Overview
- Tina Petersen stepped down as executive director after commissioners held a second closed-session review and did not immediately name a successor.
- Multiple recovery and mitigation projects are far behind schedule and face a Texas General Land Office internal benchmark of February 28, 2027 and a HUD spending cutoff in August 2028 that could force repayment of funds.
- County officials have proposed reclassifying eligible work into mitigation grants and unveiled a late-stage plan to accelerate work meant to protect roughly $322 million in redirected Harvey dollars.
- The Texas General Land Office flagged problems such as staff turnover, missing grant documentation and procurement delays and urged Congress to reduce federal administrative rules that it says slow local projects.
- Local advocates warn that failure to finish work could mean hundreds of millions returned to the federal treasury and delay needed flood protections for residents while political debate over leadership and oversight continues.