1/9/2026 – On 1/8/2026, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey put Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) on notice that he is concerned about HCFCD’s ability to meet state and federal grant deadlines for an estimated quarter billion dollars of flood control projects. Missing the deadlines could possibly result in the loss of funding.
Ramsey cautioned the court, “If we don’t meet the deadline, $250 million is at risk.”
Ramsey said he plans to discuss the progress of the projects in every Commissioners Court meeting between now and the February 28, 2027, deadline.
The projects are being funded by Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR). The grants originate from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), but are administered by the Texas General Land Office. Project deadlines have already been extended twice and HCFCD has been warned in writing not to ask for more extensions.
The eleven CDBG-DR projects include:
Status from HCFCD as of 1/9/26. Estimated grant values from GLO as of 10/25.SWDB means stormwater detention basin. CCI means channel conveyance improvements, i.e., widening, deepening and/or lining with concrete.
Ramsey’s estimate of $250 million at risk differs from the total grant value of $322 million. He must conservatively assume that at least some of the projects can be completed and are therefore not at risk. However, he didn’t say which he thought were safe.
Typical Timetables
It typically takes 3-4 months to advertise a project for bids, approve the winning bidder, and sign the contract. Once the contractor mobilizes for the job, it can easily take another year or more to complete it. For example, the Mercer Basin on Cypress Creek was started in 2022 on an expedited basis. It was expected to take a year. But it was not yet complete at the end of 2025. So you can see Ramsey’s concern.
In contrast, most of these projects will have less than a year for construction unless HUD grants another extension. In the past, Commissioners have expressed reservations about starting projects they may not have money to complete.
Flood Control’s Reaction to Concerns
Regardless, Flood Control District Executive Director Tina Petersen expressed confidence that she could make the February 2027 deadline.
She thanked Commissioner Adrian Garcia for the recognition that HCFCD is getting seven projects amended into the GLO’s Action Plan. But those are CDBG-Mitigation projects, not CDBG-Disaster Relief projects, which have a much tighter deadline.
Without distinguishing the difference, she then segued to Disaster Relief. She thanked Garcia again for recognizing that the Brookglen bid had just been approved. Brookglen IS a DR project.
She then addressed Ramsey’s concern. “We do have a plan for moving forward with the remainder of the projects,” said Petersen without offering specifics. “Right now, we have four projects out for bid that were originally supposed to be going out this month, but we were successful in expediting the schedule and pushing fast and pushing hard with the cooperation of our purchasing director to get those out in December.”
Petersen continued, “So, we are moving ahead of schedule right now. We have an additional, I believe, five projects left to get out in Quarter One. And right now, we are on track to do so.”
Dr. Tina Petersen, Executive Director of HCFCD, addressing Commissioners Court on deadline issue.
Petersen Points to Process Improvements
Petersen then shifted the discussion to process improvements. “We are working closely to identify places where we’re having challenges and then working collaboratively to make sure that we chase those issues down.”
She specifically mentioned how she was working with the county’s purchasing department to speed up the bidding and approval process and pointed to Item 132 on the agenda. It gives authority to the purchasing agent to award construction contracts to the lowest responsible bidder for 29 CDBG-DR and -MIT projects.
“Every day, every week that we can save in this process makes a difference,” said Petersen. “We think that … will save us between 2 and 6 weeks, and that will matter to us.”
“Every Single Day Could Make a Difference”
Garcia put a finer point on it. He said, “Every single day could make a difference.”
Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones thanked Petersen for her efforts, but also said, “Every time I see you, Doctor Petersen, I feel like there’s a clock ticking in my head.”
This is the best drama in town.
During the meeting yesterday, it became clear that Ramsey was frustrated with the operation and efficiency of many county departments. He wants no more excuses or finger pointing. And he’s doing whatever he can to keep the county from losing that CDBG-DR money.
In a separate phone call Ramsey said, “Don’t tell me what you’re going to do. Tell me what you’ve done. Bid the jobs!”
