Bee County okays participation in Nueces River Authority FEMA‑map update with $295,000 local match option

Bee County’s commissioners on Jan. 12 approved an interlocal project‑management agreement with the Nueces River Authority to update the county’s FEMA flood maps, a move officials said will modernize flood data and make the county eligible for flood‑management funding.

Travis Prewsky, chief operations officer for the Nueces River Authority, told the court the project will provide 6‑inch LiDAR mapping across the basin and identify flood‑management projects for the state flood plan. “If the county would like to move forward, it’s $295,000,” Prewsky said, adding the river authority received a 75% grant from the Texas Water Development Board and offered a 10‑year, 0% interest loan for participating counties so the local match can be paid over time.

Commissioners said updated digital elevation data would benefit emergency management, road planning and future infrastructure projects. The court discussed timing for the first payment and whether the city would participate to share costs; Prewsky said city–county interlocal arrangements have been used in other counties but each county decides locally.

County staff and the court emphasized that the updated maps would replace maps based on older paper products. “Currently we’re using data that’s from 2010,” the county floodplain administrator noted during discussion, underscoring the age of the existing information and the value of new digital mapping for planning and permitting.

The court voted to approve the interlocal agreement, authorizing the county judge to finalize any wordsmithing and sign the agreement. Commissioners said the county will work with the auditor’s office to place the first payment in the next budget cycle, using the river authority’s offered loan mechanism to spread the match over multiple years.

Next steps: Nueces River Authority will manage the grant and mapping process with county participation at staff meetings; Bee County will work budgeting timelines and coordinate any further city participation.