8/18/26 – This afternoon, Fox26 reporter Greg Groogan interviewed new Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Marcus Stuckett about his priorities. Stuckett inherited the job just six weeks ago after the previous director resigned under pressure, when it became apparent that Harris County could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.
Groogan interviewing Stuckett on 8/18/26
The most immediate issue: a looming U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) use-it-or-lose-it deadline for $322 million in Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR).
Interview Begins with Frank Assessment
Groogan began the interview by asking Stuckett for his assessment of situation. Stuckett replied frankly and openly. He said, “We have some challenges, but we are working through those. We have some aggressive deadlines that we’re working on with the CDBG-DR projects. They’re due February 2027, followed by CDBG Mitigation projects in March 2028.”
How Stuckett Hopes to Accelerate Projects
Then he added, “We’ve been speaking with contractors, trying to find ways to accelerate the projects and we’ve had some great conversations with them.”
Groogan likened the task to a Manhattan Project or going into the fourth quarter, down three touchdowns and expecting to win. “Can it be done?” he asked.
Importance of Decisiveness and Trust
Stuckett replied, “We can do it as long as we remain focused on the plan and we remain decisive going forward.”
Groogan then asked Stuckett who has a reputation as a leader who fixes problems, “What will you do differently than the leadership you just replaced?”
Surprisingly, Stuckett referred to restoring the public’s trust. “We understand that we are beholden to the residents of Harris County, and I want to be able to restore that trust by communicating honestly, communicating with transparency about our successes, as well as some of the challenges that we face while we work on these projects.”
Focusing More Resources on Construction and Planning
When Groogan tried to pin Stuckett down to more specifics, Stuckett focused on construction. “We’ve been meeting with contractors and trying to provide more resources.”
Stuckett also focused on planning. “In terms of our planning efforts, we just have to focus on developing solutions without having a lot of back and forth amongst ourselves and consultants when making decisions.”
Groogan then asked “That’s an important part of your role – walking into a room and saying, ‘This is the best information we have and we need to get this done.'”
Unleashing an Eager Team
As a followup question, Groogan asked, “How receptive has the team you’ve inherited been to that type of leadership?”
“The team has been great,” replied Stuckett. “Everybody’s behind it. We’re all hands on deck. I’ve gotten a lot of help from some of the senior leadership that remains here. Everybody just wants to get projects done. That something that flood control employees have that the public may not have understood. Our employees want to get the work done. We want to be responsive. And we want to provide the service that we promised.”
For what it is worth, in the six weeks since Stuckett assumed his new role, I have sensed a renewed excitement on the part of HCFCD employees and managers that I talk too. In my opinion, they show an energy that felt missing under his predecessor. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
To See More of Interview
Groogan’s interview with Stuckett continued for 15 minutes. During that time, they also talked about:
The Texas General Land Office Relationship
Physical challenges facing the region such as climate and flat terrain
Planning far into the future
Kingwood issues and projects
Project Brays
Working with Commissioners Court
Readiness
Completing the bond
Construction capacity
To see the entire interview from start to finish, visit Fox26. I highly recommend it.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/18/26
3276 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Groogan-Interviews-Stuckett.jpg?fit=1100%2C610&ssl=16101100adminadmin2026-08-18 17:49:262026-08-18 17:51:07Fox26 Interviews New HCFCD Director Stuckett about Priorities
8/17/2026 – Daniel Ramos, Executive Director of Harris County’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), presented a detailed general fund budget for Fiscal Year 2027 this morning to a special meeting of Harris County Commissioners Court. The budget contained an estimated $327 million/12% increase over the 2026 budget. That increase could raise the average homeowner’s Harris County property tax bill next year to approximately $1,350. But if your house is worth more, that number could go far higher.
The county has two ways to raise property taxes: through your home’s valuation and the tax rate applied to it. But in 2026, total valuations throughout the county rose by only 0.8%. That means in order to pay for 12% increased costs, the tax rates themselves must increase.
Programs Vs. Priorities
Finalizing a budget requires debating priorities. And the presentation Ramos made today mapped proposed expenses to the priorities adopted earlier by the county. The 112-page explanation contains illuminating information about the county’s growth and demographics that drive the proposed increase.
Current Level of Service and Spending
One of the key terms used in the budget is “CLS/S.” It stands for Current Level of Service and Spending. Growth in law enforcement pay parity (with City of Houston), employee health care and benefits, CLS/S requests by departments, pay equity and other changes account for most of the projected $327 increase.