HCFCD started working on these projects in 2022. But only one is now under construction. With only 13 months left to move millions of cubic yards of dirt, Petersen claims HCFCD is “ahead of schedule,” Incredibly, 9 of 11 projects have still not been awarded to contractors.
To see video of this discussion in Commissioners Court, go to https://harriscountytx.new.swagit.com/videos/371451. Then click on Emergency Supplemental Items, Part 2 of 2 and scroll to 1:44:30 for the start of the discussion.
Part of a Broader Slowdown
The Flood Control District listed only thirteen items on its part of the agenda for the January 8 meeting.
Three had to do with interlocal agreements
Three dealt with CenterPoint agreements
Two dealt with contract modifications
Three dealt with buyouts of individual properties
One had to do with safety
One delegated authority to Harris County Purchasing to award construction contracts to the lowest responsible bidder for 29 CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT projects (Item 132 mentioned above).
After passage of the flood bond in 2018, HCFCD routinely had 80+ items on the agenda. But then in 2021, the Democratic majority on Commissioners Court made a management change. And the rate of project execution has slowed ever since.
Now is the time for Dr. Petersen to show that she’s worth her $434,000 annual salary. Can she save a quarter billion dollars? Only time will tell. Now comes the real heavy lifting.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/9/26
3055 Days since 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HC-DR-Project-Timetable-as-of-1.8.26-e1768001641101.png?fit=1100%2C596&ssl=15961100adminadmin2026-01-09 17:39:562026-01-09 19:54:54Ramsey Sounds Alarm Over Deadline That Could Cost County $250 Million
1/8/2026 – City of Houston Council Member Fred Flickinger has announced that the fifth round of Median Madness will happen this Saturday, January 10, 2026. The event begins at 8:30 AM and will go to noon. The rally point will be at the Kingwood High School parking lot at 2701 Kingwood Drive.
Co-sponsors for this event include:
The Young Men’s Service League: Kingwood
Trees for Kingwood
Houston Parks and Recreation Department
Past Median Madness events have been great fun. They represent a chance to rub shoulders with neighbors, beautify the community, work out your frustrations on vines, and improve traffic safety.
Mayor Coming
And as a bonus, you’ll get a chance to meet Mayor John Whitmire in person. He plans to be there.
Weather Prediction/What to Bring
Weather for Saturday morning should be 51 degrees at 9 AM, headed for a high of 57, with light winds. There is a 10% chance of light showers, with humidity around 70%. Expect light winds up to 14 mph.
Council Member Flickinger reminds people to wear closed-toed shoes, and to bring water and gloves. All ages are welcome, but anyone under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.
For More Information
Visit www.houstontx.gov/council/e/ or call 832-393-3008. Hope to see you there!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/8/2026
3054 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Median-Madness-Flyer-Round-5-copy.jpg?fit=1545%2C976&ssl=19761545adminadmin2026-01-08 20:56:512026-01-09 06:31:14Median Madness Round 5 Set for This Saturday
1/7/26 – The final Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) spending numbers are in for 2025. And they show a disturbing story of deception that calls for political change. The latest numbers show that HCFCD is fixing the worst flooding last, not first, as promised. See the two graphs below.
Compare Spending to Flood Height
The first shows flood height. The San Jacinto watershed had the worst flooding in Harris County.
Yet when you look at where the money goes, the San Jacinto ranks nearly last.
HCFCD cumulative spending for each watershed since flood bond as percent of projected expenditures in 2018.
The San Jacinto Watershed has only received 13% of the money allocated to it in the flood bond. Yet almost half of the flood-related deaths in Harris County during Harvey occurred in the San Jacinto Watershed – 15 out of 36. Most of those were elderly.
Why the huge disparity between these two graphs? Unfortunately and unbelievably…
The Democratic majority on commissioners court removed flood-risk reduction as a factor in prioritizing mitigation projects in 2022.
To Change Priorities, Change Leaders
But you can change that at the ballot box this year.
