The Atlantic hurricane season, which will continue until the end of November, officially began June 1. The season has started slower than usual, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast is ominous. The 2024 season is predicted to be unusually active, with 17 to 25 named storms and eight to 13 hurricanes. By comparison, an average season in recent decades has comprised of about 14 named storms and seven hurricanes.

Another menacing weather prediction comes from climatologists at the well-respected Colorado State University. They project officials and citizens should anticipate and prepare for 23 named storms and 11 hurricanes this season.

Hurricanes cause damage that requires billions in cleanup and repair work. The federal weather authority NOAA reports hurricanes caused between $3 billion and $4 billion in damage last year. Flooding resulted in even more costly damages the previous year – about $7 billion.

In anticipation of these weather-related events, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced $300 million of available funding for 2024. This support is available for flood resilience projects. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) still has more than $2 billion for sustainability projects through the Flood Mitigation Assistance program. Still, this funding is available only through the federal government’s 2026 fiscal year.

Officials in Milton, West Virginia, have announced the upcoming launch of a construction project that will deliver a floodwall to prevent water from overflowing into the city’s central business district. The downtown area is currently vulnerable to flooding, and significant damage has occurred to commercial buildings and property. The $190 million floodwall project will be designed to reduce the chances of significant flooding in the downtown area to 0.4%.

To prevent future flooding, an earthen levy and a concrete wall will be constructed. Water from the river will also be diverted so that if flooding occurs, it will be directed away from the central business district. Still, there is no official timeline for work to begin in the design phase, but this effort will proceed soon.

A $50 million flood mitigation project will also be launched in Alexandria, Virginia. It is currently in the design phase, and prospective bidders can expect to see solicitation documents by 2025. The project will be engineered to protect multiple vulnerable streets and intersections from frequent flooding from stormwater. The existing infrastructure is no longer sufficient to manage yearly anticipated rainfall. Project components will include installing additional sewers along key roads, a new outfall to direct water into a nearby river and green initiatives to improve water quality. The final design will include a site survey, storm sewer modeling and construction drawings.

Click here for more

Gov. Greg Abbott and the state of Texas have recognized five women as 2024 Outstanding Women in Texas Government. The award honors women in state service who are notable leaders in their field, demonstrating their skills and impact as trailblazers, inspirations and role models for future leaders.

Margo Richards with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) will receive the Outstanding Leadership award. Richards currently serves as vice president of community resources at the LCRA. She oversees approximately 40 parks along the lower Colorado River and more than 1.5 million park visitors annually. She serves as treasurer of the Texas Travel Alliance and is on the membership committee of the Texas Wildlife Association.

Mary Landrum with the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Worker’s Compensation will also be recognized with the Outstanding Leadership award. As deputy commissioner of health and safety, Landrum oversees the department’s offices and healthcare programs. She has more than 30 years of healthcare experience, specializing in advanced management practices, directing multi-level program areas and overseeing business operations initiatives.

Marie Cohan with the Texas Department of Information Resources will receive the Outstanding Professional Development award. Cohan is the department’s statewide digital accessibility program administrator, a role she has held since January 2022. As the administrator, Cohan collaborates with state IT leaders, higher education institutions and the vendor community to enhance digital accessibility and ensure that state government digital tools and services are accessible for people with disabilities.

Angie McCown, the director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) Victim Services Division (VSD), will receive the award for Outstanding Community Involvement. As the VSD director, McCown ensures the agency provides direct service to victims and their families throughout the state. She has three decades of experience in victim services and has been responsible for spearheading several innovative strategies and programs to help victims since she began her director tenure.

Monica Huffer with the Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) has been selected for the Rising Star award. Huffer began her public service career in July 2022, starting as the portfolio manager for private markets. She was later promoted to portfolio director of private markets in August 2023. Huffer has nine years of analysis and leadership experience in both the private and public sector.

The city of Pearland and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will spend $127 million to widen and improve approximately 5.5 miles of the Broadway/FM 518 roadway.

The project will split the work between the east and west sides of the FM 518 roadway. The east side will cost $62 million to build, and the west side will cost $67 million, TxDOT Public Information Officer Danny Perez told Texas Government Insider. The projects are in the design phases with construction expected to begin in 2027.

The project will widen the roadway from the existing four-lane configuration to six lanes, including three lanes in each direction. The road will feature a raised median spanning 6 miles. The project will convert the existing open-ditch drainage system to a curb-and-gutter drainage system.

