Bay City Tribune

Commissioners approved a resolution objecting to the use of round two funding for Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Dolly recovery during their regular meeting Monday, Aug. 31.

Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald authored a resolution calling for significant changes to the plan for disaster recovery spending program of round two funding handed down from the Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA).

McDonald told commissioners that $130 million was eliminated from the Houston Galveston Area Council of Governments round two hurricane relief funding by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

The action plan also dictates that the 50 percent of the funding must be allocated for housing and 50 percent for infrastructure.

"I have some real consternation with the way this is playing out but unfortunately politics are being allowed to rule the day instead of the needs of the citizens of the state," said McDonald.

"As you all know, we don't have 50 percent of our damage in housing, nor does Brazoria County, nor does Chambers County, nor does Harris and I've asked everyone of them all the way over to Orange County."

"If we are successful then we'll get our needs addressed and the needs of our neighbors. If we're not then there will be a lot of urban revitalization going on, I expect in Houston, where they have some roof damage and landscape problems," he said.

"Whereas down on the coast we have real problems."

McDonald said most of the counties that were most devastated by they two hurricanes have seriously compromised infrastructures.

"We do have problems here. We do have beaches that are in need of sand, bulk heading that has been undermined and erosion on our shoreline," he said.

McDonald said his response to the problem was to pass along his resolution to the remaining 150 county officials in the HGAC.

He said while state officials might not take notice of one county resolution, 150 would surely gain attention.

"Unfortunately, politics have gotten in the middle of this," he said.

"We're going to take a good stab at turning this around but we need to let Austin hear us. This resolution is one way we can do that."

In other news, commissioners:

adopted a total tax rate of .27498;

rejected all bids regarding the Matagorda County Transfer Station;

continued the county-wide burn ban;

approved a resolution recognizing David Sitz for his service to the Matagorda County Conservation Reclamation District.