In that regard, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting one of the front runners for county judge this year, Marty Lancton. As a leader of first responders, he has experienced the terrible human toll of flooding as few others have. And he has made flood mitigation one of his top priorities. Most importantly…
Lancton believes in restoring flood-risk reduction as a factor in prioritizing projects.
It’s time we put the worst flooding first, not last. We must improve fairness to restore faith in government.
The Raw Data
Live in another watershed and wonder whether you got shortchanged, too? Here’s where HCFCD spent your money to date.
Projected vs. actual spending by HCFCD since start of flood bond for each watershed.Total includes bond plus partner dollars.
Eight watersheds exceed the average percent spent, while fifteen fall below it. This isn’t accidental. It’s deliberate. And this is the year to fix that.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/7/26
3053 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Worst-Last-e1767828948303.png?fit=1100%2C661&ssl=16611100adminadmin2026-01-07 19:18:232026-01-07 19:30:10We Must Make Addressing “Worst Flooding First” a Campaign Issue
Ramsey Sounds Alarm Over Deadline That Could Cost County $250 Million
1/9/2026 – On 1/8/2026, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey put Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) on notice that he is concerned about HCFCD’s ability to meet state and federal grant deadlines for an estimated quarter billion dollars of flood control projects. Missing the deadlines could possibly result in the loss of funding.
Ramsey cautioned the court, “If we don’t meet the deadline, $250 million is at risk.”
The projects are being funded by Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR). The grants originate from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), but are administered by the Texas General Land Office. Project deadlines have already been extended twice and HCFCD has been warned in writing not to ask for more extensions.
The eleven CDBG-DR projects include:
Ramsey’s estimate of $250 million at risk differs from the total grant value of $322 million. He must conservatively assume that at least some of the projects can be completed and are therefore not at risk. However, he didn’t say which he thought were safe.
Typical Timetables
It typically takes 3-4 months to advertise a project for bids, approve the winning bidder, and sign the contract. Once the contractor mobilizes for the job, it can easily take another year or more to complete it. For example, the Mercer Basin on Cypress Creek was started in 2022 on an expedited basis. It was expected to take a year. But it was not yet complete at the end of 2025. So you can see Ramsey’s concern.
In contrast, most of these projects will have less than a year for construction unless HUD grants another extension. In the past, Commissioners have expressed reservations about starting projects they may not have money to complete.
Flood Control’s Reaction to Concerns
Regardless, Flood Control District Executive Director Tina Petersen expressed confidence that she could make the February 2027 deadline.
She thanked Commissioner Adrian Garcia for the recognition that HCFCD is getting seven projects amended into the GLO’s Action Plan. But those are CDBG-Mitigation projects, not CDBG-Disaster Relief projects, which have a much tighter deadline.
Without distinguishing the difference, she then segued to Disaster Relief. She thanked Garcia again for recognizing that the Brookglen bid had just been approved. Brookglen IS a DR project.
She then addressed Ramsey’s concern. “We do have a plan for moving forward with the remainder of the projects,” said Petersen without offering specifics. “Right now, we have four projects out for bid that were originally supposed to be going out this month, but we were successful in expediting the schedule and pushing fast and pushing hard with the cooperation of our purchasing director to get those out in December.”
Petersen continued, “So, we are moving ahead of schedule right now. We have an additional, I believe, five projects left to get out in Quarter One. And right now, we are on track to do so.”
Petersen Points to Process Improvements
Petersen then shifted the discussion to process improvements. “We are working closely to identify places where we’re having challenges and then working collaboratively to make sure that we chase those issues down.”
She specifically mentioned how she was working with the county’s purchasing department to speed up the bidding and approval process and pointed to Item 132 on the agenda. It gives authority to the purchasing agent to award construction contracts to the lowest responsible bidder for 29 CDBG-DR and -MIT projects.
“Every day, every week that we can save in this process makes a difference,” said Petersen. “We think that … will save us between 2 and 6 weeks, and that will matter to us.”
“Every Single Day Could Make a Difference”
Garcia put a finer point on it. He said, “Every single day could make a difference.”
Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones thanked Petersen for her efforts, but also said, “Every time I see you, Doctor Petersen, I feel like there’s a clock ticking in my head.”
