SAN MARCOS, Texas -- A portion of a possible $1,000,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing could go toward 2015 flood victims living in the Blanco Gardens neighborhood of San Marcos who had to repair their homes.

  • City seeks resident input on $1M flood reimbursement program
  • Disaster relief funding comes from U.S. Dept. of Housing
  • Some residents feel HUD program's requirements are too restrictive

However, some residents are fearful they won't get a chunk of that funding due to HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program restrictions.

Homeowners in Blanco Gardens were among the hardest hit by the 2015 floods of Central Texas. Some homes flooded not only in May, but a second time in October of that same year.

"It was bad to have two back-to-back floods in five months," said two-time flood victim Ruah Gleason.

Gleason said her neighborhood, which is near the Blanco River, took on nearly 3 dozen inches of water. Her home on Conway Drive saw at least 32 inches in May.

"We flooded again in October, around Halloween, and that was around the 18 inches of water in the home," Gleason said.

She and her neighbors are now fearful a big rainstorm could bring catastrophic flooding yet again.

"You know I can logically tell myself it'll be okay. It'll be okay. But then of course it's really hard to see it rain for long periods of time. It's very hard. I have to constantly calm myself down and tell myself it's okay," Gleason said.

Driving through the neighborhood of Blanco Gardens, several homes have marks of where the floodwaters once were. Some homes are still visibly damaged. Gleason said she's out tens of thousands from home repairs and hotel stays.

"The biggest thing is that we just have debt that we didn't have before," Gleason said. "We checked into Motel 6 in San Marcos and we didn't check out until August. And then the end of October we flooded again, checked in the next day and didn't check out until April. I wish we could get that money back. It's like $13,000."

When Gleason heard the city was possibly implementing a new reimbursement program for Blanco Gardens residents, she was very interested, but she said the program's requirements are too restrictive, especially the income threshold.

"I'm just thinking everybody's hopes are going to be brought up when they hear the word "reimbursement," and I just don't think there's going to be very many people that qualify. So I just think that's going to be salt in the wound," Gleason said.​

According to the city's website, the proposed reimbursement program through HUD will award those who qualify up to $50,000 or 50 percent of the 2015 value of their home in eligible repair expenses.

The proposed resident qualifications include:

  • The resident must have been the owner of record prior to May 23, 2015 and/or October 30, 2015, and continues to be the owner of record throughout the grant compliance period;
  • The unit must be located in the City of San Marcos’ updated 100-year flood plain in Blanco Gardens;
  • The applicant’s annual household income must be less than 80 percent of Area Median Income for the appropriate household size according to the MSA Austin-Round Rock Income Chart;
  • The applicant must be current on their property taxes, mortgage, and child support, and must be a U.S. citizen or hold legal alien status;
  • Second homes and outbuildings not integral to residence are not eligible for reimbursement;
  • Residents must provide photos of the flood damage, documentation of work performed, and receipts, invoices, or bank statements showing the financial totals of repairs and must not have received previous reimbursement for the claimed expenses.

 

 

 "The restrictions from HUD are really are really stringent and the city can't really change that. They have to go through HUD," Gleason said.

A spokesman from HUD told Spectrum News on the phone that the reimbursement program "seeks to primarily benefit low- or moderate-income residents with the greatest unmet needs."

"Really, I mean we're just out that money, really? Just because we happen to live in Blanco Gardens? it's just doesn't seem right," Gleason said. "It would be good if we could have that reimbursement, but I just know it's not going to happen. So why would I spend all the time putting my name in?

Gleason said she feels the only saving grace now is the several infrastructure projects the city has in the works.

"We really want to see the infrastructure project started and completed in a timely manner because we know that grants run out if you don't use them. So we really need them to start their infrastructure projects soon," Gleason said. "Everyone's itching to see those because those are something that they can do that's going to benefit everybody, no matter what their income is."

According to the latest Financial Report on the HUD website, San Marcos has been allocated nearly $34 million in disaster funding, and so far has spent just over $500,000. The agency classifies the city as a "Slow Spender." The funds must be spent by the end of 2022.

The city was also allocated an additional $24 million from HUD in 2018, but says it's waiting on regulations for that allocation. 

At a community meeting on May 23, the city laid out which Disaster Relief infrastructure projects would receive funding: Midtown, Blanco Gardens, Blanco Riverine, and Uhland Road. Midtown and Uhland Road have a proposed construction start in 2020 and a completion in 2021. The Blanco Gardens would start in 2020 and end in 2022. The Blanco Riverine would start in 2021 and be completed in 2022.

San Marcos City Council will hold a public hearing in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 630 E. Hopkins, at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4, 2019, to accept citizen comments on the Substantial Amendment No. 8 to the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Action Plan. ​For more information on the CDBG-DR Recovery Action Plan or Reimbursement program, visit www.smtxfloodrecovery.com.