The Harris County Flood Control District is on track to complete its disaster recovery projects, HCFCD Executive Director Marcus Stuckett said in a statement.
Latest update
The county’s 11 disaster recovery projects, funded through federal grants, are no longer in jeopardy of missing a spending deadline, Stuckett said. A report from May 1 showed that six of the 11 projects were projected to miss the previous deadline, which has been extended by a year.
In a statement Oct. 19, Stuckett said the HCFCD has $113 million in unallocated funding for disaster recovery projects. The money will not jeopardize completion of those projects, he said.
“Favorable construction bids and lower-than-anticipated project costs are allowing us to deliver these critical flood risk reduction projects more cost-effectively,” Stuckett said. “All projects will maintain their original scope and deliver their intended flood risk reduction benefits to Harris County residents. The Flood Control District remains on track for completion under the extension the Texas General Land Office provided.”
After a meeting Oct. 16 with federal, state and local officials that focused on coordinating efforts for regional flood mitigation projects, Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey told Community Impact, “time becomes the challenge” with the unallocated funds.
“We’re trying to spend the money, but they’ve got their requirements,” said Ramsey, referring to the GLO.
The background
The Texas General Land Office, or GLO, disbursed $322 million to Harris County in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, per Community Impact reporting. Combining that with other sources, the county allocated $546 million to the HCFCD.
Harris County received money for two types of projects: disaster recovery and flood mitigation. The disaster recovery projects now have a February 2028 deadline, and flood mitigation projects have until March 2029 to be complete.
Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, who leads the GLO, announced Sept. 28 that the state’s previous spending deadlines for disaster recovery and flood mitigation have been pushed back a year.
One more thing
Stuckett was expected to give an update on the HCFCD’s projects during the Harris County Commissioner’s Court meeting Oct. 15, but the presentation was moved to the court’s next regular meeting Nov. 12.
In a press conference with reporters Oct. 15, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said the projects are moving more quickly under Stuckett, who replaced his predecessor in June. Former Director Tina Peterson resigned after facing scrutiny from the court over potentially missing the deadlines.
If a deadline is missed, Buckingham previously warned the GLO would be “forced to swiftly reallocate the unused balance to shovel-ready projects.”
Hidalgo told reporters that though the projects have not progressed as quickly as she would’ve liked, she is hopeful the county will retain its federal funding.
“It just means that, hopefully, we will not have to give any money back,” Hidalgo said.