The first three categories alone account for more than two-thirds of the total increase. CLS/S includes the costs of maintaining the same level of service year over year. For instance, it includes $61 million of such things as facility maintenance, fleet operations, utilities, cost-of-living adjustments, changes in state law, and unplanned budget adjustments.
The $61 million also includes $14 million for ARPA programs which would otherwise go away at the end of this year when ARPA funding expires. So those aren’t purely inflationary costs.
The 12% increase is not principally a story about Harris County launching a huge collection of new programs. Approximately half is employee compensation and healthcare.
From Ramos presentation to Commissioners Court on 8/17/2026
And using OMB’s own accounting framework, approximately $287 million of the $327 million year-over-year increase was already embedded in the cost of maintaining existing services and spending commitments. That’s 88% not classified as expansion of services.
Existing recurring commitments are growing faster than sustainable recurring revenue.
And that points to a recurring, structural problem.
It’s important to distinguish between “unavoidable” versus “already committed.” CLS/S does not mean unavoidable. It means current level of service and spending. Some items — healthcare inflation or statutory mandates — may be difficult to avoid.
Other items — pay-parity commitments, continuing ARPA programs, staffing levels, compensation policies — are the consequences of earlier policy decisions that Commissioners Court could theoretically change.
It’s also important to realize that the General Fund numbers cited above do NOT cover Flood Control, Port of Houston, or Public Health which have their own budgets (to be discussed at a later date).
Impact on Typical Homeowner’s Property Tax Bill
At the proposed maximum rate increase allowable without an election – and taking into account homestead exemptions and new construction growth – the average residential homestead would pay $1,350 in County property taxes vs. $1,202 last year, a 12.3% increase. See Page 40 of budget discussion.
The discussion of strategic objectives and their budget impact begins on Page 67 of the PDF. The budget is VERY complex and difficult to follow. However, several appendices may help.
Proposed department budgets on page 99
Glossary of terms on page 103
Which funds pay which departments on page 109
Salary increases of elected officials on page 111
Proposed benefit rates, also on 111
All pages refer to the PDF numbering system, not the numbers listed at the bottom of pages. That makes it easier to fast-forward within the document.
Make Your Feelings Known
Commissioners will vote on the final 2027 budget on September 8, 2026. Unfortunately, that’s before the November elections. So, if you’d like to limit that 12% increase in your property taxes, the time to start mailing, phoning and protesting is now.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/17/2026
3275 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Budget-Cover.jpg?fit=1100%2C673&ssl=16731100adminadmin2026-08-17 22:12:092026-08-18 00:08:13Harris County Considers $327 Million 2027 Budget Increase
8/16/26 – On Monday 8/17/26, Harris County will hold a Special Meeting of Commissioners Court to discuss the 2027 budget and a tax increase to cover a projected $129 million deficit in the general fund.
The agenda shows that the meeting will start at 9 am. Ironically, Item #1 has to do with “salary grievances.” Item #2 is the budget itself.
Harris County’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provided an overview of the issues in April 2026. The 12-page presentation shows:
Historical rates dating back to 2018
A breakdown of last year’s budget
Where the money comes from; 81.5% of the general fund comes from property taxes
Where the money goes; 60% to Justice and Public Safety
A breakdown of increases
Revenues vs. expenditures; $129 million deficit using the Voter Approval Rate and $257 million using the No New Revenue Rate.
Need for Greater Transparency
The presentation above contains a link for more details, but the link does not work. OMBs Open Budget Dashboard website contains no content as of 7 pm on 8/16/26. And no explanatory information is linked to the agenda. Perhaps OMB will share budget details after the meeting.
The 12-page presentation from April at least contains a list of budget objectives. See below.
Unfortunately, with no details that connect goals with expenditures, it’s hard to tell how the county hopes to achieve these objectives.
I broke out laughing when I saw “housing stability.” One of the single largest expenses for most people is housing. And Harris County could increase property taxes 9-14% according to initial indications. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey PE said it may be the single largest tax increase in Harris County history. It’s hard to see how increasing property taxes improve housing stability.
I also broke out laughing when I saw the typo in the last line which has escaped the notice of OMB for 5 months. That certainly does not inspire confidence in the accuracy of the numbers commissioners will soon be voting on.
