Houston-Galveston Area Council Newsletter October 2022 | |
September Board of Directors Meeting | |
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At its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20, the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) Board of Directors approved a process to evaluate multijurisdictional disaster mitigation projects for funding allocation.
The Texas General Land Office approved H-GAC’s Method of Distribution for more than $488 million in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation funds for resiliency projects in the H-GAC region. The funding includes $62 million for multijurisdictional projects. The board decided that H-GAC will vet the tier 1-level regional projects in the Water Resources Committee’s priority list using weighted scoring criteria that considers important disaster mitigation factors, project priorities, and equity factors. With the board’s approval, the process next goes to the Texas General Land Office for its review.
The board later approved additional funding for an assessment of voluntary green infrastructure best practices that could help address flooding and water quality in the Galveston Bay Watershed. It also approved funding for watershed studies in the West Lake Houston Basin, a critical drinking water supply in the region, and it approved the use of Planning Assistance grants by the Texas Department of Transportation to begin implementing changes recommended by the Regionally Coordinated Transportation Plan to increase access and usefulness of the region’s transit systems.
Next, the board approved more than $7.6 million for the Houston-Galveston Area Agency on Aging to contract with organizations and continue providing services in the fiscal year 2023 for individuals aged 60 and older in the 12 counties in the region surrounding Harris County. These critical services include nutrition (congregate and home-delivered meals), transportation, and direct services, such as personal assistance/respite care, residential repair, health maintenance, emergency response, and health information services.
State Representative Penny Morales Shaw, Texas House District 148, appeared as a special guest before the board and gave a preview of the key policy issues expected to be discussed in next year’s legislative session. Some issues she mentioned include strengthening the electric grid, disaster mitigation, ongoing staffing shortages in the education field, expanding transportation, and workforce and senior housing shortages.
Towards the end of the meeting, the board approved new appointments to the Houston-Galveston Area Local Development Corporation, the Natural Resources Advisory Council, and the Regional Air Quality Planning Advisory Committee.
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Next Board Meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 18
The next board meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 18. If there are any scheduling or location updates to this meeting, we will notify the public immediately. For more information on H-GAC's Board of Directors, past meeting agendas or minutes, or to find dates for future meetings, visit the Board of Directors website.
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H-GAC Program Spotlight: Texas Veterans Commission Partnership | |
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At its September meeting, the H-GAC Board of Directors listened to a spotlight presentation about H-GAC’s partnership with the Texas Veterans Commission to assist the region’s veterans and their families in finding quality employment.
Veterans often face significant barriers to employment. The Texas Veterans Commission is dedicated to helping veterans and their families overcome those barriers and find quality jobs that create fulfilling long-term careers. In the H-GAC region, the organization shares offices at Workforce Solutions career centers, where they work together to provide career advisory, job finding, and vocational rehabilitation services to veterans, active duty Wounded Warriors, veteran spouses, and family members.
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Additionally, the Texas Veterans Commission hosts hiring events, career fairs, training for veterans, their families, and hiring authorities, and it provides work opportunity tax credit pre-certification assistance for veterans.
The Texas Veterans Commission also partners with Workforce Solutions, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the Texas Medical Center on the annual Hiring Red, White & You! Job Fair, the state’s largest hiring event for veterans and their families.
For more information about employment services for veterans and their families in the region, visit the Veterans Services page at wrksolutions.com, or contact the Texas Veterans Commission directly at 512-463-2333 or [email protected].
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Second Round of Public Meetings Starting This Month Will Help Set the Vision and Top Priorities of H-GAC’s Long-Range Transportation Plan | |
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Residents and stakeholders have another opportunity to share their thoughts on how to make getting around the Houston-Galveston region safer and better for years to come. H-GAC will host a second round of public meetings mid-October through early December to decide the top transportation priorities and strategies for its 2045 Regional Transportation Plan – which is being updated – and how they will drive the plan’s vision moving forward.
Check out the flyer below for the full schedule of meeting dates, times, and locations (click it to enlarge). All the public meetings will have Spanish language interpreters and American Sign Language interpreters for the deaf community. The Fort Bend County and Harris County public meetings will also have Mandarin and Vietnamese language interpreters. Residents and stakeholders can learn more information about the meetings and how to get involved at www.h-gac.com/RTP, or read our online news release.
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Councilmember Nancy Arnold Named President-Elect of Texas Association of Regional Councils | |
Waller City Councilmember Nancy Arnold was recently named president-elect of the Texas Association of Regional Councils. Arnold currently serves on the H-GAC Board of Directors representing General Law Cities. She and her fellow TARC officers – Judge Robert Johnston, who serves as president of TARC, and Alderman Kavon Novak, who serves as vice president – were officially sworn in at the end of September and will serve through 2023. Congratulations to Nancy Arnold! | |
Calling All H-GAC General Law and Home Rule Cities Representatives! Mark Your Calendars for Your Caucuses Set to Begin on Nov. 10. | |
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H-GAC General Law and Home Rule cities’ designated representatives and/or alternates will meet starting next month to each select two representatives and two alternates to represent their interests on the 2023 H-GAC Board of Directors. These meetings will be held in person only at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Houston West - Katy (16435 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77094).
- General Law Cities Caucus: Thursday, Nov. 10 | 6:30 p.m.
- Home Rule Cities Caucus: Thursday, Dec. 1 | 6:30 p.m.
Please mark your calendar if you plan to attend. Information will follow next week to register for your caucus. Contact Cynthia Jones for more information at 713-993-4591.
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Roadtrip Nation Documentary Produced with Assistance by Workforce Solutions is Now Available to Watch Online | |
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Workforce Solutions, in partnership with Strada Education and its counterpart agencies in Greater Dallas, North Central Texas, and Tarrant County, helped humanize career exploration through storytelling with a new Roadtrip Nation documentary that is now available to watch online.
