Editor's note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the Texas GLO denied Harris County funding. The article has been updated to clarify HUD denied the funding and additional context on allocations.
With state deadlines inching closer, the Harris County Flood Control District is chipping away at dozens of grant-funded flood recovery and mitigation projects—but county leaders believe pace of work and public transparency could be improved.
What you need to know
In an April 16 update to Commissioners Court, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen shared the status of local flood projects funded with Community Development Block Grants for disaster recovery and mitigation, also known as CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT programs.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development granted Harris County $322 million for disaster recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which was dispersed by the Texas General Land Office. Harris County also received $750 million for flood mitigation projects that officials then split to allocate $203 million to Housing & Community Development, leaving approximately $546 million for the flood control district.
HCFCD must spend all CDBG-DR funding by February 2027 and CDBG-MIT funding by March 2028, according to the district’s website.
At least 14 projects are still in the design phase as of April 1, according to the report.
Seven of the 11 disaster recovery projects funded by the CDBG-DR grant are under construction, Petersen said. HCFCD is also awaiting environmental clearance from HUD for two projects, and an additional two are still out for bid.
“Truly the hardest part of this work is getting to the point where we can initiate construction,” Petersen said. “We already are at the precipice of that point with all of the projects for the disaster recovery program.”
As for the 17 mitigation projects in the CDBG-MIT program, three contracts have been awarded, per the report. While HCFCD has progressed since its last update in March, officials expressed dissatisfaction with the district’s transparency about whether or not the county is on track to meet the deadlines.
“Unless I’m missing something, I think I’ve just lost my confidence in you,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told Petersen during the meeting.
Hidalgo said her office requested a timeline from HCFCD outlining the status of each project and specific steps that will help the county meet the deadlines. While the flood control district provided a report outlining estimated construction cost, bid advertisement status and percent completion, Hidalgo said the information lacked detail and clarity for the community.
“People have been waiting for these projects," she said. "We get a report that the projects are behind, and you’re not providing anything that provides any sort of assurance to the community—much less to me—that you’re on track."
Looking back
HUD, which sends money to the Texas GLO to administer to local jurisdictions, initially denied Harris County and the city of Houston flood mitigation funding in 2021 for Hurricane Harvey, Community Impact previously reported. HCFCD anticipated receiving approximately $1 billion in federal support and developed its 2018 $2.5 billion bond program based around the funds.
HUD then amended its relief plan in 2022 and awarded $750 million in flood mitigation funding to Harris County, which after administrative and project delivery costs left approximately $600 million available for construction.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia acknowledged during the April 16 discussion the back-and-forth with the Texas GLO took time away from Harris County in terms of its ability to meet the state's deadlines. He also said many of the projects were initially "not well thought through" when it came to environmental impacts, right-of-way acquisitions and other logistics.
"Yes we are all holding our breath, but there is a history for why this is as tight as it is," Garcia said.
The action taken
Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, who has spearheaded the county’s execution of the recovery and mitigation projects, called for HCFCD to provide monthly reports to Commissioners Court detailing for each project:
- Estimated design completion date
- Estimated construction start date and actual start, if applicable
- Total construction duration in calendar days
- Total budget for the project
- Total project bid amount
- Amount spent to date
- Any project delays
Ramsey said all of the information should be readily accessible, as HCFCD is required to report project specifics to the Texas GLO and HUD. He told Petersen there’s “no time for anything other than specifics” and encouraged the flood control district to refrain from using “obtuse” engineering speak in the updates to make them more accessible to the public.
“I’m not asking for this to waste anybody’s time,” Ramsey said. “I’m asking this because this is what the GLO needs to know. This is the level of detail.”
Commissioners Court unanimously passed Ramsey’s motion during the April 16 meeting.
What’s next?
The first report with Ramsey’s specifications is expected by May 1. Going forward, HCFCD must continue to submit detailed updates by the third Monday of each month, the court voted.
“I want to apologize that we clearly missed the mark here, and we will come back with additional information,” Petersen said. “We have the information, we just missed the mark [and] misinterpreted the request.”
