CENTRAL - Central residents are one step closer to reducing flooding caused by the Comite River after city council members unanimously voted to set aside $500,000 of next year's city budget towards a new drainage project with East Baton Rouge Parish. 

"By appropriating this money, it can help our cause so that no one ever has to be affected by this again,” Vanda Mannino said.

Mannino was one of a dozen to come out to Tuesday's meeting. She lives near the Comite River and flooded in 2016.

“We got water in our home. It was six inches. It still was devastating. You still have to completely redo your house. It was devastating physically, emotionally, the whole nine yards. I mean it was a big deal. It was the worst time in my life,” Mannino said. 

All seven of Central's council members voted in favor of the vote. 

“EBR Councilman Moak, formerly councilmember Moak of Central, was able to take the momentum that was in place. He was able to get the people together, the resources together and the partnerships together,” Councilman Briton Myer said.

Tuesday, Central did their part and now it's up to East Baton Rouge.

“The parish asked for a contribution from us, which our contribution would be 500,000, and right now the parish would put up another 2.5 million," Myer explained. 

Central needs the partnership for multiple reasons.

“We don't actually control what happens on the Amite and Comite river, so that's more in their purview, and anything we can do to partner with them and help move things along and get some drainage projects accomplished on those rivers, we're more than happy to do,” Myer said. 

The partnership will be introduced in Wednesday’s East Baton Rouge Metro Council meeting and is scheduled to be voted on in September.