State officials offer business flood recovery aid

Hill Country Community Journal

By Emily McClure

State and federal officials gathered in Kerrville to provide disaster recovery resources to small businesses devastated by July floods, with Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock delivering a keynote message of hope and practical assistance at the Governor’s Small Business Disaster Recovery Fair.

The Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office hosted the event, which marked the first time the state has held a disaster recovery fair specifically for an actively recovering community.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock, who took office July 1, announced that his office had restructured $200 million in broadband deployment funds to prioritize disaster-prone areas for emergency communications equipment. Kerrville could receive as much as $50 million from the program, he said.

“We are here wanting to help, and we are here wanting to encourage,” Hancock said. “Ask for those extensions, sales tax extensions, property tax extensions. We are offering them, file for them. Let us help you. We have a $380 billion budget. We have a $24 billion surplus because of businesses like yourself.”

Read more at Hill Country Community Journal.