Tag Archive for: Executive Session

Houston Chronicle Misses Many Points on HCFCD Leadership Discussion

The Houston Chronicle published an editorial about the leader of the Harris County Flood Control District, Tina Petersen, Ph.D., this morning. Harris County Commissioners will discuss her job performance tomorrow in executive session. The move was prompted by the detailed disclosure on May 1, 2026, of the status of Community Development Block Grant Projects (CDBG).

Petersen spread sunshine in the form of vague generalities about the projects at Commissioners Court until Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey started demanding detailed information. The results were shocking. Especially for 11 CDBG projects with a deadline of 2/28/27 – roughly nine months away. The projects usually take 1-2 years to complete. Recently, one took FOUR years!

Point/Counterpoint

Because the Chronicle is a copyrighted publication, I will quote only the passages that struck me as “off the wall,” then state why I disagree with them.

What Harris County Needs?

The Chronicle headline read: “Harris County needs stable leadership at Flood Control — not backroom politics.”

My headline would have read, “Harris County needs results, accountability and transparency from Flood Control – not excuses.”

Worse Time?

Their editorial board recommends keeping her and says that this discussion “couldn’t come at a worse time.” Actually, it could in my opinion. It could come when there’s no longer any hope of saving hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.

At the moment, there may still be time to turn some of the projects around. The editorial board seems to assume that if a project is in construction, the GLO will automatically grant an extension. But the GLO has repeatedly said that any extension(s) would depend on how close any given project is to completion.

The Chronicle also doesn’t consider what would happen if a project were started, but not completed in time – a nightmare scenario from a financial point of view.

All But Two Projects under Contract?

The Chronicle claims, “All but two [emphasis added] of those projects are under contract for construction, putting the flood control district in a good position to formally request an extension on the federal funds…”

HCFCD’s own spreadsheet shows that four construction contracts have not been awarded yet – Genoa Red Bluff, Kluge, Isom Street and Dinner Creek Stormwater Detention Basins.

Worse, nine of the 11 projects have not yet billed a penny. Only two have billed anything and one of those is seriously behind schedule,

The Chronicle should understand that “under contract” does not mean “under construction.” It can take contractors months to mobilize for construction.

Undermine Progress?

The Chronicle claims, “A leadership change at this juncture would likely undermine that progress.”

What progress are they referring to?

Responsible Governance?

The Chronicle believes that changing leadership “would be a return to the bad old days of Commissioners Court, defined by opaque maneuvering, where political relationships often took precedence over responsible governance.”

Do you mean like when they hired Petersen?

To my way of thinking, responsible governance is governance that delivers results. The Chronicle seems to defend the squandering of tax dollars. A change in leadership would show GLO and HUD that Harris County does not accept failure and misdirection.

Lost Confidence?

The Chronicle stated, “This turmoil is what we feared would happen after County Judge Lina Hidalgo stated she “lost confidence” in Petersen.

I believe Hidalgo had valid concerns. The flood control district was not being transparent enough in providing timely updates. It was not providing actionable data to commissioners and the public regarding projects that were in jeopardy of losing funding.

Scapegoating?

“We don’t think the current executive should be scapegoated,” says the Chronicle, “… and neither should any county resident who cares about keeping floodwater out of their living room.”

Huh? Since when is making a leader accountable for the performance of her team “scapegoating”? And how are county residents being scapegoated? They’re the victims here.

Productive Relationships?

The Chronicle also believes that Petersen “helped rebuild productive relationships with the General Land Office and Department of Housing and Urban Development…”

Name your sources, Chronicle! Put quotes around their praise so that other media can verify what they said. Vague generalities got us into this mess.

Reasons?

“If there’s a reason to fire Peterson, tell the public what it is,” said the Chronicle editorial. 

Duh again! She is failing and jeopardizing hundreds of millions of dollars. Here’s the link to her own spreadsheet again. If the Chronicle leadership missed deadlines and financial projections by years, how long do you think it would be before Hearst pulled the plug?

What happened to transparency, accountability and results? Do those no longer count in the Chronicle’s world?

