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Commissioners approve amendment for CDBG mitigation administration after concern over project pace
Summary
The court approved Amendment No. 2 to the county’s CDBG mitigation administration contract covering method-of-distribution projects after a discussion about slow progress on large drainage projects and steps to push plans to bid.
San Patricio County Commissioners on Monday approved an amendment to the county’s Community Development Block Grant mitigation (CDBG-MIT) administration contract that covers method-of-distribution projects, following questions about project progress and timelines.
Judy Langford, president of Langford Community Management Services, told the court that amendment No. 2 represents 6% of the MOD (method of distribution) funds and covers environmental work, permitting, Davis-Bacon wage compliance oversight and construction oversight for 10 projects. "It is inclusive of the environmental that we anticipate will have a culture resource survey in at least a couple of places," Langford said.
Commissioners raised concerns about the broader schedule for drainage projects funded through separate CDBG and MOD awards. Commissioner Ruben Gonzalez pressed for an update on why some engineering work has remained at about 95% complete: "We're almost $35,000,000 in drainage projects... I have a very much concern that we're not having any movement on it," he said. Langford and county staff said delays stemmed from slow initial procurement of engineers and pending approvals from third parties such as railroads; Langford said several projects were ready for bid once acquisition and final plan sign-offs are completed.
Langford also warned of the county’s exposure if projects cannot be completed within grant deadlines: "If we cannot complete the project, we would might have to reimburse some of the funding we've received," she said. County staff said they were working with the Texas General Land Office (GLO) to try to meet deadlines and would present solutions to the court.
Following discussion, a motion to approve the amendment passed (motion and second recorded); commissioners did not specify a roll-call tally on the record. County staff and Langford said they will continue advancing engineering, finalize acquisitions and move select segments to bid in an effort to meet GLO timelines.
The item followed other grant-related actions the court considered, including authorizing legal services to assist with acquisitions and awarding contracts related to the county’s GLO programs.
