Lenny (staff member) told the Victoria County Commissioners Court that a federal earmark request to help build the county airport terminal was included on a recent House Appropriations Committee list and that the state separately committed $2.5 million for terminal design.

The report matters because the terminal project depends on multiple funding sources, Lenny said, and placement on the House list is an early step before Senate consideration and reconciliation on the federal budget.

Lenny said he submitted a $10,000,000 request to the congressman’s office. He told the court, “Last year, the congressman had told me that this year, he will help me out to get that. I fill out the application.” He said the House appropriations committee passed $283,700,000 in earmarks for 88 airports and that Victoria appears on that list “for $55,500,000.0,” language he later and elsewhere characterized as $5.5 million. Lenny also confirmed the state had awarded $2,500,000 “for the design of the terminal.”

County Judge (County Judge) and other members of the court thanked Lenny and Congressman Cloud’s office for the work. The judge said the terminal effort “has multiple funding sources that pretty much all have to line up,” and called the placement on the list “another huge step.”

Court members and Lenny emphasized the multi-step funding process: House committee action is not final and the earmark must survive Senate consideration and reconciliation before the county can expect a confirmed federal allocation. Lenny said the county would likely learn the final status later in the year if the earmark proceeds through the remaining legislative steps.

The court did not take formal action on the briefing; commissioners received the update and asked staff to continue coordinating funding and to return with next steps as details become certain.

Background details the court discussed include the multiple funding sources required for the terminal (state design funds, possible federal earmark, local dollars) and the timing uncertainty of federal appropriations. Lenny noted that grant agreements and program rules can require specific timelines for spending, so aligning awards will be necessary before construction procurement begins.

The court expressed appreciation for assistance from Congressman Cloud’s office and for local staff work on the application and paperwork. The briefing concluded with the court directing staff to continue monitoring the federal and state processes and to report back when additional information is available.