Plans include building a 10-foot-wide side path on one side of the road and a sidewalk on the opposing side. Pearland will also invest in updated traffic signals and enhanced turn lanes. The project will have to acquire 25 acres of additional right-of-way.

The project is part of the larger Broadway Corridor Improvement Plan, a 2020 initiative to develop Pearland’s principal commercial corridors. The plan includes reconstructing and widening roads, improving corridor aesthetics, assessing market potential and identifying development opportunities.

(Photo courtesy of Leaflet.)

Gov. Greg Abbott has released the inaugural appointments to the 15th Court of Appeals. State lawmakers created the court last year to have exclusive intermediate appellate jurisdiction over disputes brought by or against Texas and its officers. It will also have exclusive jurisdiction to review judgments from Texas’ business courts.

Scott A. Brister was appointed as chief justice in Place 1. He currently serves as a senior partner at a law firm. Brister previously served as a justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, justice and chief justice of the 1st and 14th Courts of Appeals and judge of the 234th Judicial District Court. In addition, he is a former member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee, Supreme Court Jury Task Force and former chair of the Texas Commission on Public School Finance.

Scott K. Field, a current judge of the 480th Judicial District Court in Williamson County, was appointed to Place 2. He previously served as a justice of the 3rd Court of Appeals and as a partner and attorney with several law firms. Field is also a mentor for The University of Texas (UT) School of Law Mentoring Program and a former director of the Texas Aggie Bar Association.

Gov. Abbott appointed April L. Farris to Place 3 on the court. Farris currently serves as a justice on the 1st Court of Appeals, a position held since January 2021. She previously worked as an assistant solicitor general for the state of Texas and as an appellate litigation partner at a law firm. Farris also volunteers as a mentor judge for the National Association of Women Judges.

All appointments will be effective Sept. 1, 2024, with two-year terms set to expire Dec. 31, 2026, or until successors are elected and qualified.

The city of Bryan has selected a partner to design the Thompson’s Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (TCWWTP) expansion project. The designer will receive $3.3 million to manage the project, conduct preliminary investigations, oversee the bid phase and provide architectural services. Construction is anticipated to begin in August 2025. No cost estimate has been released.

The TCWWTP currently has an average annual design flow capacity of 2 million gallons per day (MGD). However, the plant only treats an average of 1 MGD. As the area’s population grows and influent flows increase, the city will expand the facility’s capacity to 4 MGD to compensate for greater demand.

The project will improve an influent lift station with four replacement pumps, slide gates and a backup generator. Plans also include adding two additional clarifiers and building outfall boxes for yard piping. The city will improve the headworks by installing a second vortex grit removal system, adding downstream weirs, installing a multi-rake climbing mechanical screen and building an odor control unit.

Plans include building two additional aeration basins and two turbo blowers next to the existing two aeration blowers. In addition, the city will remove the existing multi-stage blower, replace the existing check and isolation valves and install a wheel-chain for the replacement isolation valve.

The city will enhance TCWWTP’s electrical and automation systems. Plans include integrating new equipment into the existing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. All new equipment software will comply with the city’s cybersecurity standards. The project will also remove the uninterruptible power supply in the server room. 

The project will replace the ultraviolet (UV) equipment at the UV disinfection facility, install a sunshade canopy and replace the control valve and strainer. Other plans include additional return activated sludge pumps, an additional waste activated sludge storage tank and improvements for all interconnecting yard piping and site grading.

(Photo courtesy of Ivan Bandura on Unsplash.)

Georgeanne Warnock, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Terrell Independent School District

Public career highlights and education: I hold a Bachelor of Arts in History and English from Trinity University, a Master's of Education in Secondary Education from the University of North Texas, a Master of Education in Education Administration from the University of North Texas, and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of North Texas. Prior to becoming superintendent of Terrell ISD in 2020, I served as Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Associate Superintendent of Educational Services for seven years.

What I like best about my public service: The ability to impact the lives of students and the community. It is my greatest joy when I hear stories about a life changed because of a scholarship program we implemented or a CTE certification that led to a job that made a difference in the life of a family.

The best advice I ever received: To remain humble, to keep striving to improve as there is always room for better, and to keep people first.

People might be interested to know that: I am one of the first superintendents to have a TikTok account. I felt that this platform could use a positive and uplifting educator voice after viewing numerous negative videos on public education. I jumped in head first and now nearly three years later 50,000 individuals follow along on several platforms as I share my thoughts about our school district.

