Texas county asked for flood-warning system, instead cash funded staff raises
Topline: Kerr County, Texas asked the state for eight years to pay for an upgrade to its flood warning system before a deadly flood killed at least 120 people across the state this July.
The state legislature denied the request three times, claiming the state Division of Emergency Management did not have enough funding for the $1 million project.
Yet somehow, the Division of Emergency Management had enough cash to increase its own payroll by over $10 million last year, according to records obtained by OpenTheBooks.
Key facts: In 2023, the Division of Emergency Management had 391 full-time equivalent employees making $37.3 million. In 2024, there were 451 full-time equivalents making $47.5 million.
The 2024 payroll includes some names that are listed twice with different salaries, but it is the official payroll as reported directly to the Texas Comptroller’s office. The Division did not return several inquiries asking why there are duplicate names.
Salary data for 2025 is not yet available, but budget documents show the Division added another 143 full-time employees.
Higher staffing levels at an emergency response agency might not be a waste of money under normal circumstances, but the state legislature has already realized that the extra employees might be unnecessary. The recently-approved 2026-2027 state budget asks the Division of Emergency Management to cut 173 employees.
Rather than hire employees just to let them go one year later, the state could have invested in new flood warning systems for Kerr County and the rest of Central Texas’ “flash flood alley.”
Wesley Kidd, the Texas chief of emergency management, made $383,456 last year, which was low by his standards. He has earned a collective $2.6 million in salary in the last five years, including $630,000 in 2020. In two years, the state typically pays Kidd — one single employee — more than it would have cost to upgrade Kerr County’s flood warning system.
Kerr County could have spent $1 million to upgrade its flood warning system using local funds, but County Judge Rob Kelly told The New York Times that “taxpayers won’t pay for it.” Other residents felt the sirens would be too noisy, according to the Associated Press.
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Background: Kerr County’s initial application for a $1 million state grant was denied because of a deficiency in the paperwork, the AP reported. The second attempt was denied because funding was needed for Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. After the third attempt, the state offered an interest-free loan. Kerr County refused.
The City of Kerrville — the county seat — did not join the grant application, which would have required a $50,000 contribution, according to the AP.
Kerr County has an annual budget of about $67 million, the New York Times reported, and typically spends between $20 million to $26 million on vendor payments every year, according to OpenTheBooks’ data. So far this year, Kerr County Animal Services opened a new facility for $5.9 million, and the Kerrville City Council approved plans to build a new $160 million power plant.
Summary: In a world where governments spend $1 million on soap dispensers and one step of a staircase, potentially life-saving flood warning systems should have been a much higher priority.
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