A Year After Devastating Storm, Houston Area Votes on Record Bond
- Measure would provide $2.5 billion to flood mitigation efforts
- Effort to place referendum on ballot got bipartisan support
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A year to the day after Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Gulf Coast of Texas, residents there head to the polls to decide a $2.5 billion bond referendum for critical flood control projects in an area that the Category 4 storm plunged underwater.
Harris County officials purposely chose Saturday’s anniversary for the election, seeking to bring out voters and quickly cash in on matching federal funds. Proceeds from the bond, if approved, would finance about 237 projects, including repairs to flood-damaged drainage infrastructure, buyouts of flood-prone properties and channel modifications to improve the flow of storm water. It’s the largest bond measure in the county’s history.