Tag Archives: HUD

No federal action to un-screw Houston on Harvey relief funds

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Not yet, anyway. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this. The federal government is punting for now on enforcing a finding that Texas discriminated against communities of color when it stiffed Houston in distributing flood mitigation funds stemming from Hurricane Harvey. The Department … Continue reading →

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Here come the new floodplain maps

Posted on February 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon to tell you if you are now in the floodplain. When Harris County debuts a massive overhaul of its floodplain maps later this year, the Houston area will be the first in the country to rely on a … Continue reading →

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New Land Commissioner, same screw job for Houston and Harris County

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t expect any different. I’m still mad about it. When akewayLakeway Republican Dawn Buckingham jumps from the Texas Senate to the helm of the state General Land Office next month, she will inherit control of the state’s Hurricane Harvey recovery, a slow-moving multibillion-dollar … Continue reading →

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Harris County officially gets its $750 million from the GLO

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

With hopefully more to come, as well as something for Houston. Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved an agreement Wednesday with the Texas General Land Office to receive $750 million in federal flood mitigation funding, and called on the agency … Continue reading →

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Is there any chance the GLO won’t screw Houston this time around?

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, maybe. Things can happen. I just wouldn’t count on it. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday commended the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for ordering Texas to fix a Hurricane Harvey recovery plan that the federal agency … Continue reading →

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GLO prepares to screw Houston again on Harvey recovery funds

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Gird yourselves. Of the more than 300,000 homes in Texas damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, none were in Coryell County. Located 220 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, this small agricultural county was not the place Congress had in … Continue reading →

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Houston to get federal freeze recovery funds

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston is slated to get about $30 million in disaster recovery money to help address lasting needs from the February 2021 winter storm — the largest such grant in Texas, federal officials announced Tuesday. Marcia L. Fudge, secretary of … Continue reading →

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HUD approves updated GLO proposal for Harris County

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting, but there are still a lot of moving pieces out there. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday said it would accept the Texas General Land Office’s proposal to give Harris County $750 million in federal … Continue reading →

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Keep your hands off of the Harvey money, H-GAC

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously. You’ve done enough already. First, a regional council of government officials left Harris County and most of its cities out of a plan to distribute $488 million in federal flood mitigation funds stemming from Hurricane Harvey. As justification, the Houston-Galveston Area Council … Continue reading →

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HUD finds the GLO’s process to screw Houston out of Harvey funds “discriminatory”

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Now get us the funds we deserve. In a decision that could redirect millions of dollars in flood relief to Houston, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found the Texas General Land Office discriminated against minority residents … Continue reading →

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Bypass the GLO

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Heck yeah. All five members of Harris County Commissioners Court signed onto a letter Friday asking the local congressional delegation to ensure that future disaster relief bypasses the state government and goes directly to large counties. The letter is the … Continue reading →

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Feds halt Harvey relief funds over GLO error

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The continuing saga. The Department of Housing and Urban Development on Friday halted the distribution of $1.95 billion in aid awarded to Texas after Hurricane Harvey because it said the state has failed to send the federal agency required paperwork … Continue reading →

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Is there no way to fully close the flood bond funding gap?

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not looking great right now. For three years, Harris County Commissioners Court members have bickered, haggled and negotiated over the $2.5 billion flood bond program voters passed after Hurricane Harvey. Throughout all the discord over how projects should be prioritized … Continue reading →

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GLO still screwing Houston on Harvey aid

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This shit has got to stop. Harris County and the city of Houston this week blasted the Texas General Land Office’s revised plan for distributing billions in federal Hurricane Harvey aid, saying that while it is an improvement over the … Continue reading →

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GLO defends P Bush in Congressional hearing

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Dude couldn’t be bothered to show up himself, so he had someone else there to defend him. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush did not play a role in the process that left Houston and Harris County without any federal … Continue reading →

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Testify, George P!

