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In areas hit by Texas floods, officials were sent over $5 million in federal ARPA funds in 2021. They didn't want to spend it on flood warning systems due to their disdain for Biden - and didn't send it BACK because it might go to a blue state, and "values that we in Kerr county don't agree with."

The Reddit thread links to a number of direct transcripts of these Kerr County meetings. Here's the one where Judge Kelly brings up California and "values that we in Kerr County don't agree with." legacy.co.kerr.tx.us/commcrt/minu...

In a 2016 discussion, Commissioner Baldwin said, dismissing the idea of updating warning systems: "The thought of our beautiful Kerr County having these damn sirens going off in the middle of night, I'm going to have to start drinking again to put up with y'all."

From a 2016 Commissioner's Court Regular Session: "Mr. Hewitt: Sirens did not seem to get very much support. The thought was that sirens are better for tourists than local residents. The sirens would only be beneficial for someone that's not familiar with the area, and wouldn't know what to do."

Kerr County did eventually use the ARPA funds, but they went towards a first responder emergency radio system and a new sidewalk project, not towards flood-warning systems. bsky.app/profile/sfki...

Yes, it appears that Kerr County legally could have used ARPA funds on flood warning systems - other communities in the U.S. did. They just didn’t seem to want to. bsky.app/profile/fain...