Cameron County Commissioners Court voted Nov. 4 to authorize county staff to prepare and submit a proposal to the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Disaster Supplemental Notice of Funding Opportunity under the industry transformation path.

"We're looking at ... 3 to 5 large scale coordinator projects nationwide," the presenter said, describing the competition and the award size, which ranges from $20 million to $50 million and requires a 20% match. County staff said the deadline for submission is March 3, 2026, giving roughly four months to assemble a regional coalition and the application.

Presenters framed the proposal around existing investments in a regional network of real‑time hydrologic stations (RTHS) installed with Water Development Board and other funding. The plan, as presented, would expand monitoring, develop a workforce pipeline (apprenticeships and curriculum with South Texas colleges), and create sustained operations and maintenance capacity for the monitoring network, which currently lacks long‑term funding and faces vandalism, theft and wildlife damage.

"We wanna foster technology based resiliency industry in the Lower Rio Grande Valley," the presenter said, outlining partnerships with higher education, local governments, drainage districts and regional councils of governments. Staff emphasized that the grant requires a coalition — no single fiscal agent can carry the proposal alone — and that local match can be provided in cash or in‑kind by partners.

Because the award language and application process require technical grant writing, the court also authorized the purchasing department to issue a solicitation (RFP or RFQ as appropriate for professional services) to retain grant‑writing support and related consultants. Commissioners said the county's existing South Texas Coastal Counties Consortium and other regional stakeholders would be invited to participate.

The motion to authorize the submittal of the proposal and to proceed with a solicitation for grant writing was made by Commissioner Garza and seconded by Commissioner Benavides; the motion carried.

Staff noted the county has eligibility thanks to previous disaster declarations and emphasized the need to identify match commitments and finalize a coalition before the submission deadline. If awarded, the program would fund capital and program investments and require a sustained operations plan, which county staff said would rely on coalition partners and potential state match sources such as the Flood Infrastructure Fund.