School Bond Elections

Understanding the county’s exceptional school districts have always been magnets for quality growth, both residential and commercial, FBEDC engaged in advocacy this year to support both LCISD and FBISD bond elections and to ensure our schools remain strong and attractive moving forward.

Lamar CISD has the equivalent of 10 full schools in portable buildings now, and demographers project the district will double in size to more than 80,000 students within the next decade, making LCISD the fastest-growing district in the state.  The growth and safety and security concerns for existing students drove this bond election to address the critical needs facing the district.

Fort Bend ISD is one of the largest districts in the state, which schools that date back over 50 years in some cases.  Older schools are in critical disrepair and some schools are significantly under capacity in low-growth areas.  Rebuilding schools with significant structural concerns and consolidating four older schools into two new, state-of-the-art education facilities powered the bulk of the bond money.  Additional school repairs, safety and security needs, technology upgrades, and a third natatorium in the Southeastern part of the district accounted for the anticipated expenses.

Lamar Consolidated ISD called a bond election for November 8, 2022, and successfully passed, $1.517 billion via propositions A, B, and C. This was the largest bond passed in the history of LCISD. FBEDC advocated for the passage of the bond package. 

Fort Bend ISD called a bond election in March for May 6, 2023, to address facilities, technology, and security, impacting the debt service side of the tax rate.  The bond package passed a $1.26 (Propositions A*B*C).  The bond is the first step in a strategic revitalization of the district’s aging schools.  FBEDC advocated for the passage of this bond package.

Advocacy efforts for both LCISD and FBISD bond packages included

• Support LCISD Schools and Excellence In Education (FBISD) websites with bond proposal information, online contribution capacity, and links to relevant materials;
• Raised over $160,000 to fund both campaigns;
• Mailer and texting campaigns to likely voters encouraging support for all bond propositions;
• Paid social media campaigns via a variety of digital platforms;
• Developed static and video assets to share via digital media outlets;
• Signage across the district and in private yards as requested;
• Attend and participate in community and stakeholder meetings
• Procured Resolutions of Support and endorsements from community and business leaders and organizations

Permanent Flowage Easement

Recent Court actions resulting from the flooding that took place upstream of Barker and Addicks Reservoirs during Hurricane Harvey in August of 2017 have significant implications for Fort Bend and Harris County residents, special districts, and governmental bodies.  Fort Bend County established community meetings to inform citizens of impacts to their properties during the 4^th quarter of 2022 and 1^st quarter of 2023.  The FBEDC, in conjunction with Fort Bend County Drainage District, worked to identify the plaintiff class, get more people to the meetings, schedule additional meetings, and begin additional outreach to residents before it is too late to file a claim via the statute of limitations.  The US government was found to have had a taking by flooding certain properties upstream of the reservoirs and those residents may have a claim against the federal government for damages and diminution of property values.  The Statute of Limitations for such cases is 6 years leaving residents little remaining time to initiate an action (August 28, 2023).  

Continued efforts focus on educating residents on the Court Cases, scheduling additional meetings with Fort Bend and Harris County MUDS, identifying residents impacted to increase claims, and working with plaintiff attorneys to further explain options and claims unfiled.  Efforts continue to be focused on securing future meeting locations, adding additional meetings to the schedule through August, and working with the Title Industry to identify residents that have a claim but have moved away since Harvey. 

Legal Cases

Levee Safety and Risk Rating 2.0

The Fort Bend Flood Management Committee (FBFMC) was established on July 1, 2022.  This year, we established the goal of affordable, voluntary, flood insurance for 100-year accredited levee-protected areas and develop eight objectives. Goals and objectives as well as an additional activity are detailed on the Fort Bend EDC website (link)

FBFMC met monthly for the past 12 months, and the core leadership team met with consultants monthly to ensure accountability and to review and re-prioritize objectives.

• FBFMC’s paid consultants, at the committee’s direction, educated representative and senatorial staff on the perils of Risk Rating 2.0 and the threat the policy creates to property protected behind accredited levies.  To that end, a letter (link) signed by seven United States Senators, including Texas Senators Cornyn and Cruz, was delivered to FEMA Deputy Associate Administrator for Federal Insurance & Mitigation Administration Resilience with FEMA/NFIP.
• The FBFMC assisted area levy directors in a national event held in Fort Bend County to demonstrate the exceptional quality of the county’s levees, the additional pumping capacity, and overall investment by county levees since Hurricane Harvey, and provide continuing education for levee directors. The event was attended by levee directors across the nation and Deputy Associate Administrator David Maurstead.
• FBFMC consultants met with congressional staff in Washington, DC, and in a variety of states to further advance the identified goals and objectives, with five main areas of interest. Four of the five priorities suggest riders tied to appropriations bills to manage potential mission creep and protect homeowners from unduly burdensome insurance rates.

FBFMA consultants made requests detailed below on behalf of Fort Bend County and over 100 levee sponsors from the Mississippi Valley states (Louisiana and Texas) via visits to Representatives Scalise, Kennedy, and Graves leadership staff and the full Arkansas delegation in the House.

• Committee On Levee Safety (rider to Energy and Water Development appropriations bill FY24): The Levee Safety Committee, a committee which has sat dormant for many years, will be reconstituted, and published committee duties exceed the original scope and purpose of the committee.  To protect against potential committee mission creep, we requested language which limits funding unless there is levee owner decision-making parity.
• PL84-99 Emergency Rehabilitation Program Rulemaking (rider to Energy and Water Development appropriations bill FY24) PL84-99 was designed to assist in repairing levees damaged by storms.  The Army Corps of Engineers, via the rulemaking process, is attempting to use these funds to demand levee owners and operators perform additional actions unrelated to levee maintenance. To prevent misuse of the program, we requested a language that limits funding if the Corps imposes additional eligibility requirements for the PL84-99 program.
• Levee Accreditation Process (rider to Homeland Security appropriations bill FY24) The Corps adopted criteria for levee certification (a statutorily provided step in accreditation) that are unrelated to whether or not a levee or floodwall system will protect against the 1-percent annual chance flood (ACF). Accreditation from the Corp, tied to certification via FEMA, has produced overwhelming success for five decades.  The suggested language states no funds can be used to impose any conditions on levee accreditation that do not directly contribute to the capacity of the project to protect against the Base Flood Elevation flood.  
• Home Value Protection Equity Under NFIP (rider to Homeland Security appropriations bill FY24) Actuarial premiums imposed by FEMA have been formulated without regard for the long-term impact on homeowners and their property value. To protect homeowners from exorbitant premiums, we suggested language that limits premiums under Risk Rating 2.0 to a percentage of the annualized value of the home.
• Enact Hyde-Smith (SB721) FBFMA consultants worked with Congressional staff to get this bill introduced last year allows policyholders to select premium rates established pre-Risk Rating 2.0 (legacy approach) until and unless FEMA meets the accountability and transparency expectations required under the Administrative Procedure Act. Progress has been made during this reporting period to move this bill forward in the new Congress.