Guadalupe County court authorizes $2.5M flood-study grant application to TWDB

Guadalupe County commissioners voted Dec. 2 to authorize submission of a $2.5 million application to the Texas Water Development Board for a countywide flood infrastructure evaluation and master drainage study. The submission seeks a $1,875,000 grant with a required 25% local match of $625,000.

The county’s abridged application was presented by Judy Langford of Langford Community Management Services, who said the pre-application led to an invitation to submit a full application. Justin Murray of Bussett and Associates (a Kleinfelder company) said the study would cover about 175 square miles, extend into Caldwell, Comal, Hays and Bexar counties, and include two regional flood‑planning groups covering the San Antonio and Guadalupe river basins. "The outcome of this study is to identify projects that then are ranked and prioritized by you, the county," Murray said.

Commissioners questioned timing and funding. Langford and staff said there are options for financing the local match, including a 0% loan from TWDB that requires additional auditor documentation; using general‑fund dollars is an alternative that requires less paperwork. Staff advised there would be time to secure partner letters from participating cities through January and that TWDB typically takes three to six months to respond after full application submission.

City of Seguin representative Jennifer Shortest told the court the plan will look at localized flooding where data do not exist and said the city supports a regional, cross‑jurisdictional approach. Commissioners emphasized the study’s role in improving project readiness for future construction funding and agreed staff should present potential match sources to the court prior to final commitment.

The court approved the motion to submit the grant application and associated resolutions and affidavits by voice vote; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the minutes.