Travis County to review disaster response to July floods

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- Travis County Commissioners on Tuesday are set to discuss response to natural disasters or other emergencies, including the deadly July flooding.

The flooding during the Independence Day weekend killed more than 100 people across the state, including several in Travis County.

The meeting comes hours after Travis County Judge Andy Brown and others met with those still trying to rebuild in the Sandy Creek area.

In September, commissioners unanimously approved a special tax rate to help pay for damage and prepare for future disasters. A county spokesman previously said $21 million had already been set aside to directly respond to flooding.

An estimated $42 million in additional funding is expected with the new tax rate which will go into a disaster response special reserve fund.

For the “average taxable homestead,” the county will tack $200.64 additional to your property tax bill next fiscal year, according to staff. Of that, $71.66 is the portion that’s related to the disaster declaration. That would be one-time funding, not recurring year after year.

Flood victims say they're frustrated by county response

During Monday's meeting, those who live in the Sandy Creek area met with Brown and other leaders to discuss, what they say, are ongoing problems with recovery.

One resident said she continues to foot the bill for damage on her property and there has been an overall lack of communication from officials.

"When the flood hit, I started helping right away," the Sandy Creek resident said. "Not because someone told me to but because I couldn't just stand there since there was not an immediate response from professionals."

She went on to say she saw food and supplies go unused because "information didn't reach the families who needed it."

Residents said the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) was making it tougher to get the help they needed because of the way it categorizes people's property. Brown said he agreed to follow up with TCAD on concerns officials did not have answers to.

An update is expected by Nov. 10, Brown said.