The breakdown
Jason Millsaps, executive director of Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the additional funds will go toward picking up vegetative debris from Hurricane Beryl along the county right of way in The Woodlands Township and for roughly 300 residents who did not originally register for pickup in the eastern portion of the county.
"In the last four weeks, I've received dozens of calls from The Woodlands Township as well as The Woodlands residents," Millsaps said. "This [funding] would still allow us to pick up the identified debris in the township."
Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack disagreed with the inclusion of The Woodlands in the county's new debris removal authorization, stating he had established an agreement with the township in order to pick up debris in the right of way.
"I've made the comment that I did not need emergency management picking up debris in The Woodlands Township right of way," Noack said. "We do not. We have an agreement with the township where that will be picked up."
In their words
"Residents in our unincorporated areas rely on the county to provide public assistance services in a federally declared disaster such as Hurricane Beryl, and are very appreciative of Commissioner Noack calling me yesterday and us giving him and his staff a map [of debris]," said Ann Snyder, chair of The Woodlands Township board of directors, during the meeting. "We are very hopeful that the action being considered today will provide the court the funds and authorization it needs to clearly direct debris removal throughout the county, not just The Woodlands."
"They're my constituents too," County Judge Mark Keough said. "I was the one to encourage them to do this, because what we had originally agreed to has not taken place."
What's next?
Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray voted against expanding the contract for the additional debris removal alongside Noack, citing concerns over incurring additional costs for the county. The authorization increases the total cost of debris pickup to not exceed $27 million. However, Millsaps said he does not expect the county to use the entirety of the additional $3 million due to the debris collections now being targeted to specific areas.
The authorization comes after the court approved an additional $10 million for debris pickup Sept. 3 after a temporary delay in pickup efforts.
