Harris County Commissioners Court voted to place an $848 million bond referendum, which includes $700 million for road improvement projects, on the ballot for the upcoming Nov. 3 election.
“It’s important to note [in] the world we live in right now, there are a lot of people who see bond and think, ‘Oh, this is a terrible thing. It’s more debt,’” County Judge Ed Emmett said. “When you consider Harris County has more people than 24 states, a bond of this magnitude really isn’t that big. When you realize the fast growth that’s going on in the county and the necessity to go out and do these things in anticipation of further growth, the bond just allows us to do that.”
If approved by voters Nov. 3, the bond would provide $700 million for road improvements across all four precincts, including $60 million for road improvements in aging subdivisions, such as those along FM 1960 that are not located within the city of Houston, Emmett said.
“The commissioners are finally going to be able to get a handle on some of these subdivision streets we’ve inherited over the years because the city hasn’t been annexing as anticipated,” Emmett said.
Although specific road projects for Harris County bonds are not typically identified prior to the passage of the bond, Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle said there a number of road improvements within his precinct that could be funded through bond money, such as improvements to Telge Road and N. Eldridge Parkway. Emmett said the bond will have no effect on the county’s property tax rate.
The bond is projected to fund $60 million for parks, $64 million to Harris County Flood Control and $24 million for a veterinary and public health center, county officials said.
Cagle said the $15 million within his precinct could help Precinct 4 address the need for recreational space within a region that has added 200,000 people in the last three years. He said the funds also allow the county to construct trails and improve flooding mitigation across the precinct.
“By having these additional funds, it will allow us to continue in these processes to where the one dollar gets three bangs as opposed to just one bang,” Cagle said.