Titled, “Wide Open Range,” the Roadtrip Nation documentary follows four young Houston- and Dallas-area young adults – Yesenia Anaya, Chandler Foreman, Keilahn Garrett, and Anthony Martinez – who set out across the Houston and Dallas regions to find career paths suitable to their unique personalities. H-GAC and Workforce Solutions celebrated the official premiere at a watch party held at the Regal Edwards Greenway Grand Palace movie theater on Sept. 13.
You can watch the documentary now by visiting RoadtripNation.com.
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Craig Raborn Joins METRO and Harris County Precinct 2 to Celebrate HOV/HOT Lanes Opening on Weekends, Cap Off Commute Solutions Month | |
H-GAC Transportation Director Craig Raborn joined METRO and Harris County Precinct 2 to cap off Commute Solutions Month and celebrate the opening of the METRO HOV/HOT lanes on weekends. Increasing the operating hours of the lanes to seven days a week is a critical milestone in the effort to combat traffic congestion in the Houston-Galveston region. Read more about the HOV/HOT lanes opening at their press release online. | |
Lisa Hayes and Jackie Pontello Discuss the Signs of Elder Abuse and Actions One Can Take to Protect Loved Ones with KHOU Channel 11 | |
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Lisa Hayes, lead ombudsman coordinator at the Houston-Galveston Area Agency on Aging, and Jackie Pontello, principal program coordinator of the H-GAC Elder Justice Program, discussed the difficult subject of elder abuse with KHOU Channel 11 reporter Janelle Bludau. Elder abuse is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the nation. To learn more about how to spot the signs of elder abuse, visit the Elder Justice Program web page. For resources or assistance with advocating for an older adult or disabled family member living at a long-term care facility, visit the Area Agency on Aging ombudsman page.
Check out the Channel 11 news story online at KHOU.com or on their YouTube channel.
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Alex Rischan Appears on Univision 45 Segment to Discuss Resources for Older Adults Struggling with Inflation | |
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Alex Rischan, lead benefits counselor at the Houston-Galveston Area Agency on Aging, appeared on Univision 45 to talk about resources available for older adults in the region who are struggling with inflation.
The Medicare benefits counseling team provides free and unbiased assistance for anybody eligible for Medicare, regardless of their age, and their caregivers. Counselors can help with understanding benefits plans, enrolling in a Medicare plan, filing an appeal, or coordinating Medicare benefits with other benefits programs.
Residents living in one of the 12 counties surrounding Harris can visit the Medicare benefits counseling page or call 1-800-437-7396 to get connected with a representative. Residents living in Harris County may contact the Harris County Area Agency on Aging.
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H-GAC Bike Safety Program Resumes Free In-Person ‘Train Your Bike’ Community Classes Beginning Oct. 29 | |
'Train Your Bike' classes are back this fall! H-GAC and CyclingSavvy are partnering to bring bike safety classes to various communities in the region. The first session will be on Saturday, Oct. 29, in Galveston, Texas. For more information and to register for a class in your community, visit the H-GAC Bike Safety page. | |
Engage in a Regional Dialogue about Revitalizing and Supporting Vibrant Downtown Spaces at Rural and Small-Town Downtown Revitalization Summit on Oct. 25 | |
We're Just One Month Away from Celebrating Houston Area GIS Day on Wednesday, Nov. 16! | |
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We’re just one month away from celebrating Houston Area GIS Day! The event takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at the University of Houston - Clear Lake campus (2700 Bay Area Blvd., Bayou Building). The Houston Area GIS Day is a free one-day celebration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for local GIS professionals, universities, high school students, and teachers.
This year’s activities include:
- Live educational presentations for students
- Live geospatial presentations for professionals
- College and university GIS program exhibitors
- Geospatial exhibitors and vendors
- Student GIS activities and games
- URISA Texas “Mappy Hour” post-event
- Professional map contests and more!
For more event information, including sponsor/exhibitor opportunities, speaker opportunities, map contest registration, and general attendance registration and information, please visit the links for each specific part of the event or visit the 2022 Houston Area GIS Day web page.
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Stuck on the Freeway? Call Tow and Go for a Complimentary Tow off the Nearest Exit | |
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Need a tow? If you ever find yourself stranded on the freeway due to mechanical failure or a flat tire, take advantage of the Gulf Coast Regional Tow and Go™ Program. Call 713-881-3333 to receive a no-cost tow to a safe area off the nearest freeway exit. Service covers all camera-monitored freeways in Harris County, Bellaire, Jersey Village, La Porte, and Humble.
For more information, visit towandgo.com.
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H-GAC Seeking Information on Regional Conservation Projects | |
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As part of H-GAC’s Regional Conservation Initiative, we will actively assist with preparing grant applications, convening stakeholders, and otherwise supporting the implementation of priority conservation projects across the 13-county H-GAC region.
To guide our efforts, we are collecting information about planned conservation projects from local governments and non-governmental organizations and categorizing the projects in a priority list.
There is no funding associated with this project priority list, but selected projects will be eligible to receive H-GAC staff assistance.
See the current priority project list and learn more about our work online. The list will be updated quarterly.
Staff encourages you to submit your conservation projects by Friday, Oct. 14, or email [email protected] with any questions.
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Home to more than 7 million people, the Houston-Galveston region is one of the fastest-growing and most diverse regions in the country. Making sure the region remains one of the nation’s leading places to live, work, and prosper doesn’t just happen - it takes planning and partnerships.
If you are looking for a career where you can help make a difference in urban, suburban, and rural communities, H-GAC has exciting opportunities for you. For more information or to apply for a job, visit the careers page on H-GAC's website.
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