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m ready for this. A congressional panel is set to review the Texas General Land Office’s denial of federal flood mitigation funding to Houston and Harris County, the latest in an ongoing spat over more than $1 billion in aid … Continue reading →

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Let’s try again to fix that flood bond deficit

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this works. Harris County on Tuesday [unveiled] a new plan to address a funding gap for its flood bond program, which will rely more heavily on diverted toll road revenue instead of federal aid that may never arrive. The … Continue reading →

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It wasn’t just Houston and Harris County that got screwed by P Bush and the GLO

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Every time I read something new about this, I get madder. Disasters have not fallen evenly on Iola and Port Arthur. Hurricane Harvey flooded almost the entire coastal city on the Louisiana border, which was damaged by Ike and Rita … Continue reading →

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Harris County and Houston appeal to HUD for flood funds

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hope this helps. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Friday asked U.S. Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge to set a 30-day deadline for the Texas General Land Office to formally request $750 million in federal flood … Continue reading →

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Flood Control District director to resign

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Russ Poppe submitted a letter of resignation to Commissioners Court on Friday, saying he plans to step down July 2. Poppe, 45, said the demands of the job, which have grown significantly … Continue reading →

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The Chron debunks P Bush

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You love to see it. In recent days, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has said his office is not to blame for failing to award Houston or Harris County a single penny of $1 billion in flood mitigation funding … Continue reading →

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What are P Bush’s pledges worth?

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Something less than $750 million would be my guess. When Republican Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced Wednesday evening that he would ask federal officials to send Harris County $750 million in flood mitigation aid, he told Houstonians the … Continue reading →

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P Bush tries to make amends

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What a joker. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush said Wednesday he would ask the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to directly send Harris County $750 million in flood mitigation aid related to Hurricane Harvey, days after his … Continue reading →

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State Reps to P Bush: Reconsider

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nearly all of the Harris County State Reps have written a letter to Land Commissioner George P Bush asking him to reconsider the ridiculous process that completely shut Houston and Harris County out of federal flooding funds. A bipartisan group … Continue reading →

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P Bush tries to deflect blame on flood funding fiasco

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You can run, but you can’t hide, George P. Bush. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush blamed local leaders Friday for Houston and Harris County’s failure to secure a single penny of roughly $1 billion in federal flood mitigation funds … Continue reading →

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GLO to Harris County: Drop dead

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to see this as anything but a hatchet job. Houston and Harris County officials said the Texas General Land Office informed them Thursday they would receive nothing from the more than $1.3 billion in applications they submitted for federal … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court partially fills the flood bond funding gap

Posted on May 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Harris County Commissioners Court took initial steps this week to plug a $1.4 billion funding hole for its flood bond program by diverting revenue from the county’s toll roads system. Court members also laid out a “backstop” plan to … Continue reading →

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Flood funding shortfall

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Still trying to understand this. Harris County on Tuesday revealed a $1.4 billion shortfall in funding for flood control projects under the bond program voters approved in 2018, a massive miscalculation that threatens to cause construction delays and cost taxpayers … Continue reading →

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The state will be handling the Harvey relief funds

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t worry your pretty little heads about it. Texas is likely another nine months from getting $4.3 billion in federal post-Hurricane Harvey recovery money aimed at better protecting the state from future flooding and disasters. But when it finally arrives, … Continue reading →

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Council approves initial Harvey housing aid

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Houston City Council has approved a plan to direct how the first long-term federal housing aid headed this way after Hurricane Harvey will be spent, targeting $600 million to repair or build single-family homes and $375 million … Continue reading →

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Hillary and Julian

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The other Texas political story from last week that had tongues wagging and social media buzzing. Why yes, since you asked, the Secretary did have dinner with the Clintons at their house, Julián Castro’s press secretary allowed. Did they have … Continue reading →

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Castro confirmed for HUD

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Secretary Castro! The U.S. Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved the nomination of San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The nomination was approved 71-26 on a roll call vote. Sen. … Continue reading →

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Castro gets the nod

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As anticipated. Before a packed crowd in the White House’s state dining room, President Obama on Friday nominated San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro to become the newest — and youngest — member of his cabinet, as the secretary of Housing … Continue reading →

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The case against Castro for HUD

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

While we wait for further word on San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro’s reported appointment to be Secretary of HUD – he is keeping quiet about it for now – it’s worth considering some of the political implications behind it. Brian … Continue reading →

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