We recommend that the Director of the Office of Block Grant Assistance require the Texas General Land Office to implement appropriate cost controls, including limits for reconstruction and rehabilitation costs, to ensure that it uses limited government resources in a more economical and efficient manner. Those costs should not exceed the costs that would be incurred by a prudent person under similar circumstances.
Publication Report
2019-FW-1007 | September 30, 2019
The Texas General Land Office, Jasper, TX, Did Not Ensure That Its Subrecipient Administered Its Disaster Grant in a Prudent and Cost-Effective Manner
We audited the Texas General Land Office’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant that it used to rehabilitate or reconstruct 125 homes affected by Hurricane Ike in 2008. Texas General Land Office contracted with the… moreRelated Recommendations
Community Planning and Development
We recommend that the Director of the Office of Block Grant Assistance require the Texas General Land Office to evaluate whether its programs would benefit from a longer affordability period and take appropriate actions to ensure that low- and moderate-income communities have access to affordable homes for an adequate period.
We recommend that the Director of the Office of Block Grant Assistance require the Texas General Land Office to ensure that the tax burden implications are a part of the determination of whether to spend significantly more than the damaged home’s appraised value to replace the home. This measure would include ensuring that participants are fully informed of the substantial and material property tax consequences that they could incur based on the increased values of their reconstructed homes (appendix B).