Montgomery County is looking to hire a consulting firm to help it win grant money to acquire and demolish around 50 homes that are prone to flooding.
What’s happening?
County commissioners are meeting on Nov. 5 to discuss hiring Hagerty Consulting, Inc. to help the county navigate submitting a grant application to the Texas Water Development Board for money to buy properties that are at risk of future flood loss.
Montgomery County is seeking to acquire 50 properties, according to a proposal from Hagerty.
Hagerty will work with the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on the application. Hiring the consultant will cost $59,000.
The TWDB administers the grants that come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA designates homes that have multiple claims for flood damage as “severe repetitive loss” properties.
More than $600 million in funding this cycle is estimated to be available from FEMA nationwide, according to the TWDB.
FEMA’s deadline for the grants is currently Feb. 26, according to agenda documents. Only residential structures will be considered for the application.
Also on the agenda
Montgomery County and Conroe are exploring an agreement that would see the latter direct some of its hotel tax funds toward a grant to support restoring the Montgomery County Courthouse.
Montgomery County is looking to restore its courthouse in downtown Conroe, which was originally built in 1936. The aging facility is expected to be replaced in the coming years with a new justice center that would accommodate the county's growing needs for more courtroom space.
In July, the Texas Historical Commission awarded a $1.8 million courthouse preservation planning grant to the county, according to agenda documents. The grant supports funding for architectural plans for restoring the courthouse.
To receive the money, the county must provide a local match of $773,249. Conroe and Montgomery County are looking to split that cost equally.
Conroe would fund its portion by using money from the city’s 7% tax on hotel stays, according to the agreement.
Conroe and the County would review and approve any architectural plans for the courthouse, according to the agreement. The Conroe City Council is meeting at the same time Thursday to discuss approving the agreement.
The county is hoping to have the courthouse restored by its 100th anniversary.
Items worth mentioning
Commissioners will receive a monthly report on the county’s $480 million road bond program. So far, the county has allocated $184 million to roadway projects.
The county will buy a home at 27040 Sandy Creek, Magnolia, for $303,183 using money from a 2019 flood mitigation assistance grant from FEMA.
A policy is up for approval establishing that the county will replace traffic control signs every seven years “to maintain the visibility and retro-reflectivity” or as needed based on routine inspections.
Stay tuned
Commissioners court meets on Nov. 5 at 9:30 a.m. inside the Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court Building in downtown Conroe. Meetings are livestreamed on the commissioners court website.