One thing I wish more people knew about the Terrell Independent School District: To attract quality educators to our district, we recently implemented a four-day school week for teachers and students. Our applicant pool more than doubled this past summer, and so far we are seeing promising results with our year-over-year diagnostic test data.

Dallas City Council members have elected councilmembers Tennell Atkins and Adam Bazaldua to serve as mayor pro tem and deputy mayor pro tem. The appointments will be effective June 17 and will last a year.

Atkins was first elected to represent Dallas City Council District 8 in June 2007 and had previously served as mayor pro tem between 2013 and 2015. He was elected to serve his 8th term in June 2023.

Atkins serves as chair of the Economic Development Committee, Ad Hoc Committee on Pensions and the Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs. In addition, he serves on the Mobility Solutions, Infrastructure and Sustainability and the Government Performance and Financial Management committees.

Bazaldua was newly appointed to the deputy mayor pro tem role. Elected to the Dallas City Council in June 2019, he is the youngest person serving on the council. Bazaldua chairs the Committee of Quality of Life, Arts and Culture.

Researchers at Texas A&M are using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing systems to identify infrastructure issues more efficiently. Their goal is to improve the management and maintenance of transportation infrastructure.

The team led by Dr. Anand Puppala and Ph.D. candidate Amit Gajurel are developing a method to use SAR technology to inspect pavement, retaining walls and embankments from space.

Click here to learn more about Texas A&M’s satellite system

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is dedicating almost $66 million to conservation efforts such as wildfire risk management, water quality and forest health. This fund comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

Most of the award — $55 million — will be distributed through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership, which works with private, state and Tribal landowners to conserve forests and agricultural lands alongside federal lands. The money will go toward projects in 11 states.

Click here for more information about the conservation grants

(Photo courtesy of the USDA.)

Since January 2024, the United States has seen some of the most destructive wildfires in 25 years, breaking the record for the most acres burned per fire. As wildfires continue to ravage the nation, the departments of the Interior (DOI) and Agriculture (USDA) have outlined strategic priorities in directing and responding to wildfires. In a recent memo, the agencies advocated priorities to reduce wildfire risk, restore ecosystems, engage in post-fire recovery, support the wildland fire workforce and increase community fire resilience.

In 2023, weather patterns and responses from wildland firefighters resulted in less widespread wildfire activity in 2023. Despite fewer wildfire events occurring, totaling more than 56,000 across the country, more than 2.6 million acres burned in historically significant fires. The fires caused significant housing and infrastructure loss, deaths and resource damage.

Click here to learn more about wildfire mitigation

(Photo courtesy of Marcus Kauffman on Unsplash.)

Fort Worth City Council members have updated regulations to help protect properties from flooding, streamline the grading permitting process and clarify city development requirements. All regulations and updates will take effect July 15.

The city has participated in the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, which helps protect properties within Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Special Flood Hazard Areas. However, these areas don't include developments that are under 1 acre, making them far more vulnerable to flood events.

The updated regulations will help mitigate public and private losses due to flood conditions in areas that aren’t protected by FEMA. This will allow the city to establish and regulate critical flood risk areas that experience regular flooding during rainstorms.

The updated Floodplain Provisions Ordinance will establish non-FEMA City Flood Risk Areas (CFRAs) across the city. However, the regulations will only apply to new construction and development activity such as fences, accessory structures and room additions.

The city has amended the Grading Permit Ordinance to improve the permitting process. The update will replace the Final integrated Storm Water Management (iSWM) Plan with a grading permit. This eliminated a step in the development review process, enhancing its efficiency and effectiveness.

The update will also:

• Clarify submission requirements and apply review requirements evenly across projects.
• Better define Early Grading Permits and clarify their requirements.
• Clarify exemptions and simplify review processes for public infrastructure.

The City Council has also updated the Storm Drainage Criteria and Design Manual to incorporate the floodplain provisions and grading permit ordinance changes. The original manual was developed in 1967 and last updated in 2015. The manual helps developers submit construction plans by clarifying city development requirements.

The major updates to the manual include:

• Incorporating CFRA guidance and regulations.
• No longer requiring Final iSWM Plans.
• Better defining and introducing drainage studies as separate submissions to replace iSWM plans.
• Allowing the use of specific types of polypropylene pipes instead of concrete.
• Defining stormwater detention facility maintenance requirements.
• Updating runoff coefficients for more dense residential developments.
• Revising easement sizing requirements.
• Updating administrative procedures for processing applications and conducting pre-submittal meetings.

(Photo courtesy of Billy Hathorn.)

