By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
The League City Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted the State of The County 2024 on Friday. The guest speaker was Galveston County Judge Mark Henry.
Henry opened his presentation with a bit of humor:
“The only promise I’ll make is I’ll do my best to keep you awake,” Henry said.
The first subject he presented was the county budget, and he explained where our property taxes end up. School districts take 55%, cities get 17%, the county gets 16% and 11% goes to other taxes.
Currently there is $30,000.00 in budget reserves to cover emergencies and other unexpected needs as they come up. Public safety and the justice system take up the greatest amount of the county budget at $91,045,118.
Moving on to road construction, Henry let everyone know that some county road projects have been slow this past year due to supply-chain issues.
New to the county will be the addition of a 20-bed mental health crisis center, which will be used to provide care for individuals who are deemed to be in a mental health crisis by law enforcement or other professionals. Outpatient services will also be available at the center.
“The center will keep people out of jails and emergency rooms,” Henry said.
In addition, the county will be working on a mental health court that will function in a similar manner as the county’s Veterans Treatment Court.
The Veterans Treatment Court webpage says, “The mission of the Galveston County Veterans Treatment Court is to assist Veterans and their families to become integral and productive members of the community through a collaborative effort.”
At the end of the presentation came a reminder of the ever-looming hurricane season.
“We have two seasons here, preparing for hurricanes and hurricane season,” Henry said.
He went on to speak about the county’s motto for individuals: make a plan, build a kit, which should include at least a three day’s supply of prescription medication and stay informed in preparedness for hurricanes.
