County asked to match $382,773 for regional flood‑mapping grant; decision tabled

Travis Pruske, chief operations officer for the Uasis River Authority, told commissioners the region has been awarded grant funding for flood‑mapping and management projects but needs participating counties to sign an interlocal agreement and commit a local match. Pruske said Dimmit County’s share would be $382,773, payable in roughly ten annual installments of about $38,273.60.

Pruske said the grant has been awarded and the paperwork needs to be finalized within weeks to keep the project on track for spring work. He described the mapping update as essential — county maps have not been comprehensively updated for decades — and said inclusion in the state flood plan would make projects eligible for further state and FEMA funding.

Commissioners asked for time to review budget implications and the county’s ability to appropriate the match. With the county budget officer absent, one commissioner moved to table the interlocal agreement until the next Commissioners Court meeting to allow staff to report back; that motion carried.

Next steps: staff will follow up with the county’s budget office and the project proponents to clarify timing, exact fiscal impacts and whether any alternative match structures are possible before returning the item to the court.