Texas Governor: Harris County Can Hold Flood Control Bond Election

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has granted Harris County’s request to hold an August special election in which residents could be asked to approve as much as $2.5 billion to finance critical flood-control projects.

The county was the hardest hit by flooding by Hurricane Harvey.

Abbott approved the request in a letter sent on Monday to Harris County commissioners, who needed the governor’s permission to hold the election.

Commissioners were expected later this month to officially call for the election on Aug. 25. That would fall on the one-year anniversary of Harvey’s Texas landfall.

Harvey’s torrential rainfall made it to the Houston area a day later, flooding thousands of homes.

If approved, the bonds would help pay for various projects in the Houston area, including the widening of bayous.