Federal government shutdown puts $7M in Tomball drainage projects on hold

Three city infrastructure projects in Tomball have been temporarily paused due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, city officials told Tomball City Council during its Oct. 20 meeting.

Managing the impact

The city received a total of $7 million in Community Project Fund grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to improve drainage and infrastructure across several neighborhoods, Project Manager Meagan Mageo said.

The funding includes $3 million for improvements for South Persimmon and Timkin streets, $2 million for North Cherry Street storm sewer upgrades, and $2 million for storm sewer improvements for Carrell and Lovett streets.

All three projects recently entered the design phase, but city officials have directed engineering firms to suspend work until the federal government reopens, Mageo said. The pause is necessary because Tomball cannot request reimbursement for grant-related expenses during the shutdown.

“We need to put those projects on hold because of the government shutdown,” City Manager David Esquivel said during an Oct. 20 meeting. “If not, we’d have to front nearly $7 million.”

Officials said the halt will have minimal costs, as the projects are still early in development.