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Debris cleanup, taxes concern citizens of EMC
By MATTHEW HUISMAN
The sluggish process of the trash cleanup left in the wake of Hurricane Ike along with taxes were issues that dominated the Concerned Citizens of East Montgomery County meeting Oct. 6.
Ed Rinehart, commissioner for Precinct 4 of Montgomery County, presented a report about the ongoing debris pickup for residents who are still needing trash pickups at their homes.
Thus far, 7,381 cubic yards of debris have been picked up in East Montgomery County, with the main drop-off site being the Pagen sandpit. Rinehart said the cleanup will cost an estimated $20 million, adding that the county is 38 percent complete on its total pickup.
The payment of the pickup will not rest entirely on the taxpayers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid for 100 percent of the cleanup costs for the first 14 days and will pay 75 percent of the cost thereafter.
Rinehart said the cleanup was going slower because of the 800 miles of road in the area. The statistics, released Oct. 4, show that there had been 198 loads delivered to the site as of that date. Rinehart said that the main concern is the cleanup of county roads as opposed to state roads.
“The state should step in and pay for it,” Rinehart said in an interview Oct. 8. “The buck has to stop here when you run out of money.”
Karen Baker, the area engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation in Montgomery County, said the state will be picking up debris from the sides of state roads. Baker reiterated that the roadways are clear and she said that bids would be in Oct. 8 and that cleanup would begin as soon as the paperwork is completed. Baker could not specify exactly when that would be. Rinehart said he hoped the cleanup from county roads would be complete within six weeks.
With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the county also released numbers for taxes and housing.
In 2008, the average value of a home in Montgomery County was $183,462. The county’s largest source of revenue was from property taxes, which grossed $143,073,600 toward the county’s total of $200,702,107.
The county had a balanced budget, spending $78,267,465 on law enforcement, making it the largest expenditure by almost 3-to-1. Citizens also paid an average of $74 a month in county taxes.
Ed Rinehart, commissioner for Precinct 4 of Montgomery County, presented a report about the ongoing debris pickup for residents who are still needing trash pickups at their homes.
Thus far, 7,381 cubic yards of debris have been picked up in East Montgomery County, with the main drop-off site being the Pagen sandpit. Rinehart said the cleanup will cost an estimated $20 million, adding that the county is 38 percent complete on its total pickup.
The payment of the pickup will not rest entirely on the taxpayers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid for 100 percent of the cleanup costs for the first 14 days and will pay 75 percent of the cost thereafter.
Rinehart said the cleanup was going slower because of the 800 miles of road in the area. The statistics, released Oct. 4, show that there had been 198 loads delivered to the site as of that date. Rinehart said that the main concern is the cleanup of county roads as opposed to state roads.
“The state should step in and pay for it,” Rinehart said in an interview Oct. 8. “The buck has to stop here when you run out of money.”
Karen Baker, the area engineer for the Texas Department of Transportation in Montgomery County, said the state will be picking up debris from the sides of state roads. Baker reiterated that the roadways are clear and she said that bids would be in Oct. 8 and that cleanup would begin as soon as the paperwork is completed. Baker could not specify exactly when that would be. Rinehart said he hoped the cleanup from county roads would be complete within six weeks.
With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the county also released numbers for taxes and housing.
In 2008, the average value of a home in Montgomery County was $183,462. The county’s largest source of revenue was from property taxes, which grossed $143,073,600 toward the county’s total of $200,702,107.
The county had a balanced budget, spending $78,267,465 on law enforcement, making it the largest expenditure by almost 3-to-1. Citizens also paid an average of $74 a month in county taxes.
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