Friends,

Houston routinely experiences natural disasters, and because of the big hearts and efforts of Houstonians, we always find a way to miraculously recover. But, as the 4th largest city in the country, in modern times, we should not have to rely on survival-mode tactics to make it through.

I looked online and saw it reported that the state of Texas has $27 billion sitting in the Rainy Day Fund. As much as rain impacts Houston, the largest economic driver of the state, it is time to allocate some of those dollars locally to help build a more sustainable and resilient city. Before we ask people for more taxes and fees, we need to utilize the money we have already paid.

The purpose of a Rainy Day Fund is to have money saved for emergencies. How many more rainy days must we experience before we see the impact of our tax dollars help us during rain events? This money should go towards stronger and more improved infrastructure that will aid in drainage, roads, energy, maintenance, and disaster preparation/mitigation.

We cannot continue to be the Energy Capitol of the World and have no energy after a storm. I’m not going to point fingers because leaders shouldn’t shift blame, but they should take responsibility and accountability. What I can say is we must do better as a city, but we will only be as strong as our public and private partners can help make us.

Together we will!

Edward Pollard