This Week: Ballot Item Added – ReBuild Houston Dedicated Fund; Early Voting Underway for Flood Project Bond Election; ReBuild Houston Program Update at Committee.

Ballot Item Added – ReBuild Houston Dedicated Fund

Council voted to add an item to the November 2018 ballot relating to the ReBuild Houston Program. Houstonians will be asked to re-confirm that the drainage fees that fund the program remain in a dedicated fund, referred to by Mayor Turner as a “lockbox,” and continue to only be used for streets and drainage improvements. Voters should be aware that their vote will not create a new drainage fee, nor will it confirm or reject the existing fee. The ReBuild Houston Program will remain in place regardless of this election’s results. However, if the “lockbox” is not confirmed, future Mayors and Councils would be able, if they choose, to pass a new ordinance to remove the “lockbox” and use drainage fee funds as General Fund dollars, since the “lockbox” will no longer have the protection of being in the City Charter. Election Day is November 6, 2018.

Early Voting Underway for Flood Project Bond Election

Early Voting has begun in Harris County for the $2.5 billion bond proposal for flood risk reduction projects. The proposed project list currently includes 237 projects throughout the county, including dozens of projects to improve District C’s portions of White Oak Bayou, Buffalo Bayou, and Brays Bayou. Allocations include channel improvements, detention basins, new floodplain mapping, and more. If approved, the federal government will likely provide approximately $700 – $900 million in matching funds for more projects.

Early Vote Locations are open to all voters city-wide and two are located in District C: theW. Gray Metropolitan Multi-Service Center and the Heights SPJST Lodge.

Early voting hours are:

• Monday, August 13th – Tuesday, August 14th: 8AM – 4:30PM
• Wednesday, August 15th – Saturday, August 18th: 7AM – 7PM
• Sunday, August 19th: 1PM – 6PM
• Monday, August 20th – Tuesday, August 21st: 7AM – 7PM

Election Day is Saturday, August 25th, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. Residents that wait until Election Day to vote must use their designated Precinct Voting Location.

Please note that identification required to vote has changed in recent years. Voters who do not have an approved photo ID (driver license, passport, etc) MAY STILL VOTE if they present an approved supporting document.

ReBuild Houston Program Update at Committee

Chair Robinson of the CouncilTransportation, Technology, and Infrastructure (TTI) Committee shared apresentation from the Public Works Department on the ReBuild Houston Program. From 2012 – 2017, the program has received approximately $1.5 billion from property taxes, third party funds (METRO, federal grants, etc), the drainage fee, and developer impact fees. These funds have been used to implement the following projects:

• Repairs (clearing roadside ditches, cleaning storm lines, repairing potholes, etc): $306 million
• Rehabilitations (pavement overlays, local drainage projects, etc): $275 million
• Reconstructions (Capital Improvement Plan Projects): $818 million