Pearland City Council approved accepting a little over $5 million of federal and local dollars to buy out properties damaged from Hurricane Harvey at its Dec. 16 meeting.

The money will help buy out 23 properties in the city that have suffered repetitive losses. The money was awarded to the city from the 2018 Texas Division of Emergency Management Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

The city will also be reimbursed for some of the prior work the city has done, City Manager Clay Pearson said.

The property owner must fund 25% of the buyout. So far, the city has not heard from owners who said they cannot afford that percentage, said Joel Hardy, the city's grants and special projects administrator. However, the local share is typically covered at closing, Hardy said.

“They’re not writing a check. At closing, the financial mechanics of that will work out in such a way that the local share gets covered,” Hardy said.


The city is also waiting on a separate grant request for home elevations.