You might also want to check previous department head turnover, Chronicle. Four years ago, 16 of 20 department heads turned over with whole layers of management underneath them. Where were you then, Editorial Board?

Non Sequiturs?

The Chronicle editorial claims that if local leaders remove Petersen, it could lead to HCFCD “being put under state control.”

This may have something to do with legislation proposed in 2025 that died in committee. The Chronicle doesn’t give specifics. It just says, “The state Legislature has proposed a bill that would put the district under state control.” What does that have to do with Tina Petersen’s performance?

Here’s another non sequitur, Chronicle! Rep. Dennis Paul did introduce a bill (HB2068 in 2025) that would have created a river-basin-wide flood-control district. The Chronicle correctly stated that the bill would have had directors appointed by the governor. But the Houston Chronicle omitted the fact that it only would have been created after voters in individual counties approved it. Please explain how voter approval infringes on local control in your minds?

And by the way, “legislatures” don’t introduce bills; “legislators” do. Just FYI.

Rash Decisions?

“We urge Commissioners Court to table any rash decisions on flood control leadership on Thursday,” says the editorial.

News flash, Chronicle! This train has been coming down the tracks for years.

Open Discussion of Personnel Matters?

The editorial concludes with the admonition that any discussion of Petersen’s future “should be discussed openly…”

Such public discussions can result in people becoming virtually unemployable for the rest of their careers, which is why state law allows and county policy encourages such discussions in Executive Session.

But you’re entitled to your opinions. And I respect your right to voice them. Please just make sure they’re based on facts.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/13/26

3179 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.

Harris County Commissioners Will Discuss HCFCD Executive Director in Executive Session

5/9/2026 – During the 5/14/2026 Harris County Commissioner’s Court Meeting, Commissioners will discuss Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Dr. Tina Petersen in Executive Session with an eye to taking possible action.

Item #490 on the Agenda reads:

Request by the Commissioner of Precinct 3 for an Executive Session pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.074(a) for discussion and possible action regarding the Executive Director of the Harris County Flood Control District.

Section 551.074 allows commissioners to conduct sessions in private when deliberating the employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee.

Performance Issues

Petersen’s performance has come under increasing scrutiny in the last few years as HCFCD projects have bogged down. For instance:

  • Construction of the Mercer Basin in Rodney Ellis’ Precinct One was started in 2022 on an expedited basis. But what should have taken one year took four. The project just finished. (See Item 389).
  • Funding for the reconstruction of Poor Farm Ditch in West U and South Side Place was announced in June 2023. But bid approval is on the May 14, 2026 agenda. (See Item 275).
  • The construction contract for the Woodridge/Taylor Gully project was awarded in March 2026. Seven weeks later, Item 124 on the agenda shows that HCFCD is just now requesting access to the site. As of yesterday, no construction equipment was onsite yet…not even a construction trailer.
  • Item 390 shows thathundreds of millions of dollars of CDBG-MIT and CDBG-DR projects have slipped so badly, they likely won’t meet state and federal deadlines. Of the 11 projects in the DR category only two are in construction and one of those is already seriously behind schedule. Construction bids have not yet been awarded on four others totaling approximately $90 million. Less than 9.5 months remain before deadlines kick in on projects that typically take one to two years.

Despite all that, Item 473 on the agenda shows that Petersen is requesting renewal of a $12 million contract to provide “program management, project management, construction management and inspection services for the development and implementation of CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT projects.”

$90,000 Raise Last Year

Despite her department’s less-than-stellar performance, Commissioners awarded Petersen a $90,000 raise last year. That brought her salary to approximately $434,000 per year.

The big question at this point is…

“Will commissioners start projects they may not have money to finish?”

The $868 million in CDBG-DR and -MIT projects is on a reimbursement basis only when the job is done. Commissioners could spend a lot of money and if the projects don’t get done, they might not get reimbursed.

Will 5/14/26 be Dr. Tina Petersen’s “Day of Reckoning” that Commissioner Ellis warned about last month?

The irony here is that we had management at flood control that was doing an excellent job…until Democrats on Commissioners Court pushed them out. You can see on the graph below what has happened since.