This is the best drama in town.
During the meeting yesterday, it became clear that Ramsey was frustrated with the operation and efficiency of many county departments. He wants no more excuses or finger pointing. And he’s doing whatever he can to keep the county from losing that CDBG-DR money.
In a separate phone call Ramsey said, “Don’t tell me what you’re going to do. Tell me what you’ve done. Bid the jobs!”
HCFCD started working on these projects in 2022. But only one is now under construction. With only 13 months left to move millions of cubic yards of dirt, Petersen claims HCFCD is “ahead of schedule,” Incredibly, 9 of 11 projects have still not been awarded to contractors.
To see video of this discussion in Commissioners Court, go to https://harriscountytx.new.swagit.com/videos/371451. Then click on Emergency Supplemental Items, Part 2 of 2 and scroll to 1:44:30 for the start of the discussion.
Part of a Broader Slowdown
The Flood Control District listed only thirteen items on its part of the agenda for the January 8 meeting.
After passage of the flood bond in 2018, HCFCD routinely had 80+ items on the agenda. But then in 2021, the Democratic majority on Commissioners Court made a management change. And the rate of project execution has slowed ever since.
Now is the time for Dr. Petersen to show that she’s worth her $434,000 annual salary. Can she save a quarter billion dollars? Only time will tell. Now comes the real heavy lifting.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/9/26
3055 Days since 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.
Median Madness Round 5 Set for This Saturday
1/8/2026 – City of Houston Council Member Fred Flickinger has announced that the fifth round of Median Madness will happen this Saturday, January 10, 2026. The event begins at 8:30 AM and will go to noon. The rally point will be at the Kingwood High School parking lot at 2701 Kingwood Drive.
Co-sponsors for this event include:
Past Median Madness events have been great fun. They represent a chance to rub shoulders with neighbors, beautify the community, work out your frustrations on vines, and improve traffic safety.
Mayor Coming
And as a bonus, you’ll get a chance to meet Mayor John Whitmire in person. He plans to be there.
Weather Prediction/What to Bring
Weather for Saturday morning should be 51 degrees at 9 AM, headed for a high of 57, with light winds. There is a 10% chance of light showers, with humidity around 70%. Expect light winds up to 14 mph.
Council Member Flickinger reminds people to wear closed-toed shoes, and to bring water and gloves. All ages are welcome, but anyone under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.
For More Information
Visit www.houstontx.gov/council/e/ or call 832-393-3008. Hope to see you there!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/8/2026
3054 Days since Hurricane Harvey
We Must Make Addressing “Worst Flooding First” a Campaign Issue
1/7/26 – The final Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) spending numbers are in for 2025. And they show a disturbing story of deception that calls for political change. The latest numbers show that HCFCD is fixing the worst flooding last, not first, as promised. See the two graphs below.
Compare Spending to Flood Height
The first shows flood height. The San Jacinto watershed had the worst flooding in Harris County.
Yet when you look at where the money goes, the San Jacinto ranks nearly last.
The San Jacinto Watershed has only received 13% of the money allocated to it in the flood bond. Yet almost half of the flood-related deaths in Harris County during Harvey occurred in the San Jacinto Watershed – 15 out of 36. Most of those were elderly.
Why the huge disparity between these two graphs? Unfortunately and unbelievably…
To Change Priorities, Change Leaders
But you can change that at the ballot box this year.
In that regard, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting one of the front runners for county judge this year, Marty Lancton. As a leader of first responders, he has experienced the terrible human toll of flooding as few others have. And he has made flood mitigation one of his top priorities. Most importantly…
It’s time we put the worst flooding first, not last. We must improve fairness to restore faith in government.
The Raw Data
Live in another watershed and wonder whether you got shortchanged, too? Here’s where HCFCD spent your money to date.
Eight watersheds exceed the average percent spent, while fifteen fall below it. This isn’t accidental. It’s deliberate. And this is the year to fix that.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/7/26
3053 Days since Hurricane Harvey