Harris County Wins One-Year Extension to Spend Federal Funds on Delayed Post-Harvey Flood Projects
Harris County received a one-year extension to use federal funds for delayed post-Hurricane Harvey flood bond projects, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced Monday.
The extension moves the deadline for completing the projects to 2028, giving the county more time to finish work that voters approved in 2018 as part of a $2.5 billion bond.
Before the extension, Harris County was on track to miss six of 11 flood mitigation projects facing funding deadlines early next year, jeopardizing more than $245 million, according to a report earlier this year from the Harris County Flood Control District.
Those projects include channel conveyance improvements in Precincts 1 and 2 and stormwater detention basin projects in Precincts 2, 3 and 4, the report said.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provided grant funds to the county to complete the projects by 2028. The funds are administered by the Texas General Land Office, which set benchmarks for the county to keep the projects moving.
Buckingham blamed Harris County leaders for creating arbitrary processes that led to extensive project delays.
“The GLO has committed millions of our own agency funds along with nearly a thousand meetings and countless hours of staff time to support the Harris County Flood Control District,” Buckingham said in a video announcing the extension.
Buckingham said the GLO has done everything in its power to make the flood control district’s new plan work.
“Unfortunately, more than four months later, Harris County has failed to provide the information necessary for HUD’s approval, and almost no additional progress has been made on these time sensitive projects,” she said. “I pray these projects get completed, because if they do not, the Harris County flood victims are the ones who suffer.”
A Texas GLO spokesperson previously told Houston Public Media that the original Feb. 2027 deadline was to allow the federal government enough time for administrative work to close out the grant process.
In May, county leaders proposed a framework plan to speed up the projects. After announcing the plan, former flood control director Tina Petersen, who has sparred with commissioners court over the delays, submitted her resignation letter.
In June, commissioners appointed Petersen’s successor, Marcus Stuckett, a former director of engineering at the flood control district and vice president of Pape-Dawson, a Houston-based private engineering firm.
In a statement, Commissioner Adrian Garcia said with the extension, a failure to execute the projects on time is no longer an option.
“Moving forward, I expect the flood control district to ensure effective communication with all members of commissioners court and the GLO is frequent and clear, that consistent updates are brought to commissioners court,” Garcia said.
A spokesperson with the Harris County Flood Control District said the organization is working to determine which existing contracts may qualify for additional time. An update will be provided to commissioners court on Oct. 15.