HCFCD 2026 Q1 spending
From HCFCD.org/Activity as of 4/1/2026. Spending by project phase since start of 2018 Flood Bond Program.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/9/2026

3175 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.

Would Purchase of Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village by HCFCD be a “Bailout”?

Last week, according to the Houston Chronicle, Harris County Commissioners discussed in executive session a deal to purchase the Woodridge Village development in Montgomery County. Woodridge Village has contributed to repeated flooding of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest. At issue: the possibility of turning the land into a regional detention facility that could help the affected communities and others on the East Fork of the San Jacinto.

But shortly before the crucial meeting, the Houston Chronicle printed an article calling it a “bailout” of Perry Homes. As I read and reread the article, I cringed. The headline screamed “A homebuilder in the floodplain wants a bailout. Should Harris County cut a check?”

Article Raises More Questions than Answers

This article left me with more questions than answers.

How did the reporter arrive at the conclusion that Perry Homes wanted a “bailout”? He never explained.

He called it an unprecedented deal. But flood control authorities routinely purchase land for detention projects. 

The author implied that developers “bungled” the project, but never explained how. 

He quoted Commissioner Jack Cagle as saying that the builder made unwise decisions. But the reporter never explained what those were. 

The reporter consistently implied that residents’ claims were unsubstantiated. But photographs and videos taken during the event clearly show water streaming from Woodridge Village directly into the streets of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest.

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies

Bizarrely, the article implied that Harris County Commissioners would be letting developers “off the hook.” What hook? Yes, Perry Homes is being sued by hundreds of homeowners. But Commissioners have nothing to do with the lawsuits and can’t influence them. The lawsuits are moving forward independently, as the article points out later.

The article claimed the parcel being considered for purchase is inside city limits. It is NOT. It is, however, within the City of Houston’s extra-territorial jurisdiction.

Another inaccuracy: The article said “Elm Grove” sits inside the 100- and 500-year flood plains. Only a portion of it does. 

Getting to the Heart of the Mystery

The article claims that the new development also sits in floodplains. I agree. But now we’re getting to the crux of the flooding issue and the mystery surrounding these floods. This is where the Chronicle could have won a Pulitzer.

LJA Engineering, which prepared the drainage analysis for Perry Homes, claims the property does not sit in floodplains. They also claim the property contained no wetlands. Hmmmm. The wetlands clearly show up on the USGS National Wetlands Inventory. This is where a good investigative reporter would have started digging. But there’s no discussion of these issues.

More than a year and a half after Perry Homes clear-cut this land and Elm Grove flooded twice, Perry Homes still has not even completed a quarter of the required detention pond capacity.

A glance at the construction plans and drainage analysis would have shown that Perry Homes did not build what was on paper. They failed to follow the permitted plans.

Adding Insult to Inaccuracy

To add insult to inaccuracy, the article then goes on to claim that portions of Kingwood have flooded repeatedly in the last five years, as if that explains Perry’s problems. But those areas are not even in the same watershed as Elm Grove! They have separate issues; those other areas were built in the floodway of the San Jacinto river. Elm Grove, on the other hand, never flooded before Perry clear-cut 268 acres immediately upstream from them and then filled existing streams.

Dubious Slant Could Rile Up Voters, Torpedo Deal

Whether intentional, unintentional or both, the article’s omissions, inaccuracies, and mischaracterizations could rile up voters who may fear their tax dollars are being wasted by the “bailout” of a billion-dollar company that they don’t especially like. That kind of publicity often scares authorities who fear blowback. And that, in turn, could torpedo any land purchase and doom desperate people to more flooding. I sincerely hope not.

Advice for Houston Chronicle

If the Chronicle wants to write about this issue, I suggest they research it. Don’t just call both sides and think you have done a good job of balanced reporting. Get to the damn truth. Then maybe more people would buy subscriptions. Why:

People’s lives, homes, lifesavings, and sanity are at stake. I sincerely hope the Houston Chronicle starts digging for answers, instead of shoveling bull.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/4/2020

889 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.