2018 Bond Program

WHAT HAPPENS NOW??

On August 25, 2018, Harris County voters approved $2.5 billion in bonds to finance flood damage reduction projects in Harris County. Going forward, the Harris County Flood Control District will prioritize, plan and build projects with bond funding – and will provide transparent tracking of progress on those projects along the way.

Bond funds will not be available immediately and bonds will not be sold all at once. They will be sold in increments over at least 10-15 years, as needed for multiple projects and the multiple phases of each project. Status information about Bond Program projects will be available in the future on this Flood Control District website.

Projects also will be phased in, as appropriate. The actual timing of individual projects will depend on a variety of factors including any needed environmental permitting, right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation. Some projects are already underway or nearing construction; others are still in very preliminary stages, or require further investigation. Projects will be authorized individually for funding by Harris County Commissioners Court, based on recommendations by the Flood Control District.

Projects will be prioritized based upon a number of factors, including:

• Readiness for preliminary engineering, design or construction
• Availability and/or time-sensitive nature of partnership funding
• Clearly defined drainage issues and flood risk reduction benefits
• Benefits relative to the community’s population

Community Engagement Continues

In the months before the bond election, the Flood Control District hosted 23 Community Engagement Meetings for each of Harris County’s watersheds, to gather public input about potential projects. The meetings were attended by approximately 3,800 residents, as well as public officials and other interested parties, and resulted in 38 additions to the list of flood damage reduction projects – 237 projects in all – that could be funded with bond proceeds, as well as hundreds of other useful comments and requests for service.

Now that the bonds have passed, opportunities for further community engagement will be available for each project. As part of the preliminary engineering process conducted near the beginning of each project’s development stage, and prior to a formal Preliminary Engineering Report being presented to Commissioners Court for approval, the Flood Control District will conduct a public meeting in a primary project watershed to solicit public comments about the project.

A limited number of projects in the Bond Program had already progressed past the Preliminary Engineering stage prior to the Bond Election in August 2018. In order to to avoid delays and accelerate flood risk reduction projects that are already in final design, we will continue to apprise the public about the progress of these projects via direct mail and website updates that provide information about the construction schedule and other important details.