The Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch asked our two candidates for Pct. 3 Hays County Commissioner the following questions. This is what they had to say.
Lisa Prewitt
Candidate for Pct. 3 Hays County Commissioner
Q: How would you maximize existing dollars to increase the county’s flood resiliency?
A: We must act now; not in 10 or 50 years or wait until the next devastating flood. As Hays County continues to be one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, our elected officials must follow science-based, data-driven plans to protect our lives, our livelihoods, and our limited resources in the wake of the climate crisis. We must adopt the most recent FEMA floodplain regulations, without exception, into our own development practices. With our increased impervious cover, we must conduct a county-wide stormwater assessment and utilize best practices to avoid and/or mitigate impacts of extreme rainfall events. We must restrict land development to specific zones to protect the environment’s ability to handle these extreme weather events. The new co-located emergency communications center built in the floodplain will now require an excess of $10M additional dollars to mitigate the impact of flooding, we can’t afford these types of practices.
