November 17, 2023 - The Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, Dawn Buckingham, M.D., will be the featured speaker at the November meeting of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) Board of Directors. The meeting will be held Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe Multi-Purpose Center located at 333 State Park Road 56, Livingston, Texas (between Livingston and Woodville off US Highway 190) beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Dr. Buckingham is expected to make presentations to the region and its local communities which are sharing in millions of dollars of Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funding which is administered by the General Land Office (GLO). The funding will be used for a variety of projects to mitigate the impact of future disasters including hurricanes and floods. More than $161 million in mitigation funds were allocated to Deep East Texas following Hurricane Harvey.
Through a regional Method of Distribution developed by DETCOG and approved by the GLO, two-thirds of the mitigation funding is going to local jurisdictions, including seven counties, 14 cities, and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, giving each community the ability to implement mitigation projects that meet its own unique needs. One-third is going toward regional projects to improve broadband and interoperable public safety communications.
The agenda for the DETCOG Board Meeting also includes action to award Regional Solid Waste Grants to cities and counties in Deep East Texas. These grants are made possible by funding provided to DETCOG by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Welcoming members and guests to Polk County will be County Judge Sydney Murphy, County Commissioners Guylene Robertson, Mark Dubose, Milton Purvis, and Jerry Cassity, and Livingston Mayor Judy B. Cochran. Another highlight will be a cultural dance performed by members of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe.
DETCOG’s President, San Augustine County Judge Jeff Boyd would like to extend an invitation to the meeting to all interested parties. Anyone needing information concerning this event may contact the Deep East Texas Council of Governments office in Lufkin at 936-634-2247.
