Bandera County is seeking $1.25 million in state funding to expand its flood detection and public warning network after commissioners approved the grant submission Thursday, July 9, at the Bandera County Courthouse.
Commissioners unanimously agreed to submit the county's Outdoor Warning Siren Project Plan to the Texas Water Development Board for consideration through a grant program established under Senate Bill 3. The plan was developed in partnership with the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District.
The proposed system would combine real-time rainfall and stream monitoring with flood mapping and outdoor warning equipment across the upper Medina and upper Sabinal river watersheds. County officials said the project is designed to provide residents and emergency personnel with earlier information as flooding develops.
Plans call for 14 new monitoring locations, including eight stream gauges and six rainfall gauges, along with eight outdoor warning signals. According to information presented to commissioners, the additions would expand county coverage by about 70%. Public education and outreach efforts are also included in the proposal.
The $1.25 million grant request would not require a local match. Annual operating and maintenance costs are estimated at $70,000, an expense the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District is expected to share.
The grant program follows the passage of SB 3, which was signed into law Sept. 5, 2025, and requires outdoor warning sirens in areas prone to flash flooding.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Bobby Harris pointed to Bandera County's history of flooding as he urged support for the project. Harris said he has experienced six of the seven floods he said have occurred in the area since 1978 and recalled his own property flooding in 2002.
Harris said advance notice during a flood can give residents valuable time to protect property and move to safety.
In other business, commissioners reached a consensus on proposed block grant allocations for the next fiscal year. The amounts remain subject to adoption of the county's final budget.
The Utopia Library submitted the only request lower than the previous year's amount, seeking $500.
Several organizations requested the same funding levels as last year. The Bandera County Boys & Girls Club sought $10,000, Bandera Regional Honors Veterans requested $1,500, Silver Sage Community Center requested $75,000 and the Hill Country Crisis Council requested $2,500.
Court Appointed Special Advocates requested $6,000, an increase of $4,000 from the previous year. Commissioners instead agreed to keep the organization's proposed allocation at $2,000, the same amount as last year.
Kids Advocacy Place, a program of the Hill Country Crisis Council, requested $2,500, an increase of $1,000.
'This is for the kids. That is our future,' Precinct 1 Commissioner Troy Konvicka said before making a motion to approve the increase.
The motion passed 3-1. Commissioners also agreed to allocate $15,000 to the San Antonio Food Bank, an increase of $2,000 from the previous year's funding.
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