. A new justice center that would take care of the county’s need for more space for the courthouse is expected in the coming years to be a replacement.
According to agenda documents, the Texas Historical Commission, in July, made available a $1.8 million courthouse preservation planning grant. Funds for architectural plans for the restoration will be provided by the grant.
The county must provide a local match of $773,249 in order to receive the money. The match will split equally between the city and county.
According to the agreement, the funding for the city’s portion will come from the city’s 7% tax on hotel stays.