For More Information and Next Steps
A third party, Rice University’s Baker Institute, provides an excellent discussion of the issues surrounding this budget. The Baker Institute also provides several recommendations to make the budget process more transparent.
Don’t expect formal budget approval tomorrow. That will come in later:
September 8: Commissioners Court proposes tax rates and considers budget amendments.
September 17: Public hearing and adoption of the 2026 tax rates and FY2027 budget.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/16/2026
3274 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/FY27_Budget_Town_Hall_PPT_Page_04-e1786926735637.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2026-08-16 19:32:322026-08-17 17:19:10Special Meeting Monday to Discuss Harris County Budget, Tax Increase
Fox26 Interviews New HCFCD Director Stuckett about Priorities
8/18/26 – This afternoon, Fox26 reporter Greg Groogan interviewed new Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Marcus Stuckett about his priorities. Stuckett inherited the job just six weeks ago after the previous director resigned under pressure, when it became apparent that Harris County could lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.
The most immediate issue: a looming U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) use-it-or-lose-it deadline for $322 million in Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR).
Interview Begins with Frank Assessment
Groogan began the interview by asking Stuckett for his assessment of situation. Stuckett replied frankly and openly. He said, “We have some challenges, but we are working through those. We have some aggressive deadlines that we’re working on with the CDBG-DR projects. They’re due February 2027, followed by CDBG Mitigation projects in March 2028.”
How Stuckett Hopes to Accelerate Projects
Then he added, “We’ve been speaking with contractors, trying to find ways to accelerate the projects and we’ve had some great conversations with them.”
Groogan likened the task to a Manhattan Project or going into the fourth quarter, down three touchdowns and expecting to win. “Can it be done?” he asked.
Importance of Decisiveness and Trust
Stuckett replied, “We can do it as long as we remain focused on the plan and we remain decisive going forward.”
Groogan then asked Stuckett who has a reputation as a leader who fixes problems, “What will you do differently than the leadership you just replaced?”
Surprisingly, Stuckett referred to restoring the public’s trust. “We understand that we are beholden to the residents of Harris County, and I want to be able to restore that trust by communicating honestly, communicating with transparency about our successes, as well as some of the challenges that we face while we work on these projects.”
Focusing More Resources on Construction and Planning
When Groogan tried to pin Stuckett down to more specifics, Stuckett focused on construction. “We’ve been meeting with contractors and trying to provide more resources.”
Stuckett also focused on planning. “In terms of our planning efforts, we just have to focus on developing solutions without having a lot of back and forth amongst ourselves and consultants when making decisions.”
Groogan then asked “That’s an important part of your role – walking into a room and saying, ‘This is the best information we have and we need to get this done.'”
Unleashing an Eager Team
As a followup question, Groogan asked, “How receptive has the team you’ve inherited been to that type of leadership?”
“The team has been great,” replied Stuckett. “Everybody’s behind it. We’re all hands on deck. I’ve gotten a lot of help from some of the senior leadership that remains here. Everybody just wants to get projects done. That something that flood control employees have that the public may not have understood. Our employees want to get the work done. We want to be responsive. And we want to provide the service that we promised.”
For what it is worth, in the six weeks since Stuckett assumed his new role, I have sensed a renewed excitement on the part of HCFCD employees and managers that I talk too. In my opinion, they show an energy that felt missing under his predecessor. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
To See More of Interview
Groogan’s interview with Stuckett continued for 15 minutes. During that time, they also talked about:
To see the entire interview from start to finish, visit Fox26. I highly recommend it.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/18/26
3276 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Harris County Considers $327 Million 2027 Budget Increase
8/17/2026 – Daniel Ramos, Executive Director of Harris County’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), presented a detailed general fund budget for Fiscal Year 2027 this morning to a special meeting of Harris County Commissioners Court. The budget contained an estimated $327 million/12% increase over the 2026 budget. That increase could raise the average homeowner’s Harris County property tax bill next year to approximately $1,350. But if your house is worth more, that number could go far higher.
Here is Ramos’ “overview” presentation. And here is a 112-page explanation posted to the (OMB) website.
The county has two ways to raise property taxes: through your home’s valuation and the tax rate applied to it. But in 2026, total valuations throughout the county rose by only 0.8%. That means in order to pay for 12% increased costs, the tax rates themselves must increase.
