Hidalgo Publicly Blasts HCFCD Leader: “I Just Lost My Confidence in You”
4/17/2026 – Harris County Commissioners Court erupted into open hostilities yesterday when County Judge Lina Hidalgo publicly blasted Dr. Tina Petersen, head of the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). This issue had to do with the potential loss of close to a third of a billion dollars in federal Community Development Block Grants for disaster relief (CDBG-DR).
Specifically, Hidalgo received a status report on the endangered projects at 5:00 AM, just hours before the start of the meeting. Hidalgo said the report did not include status information and timelines that she had previously requested showing how the projects would be completed before deadlines.
“I would be embarrassed to show this to any member of the public,” said Hidalgo, “I’m totally baffled by this.” Before yielding the floor, Hidalgo added, “I just lost my confidence in you.”
Petersen tried to be apologetic. She said she misunderstood what the Judge requested. Hidalgo retorted, “How do you NOT know this, Director? I spoke with you directly.”
What Commissioners Court Requested
The discussion had to do with two items on the agenda – #300 and #366.
- #300. Request for discussion and possible action regarding the status of the Harris County Flood Control District’s CDBG-MIT and CDBG-DR programs, including updates on the project-level schedule. These updates must include a timeline with benchmarks for all projects and information on how they will meet the necessary deadlines.
- #366. Transmittal by the Flood Control District on project status updates for the CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT programs.
What Commissioners Received
HCFCD submitted two reports, neither of which the public could see. However, I have since obtained them. The first shows a timeline. But it stops in 2024. In fairness, it also shows a table that indicates the current “project phase.” But that wasn’t enough for Hidalgo. She said, “I ask for a timeline and what I see here is the timeline between February 2018 and July 2024. That already passed!”
Here is the other report. It contains a table showing when projects were amended into HCFCD’s contract with the Texas General Land Office, which administers HUD funds in Texas. With one exception, the dates range from 2024 to 2025.
Hidalgo: “There’s not a project-by-project summary here!”
Petersen: “So, what’s the point?”
“The public is seeing that we might miss the deadline and you’re saying, here’s the deadline. How is that helping, Director?”
Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Judge
Hidalgo continued, “People have been waiting for these projects. We report 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.”
“I requested a timeline that showed where we are, what the deadlines are, and what we’re going to do to meet those deadlines,” she added.
“We secured this money back in 2021. I don’t know at what point we got behind, but it’s well past time for there to be a clear timeline. And so, I am really demanding that, Director.”
Ramsey Concerns
Earlier in the discussion, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, PE, addressed many of the same issues but more diplomatically.
Ramsey focused on specific deficiencies in Petersen’s reports. He expressed desire to see accurate construction estimates and pointed out two errors totaling approximately $15 million.
He also emphasized the need to communicate clear project start times, duration and completion dates. “None of those can be left blank,” he said.
Ramsey lamented the fact that projects were reported by Bond IDs, not individual projects. (A bond ID can contain multiple projects, masking project delays.)
He also lamented that HCFCD has taken up to TWO YEARS to execute new contracts. “You just can’t do that,” he said.
Ramsey also wanted the “percentage of completion” of construction, because that’s “what the GLO needs.” He then proposed a three-part motion, laying out exactly what the Court and GLO want to see.
Ramsey Motion Passes Unanimously
Ramsey’s motion says:
“I move that the Harris County Flood Control District provides Commissioners Court with monthly project-level schedules and financial reporting for all CDBG-DR and -MIT flood mitigation projects. The monthly report shall include, for each project, the:
- Estimated design completion date
- Estimated construction start date (and actual start of construction when applicable)
- Total expected construction duration in calendar days
- Estimated construction completion date
- Total project budget
- Amount encumbered
- Bid award amount
- Amount spent to date
- Any project delays.
“I further move that HCFCD will submit this information in a consistent monthly format that clearly identifies any schedule changes, delays, or financial variances from the prior month, so that Commissioners Court can exercise meaningful oversight and ensure transparency in project delivery.
“I further move that the first monthly report will be due on May 1, 2026, and all other monthly reports will be due on the third Monday of every month thereafter.”
The motion carried unanimously.
Briones Reaction
Briones agreed with Ramsey and his motion. She felt information was crucial to the success of the CDBG program.
Ellis Reaction
Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said, “Judgment day is coming soon.” He asked Petersen what she would have done differently, but she dodged his question.
He ended by saying, “I’m keeping my fingers crossed; but I’m very concerned.”
Garcia Reaction
In contrast, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia was full of sunshine. He blamed delays on the previous administration.
For More Information
To see video of the entire discussion, go to this page on the Harris County website. Click on Departments 3 of 3. Then scroll forward to approximately 4:13:40.
Click on the tab in the right hand panel to see a transcript of the discussion.
For a history of the CDBG projects, search ReduceFlooding.com using “CDBG”.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/17/2026
3153 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