The University of North Texas (UNT) Board of Regents has chosen Harrison Keller, Ph.D., as the lone finalist to be the 17th president of UNT. The announcement followed a nationwide search to lead Texas’ third-largest higher education institution. Dr. Keller will replace Neal Smatresk, Ph.D., who has led the university since 2014.

Dr. Keller currently serves as the commissioner and chief executive officer of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, a role he has held since 2019. As commissioner and CEO, he was responsible for handling the state’s strategic plan for higher education and managing an annual budget of more than $1.7 billion.

As president, Dr. Keller will function as the university’s CEO, overseeing its administration and operations as well as setting the institution’s vision and strategic objectives. He will help ensure the university’s academic excellence, improve its student-focused identity and strengthen its portfolio of research, scholarship and creative activity.

While Dr. Keller has been selected as the role’s sole finalist, state law dictates that there must be a 21-day waiting period before he can be permanently appointed. The board expects to finalize its selection the week of July 1.

The city of Georgetown will use $72.1 million to improve, widen and reconstruct roadways. All projects are currently in the design phase.

Georgetown will spend $33.6 million to expand and upgrade the Southeast Inner Loop. The city must improve the current 2.9-mile stretch of road to accommodate the needs of motorists in one of the fastest growing cities in America.

The project will expand the two-lane roadway to a five-lane arterial roadway from FM 1460 to Southwestern Boulevard. In addition, the city will upgrade the road between Southwestern Boulevard to State Highway 29 to a four-lane median divided highway.

Plans include a grade separation and left- and right-turn lanes as needed. The city will install storm sewers and open ditch drainage systems. The project will also feature a shared-use path on one side of the road and a sidewalk on the other. Construction is expected to begin Feb. 3, 2025.

The city will widen two roads to better accommodate traffic and improve safety. The $26 million project will expand Wolf Ranch Parkway to include two lanes in each direction with a median. Plans include installing a shared-use path and two traffic signals. The city will widen Memorial Drive to one lane in each direction. The project will also complete a sidewalk and build a roundabout. Construction is expected to begin in 2025.

Georgetown will use $12.5 million to widen the existing Shell Road to a four-lane divided highway. The road will include a median, shared-use path, curbs and gutters, left- and right-turn lanes and an open ditch drainage system. Construction is estimated to begin March 1, 2025.

(Photo courtesy of Jamar Penny on Unsplash.)

Texas energy customers are at an increased risk of experiencing rolling power blackouts later this summer, according to a report released last week by the state’s grid operator.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas broke the news in its Monthly Outlook for Resource Adequacy for August, predicting a 12% chance of energy reserves falling below 1,500 megawatts, which could trigger rolling blackouts to prevent total grid collapse.

Click here to learn more about blackout risk to Texas’ power grid

After leaving the university in 2008, Giovanni Piccinni, Ph.D., will return to Texas A&M AgriLife Research as director of the Texas Water Resources Institute. Dr. Piccinni was most recently a lead for a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company. Dr. Piccinni will assume responsibilities Aug. 1, 2024.

The Clyde Consolidated Independent School District has welcomed Bryan Allen as superintendent. Allen officially accepted the role June 11. He most recently served as superintendent of Breckinridge Independent School District. He brings 28 years of public education experience to the role.

The city of Fort Worth has hired Brian Daugherty as director of the Code Compliance Department. Daugherty currently works as director of Code Compliance with the city of Arlington, a role he has held since 2019. He has served Arlington for 17 years in several capacities, including field operations manager, dangerous and substandard structures program supervisor and as a code compliance officer. He will begin his tenure June 24.

Grayson Path has accepted the city manager role with the city of Amarillo. The position has been vacant for a year. Path previously served as city manager for Paris, Texas. He will officially assume his duties Aug. 12. He will replace Jared Miller.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced these appointments and reappointments from June 7 through June 13:

Third Business Court Division in Austin

Melissa Andrews - Austin

Patrick K. Sweeten - Austin

First Business Court Division in Dallas

Andrea Bouressa - Murphy

William “Bill” Whitehill - Coppell

Eighth Business Court Division in Fort Worth

Jerry Bullard - Colleyville

Brian Stagner - Fort Worth

Fourth Business Court Division in San Antonio

Marialyn Barnard - San Antonio

Stacy Sharp - San Antonio

Texas Government Insider is a free weekly newsletter detailing important happenings throughout the state and summarizing current political issues relevant to individuals interested in government.

Publisher: Mary Scott Nabers

Editors:

Adam Rollins

Dave Doolittle