Programs Vs. Priorities
Finalizing a budget requires debating priorities. And the presentation Ramos made today mapped proposed expenses to the priorities adopted earlier by the county. The 112-page explanation contains illuminating information about the county’s growth and demographics that drive the proposed increase.
Current Level of Service and Spending
One of the key terms used in the budget is “CLS/S.” It stands for Current Level of Service and Spending. Growth in law enforcement pay parity (with City of Houston), employee health care and benefits, CLS/S requests by departments, pay equity and other changes account for most of the projected $327 increase.
The first three categories alone account for more than two-thirds of the total increase. CLS/S includes the costs of maintaining the same level of service year over year. For instance, it includes $61 million of such things as facility maintenance, fleet operations, utilities, cost-of-living adjustments, changes in state law, and unplanned budget adjustments.
The $61 million also includes $14 million for ARPA programs which would otherwise go away at the end of this year when ARPA funding expires. So those aren’t purely inflationary costs.
The 12% increase is not principally a story about Harris County launching a huge collection of new programs. Approximately half is employee compensation and healthcare.
And using OMB’s own accounting framework, approximately $287 million of the $327 million year-over-year increase was already embedded in the cost of maintaining existing services and spending commitments. That’s 88% not classified as expansion of services.
And that points to a recurring, structural problem.
It’s important to distinguish between “unavoidable” versus “already committed.” CLS/S does not mean unavoidable. It means current level of service and spending. Some items — healthcare inflation or statutory mandates — may be difficult to avoid.
Other items — pay-parity commitments, continuing ARPA programs, staffing levels, compensation policies — are the consequences of earlier policy decisions that Commissioners Court could theoretically change.
It’s also important to realize that the General Fund numbers cited above do NOT cover Flood Control, Port of Houston, or Public Health which have their own budgets (to be discussed at a later date).
Impact on Typical Homeowner’s Property Tax Bill
At the proposed maximum rate increase allowable without an election – and taking into account homestead exemptions and new construction growth – the average residential homestead would pay $1,350 in County property taxes vs. $1,202 last year, a 12.3% increase. See Page 40 of budget discussion.
The discussion of strategic objectives and their budget impact begins on Page 67 of the PDF. The budget is VERY complex and difficult to follow. However, several appendices may help.
All pages refer to the PDF numbering system, not the numbers listed at the bottom of pages. That makes it easier to fast-forward within the document.
Make Your Feelings Known
Commissioners will vote on the final 2027 budget on September 8, 2026. Unfortunately, that’s before the November elections. So, if you’d like to limit that 12% increase in your property taxes, the time to start mailing, phoning and protesting is now.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/17/2026
3275 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Special Meeting Monday to Discuss Harris County Budget, Tax Increase
8/16/26 – On Monday 8/17/26, Harris County will hold a Special Meeting of Commissioners Court to discuss the 2027 budget and a tax increase to cover a projected $129 million deficit in the general fund.
The agenda shows that the meeting will start at 9 am. Ironically, Item #1 has to do with “salary grievances.” Item #2 is the budget itself.
Harris County’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provided an overview of the issues in April 2026. The 12-page presentation shows:
Need for Greater Transparency
The presentation above contains a link for more details, but the link does not work. OMBs Open Budget Dashboard website contains no content as of 7 pm on 8/16/26. And no explanatory information is linked to the agenda. Perhaps OMB will share budget details after the meeting.
The 12-page presentation from April at least contains a list of budget objectives. See below.
Unfortunately, with no details that connect goals with expenditures, it’s hard to tell how the county hopes to achieve these objectives.
I broke out laughing when I saw “housing stability.” One of the single largest expenses for most people is housing. And Harris County could increase property taxes 9-14% according to initial indications. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey PE said it may be the single largest tax increase in Harris County history. It’s hard to see how increasing property taxes improve housing stability.
I also broke out laughing when I saw the typo in the last line which has escaped the notice of OMB for 5 months. That certainly does not inspire confidence in the accuracy of the numbers commissioners will soon be voting on.
For More Information and Next Steps
A third party, Rice University’s Baker Institute, provides an excellent discussion of the issues surrounding this budget. The Baker Institute also provides several recommendations to make the budget process more transparent.
Don’t expect formal budget approval tomorrow. That will come in later:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/16/2026
3274 Days since Hurricane Harvey